How advantageous is having a PMI ACP Certification?
Various organizations have adapted their structure to cope up with the agile methodology. The salient feature of flexibility enables organizations to smoothly handle their projects using agile methodology. Its focus on efficient delivery whilst evolving as per project requirements has been a boon to several project managers. With Agile methodology constantly evolving, the demand for professionals in Agile is increasing continuously. This further necessitates professionals to showcase advanced agile competencies to stand out from the crowd.
PMI ACP Certification is one such credential that makes it easier for professionals to demonstrate their expertise in implementing modern practices of agile. Project professionals who own this certification get to pursue abundant career opportunities across the globe. In addition, Agile Certified Practitioners have more job security and enhanced pay than their non-certified experts. Let us have a look at why PMI’s Agile Certified Practitioner is considered more advantageous in the field of project management.
PMI- ACP Certification Benefits
With organizations emphasizing on Agile mindset, the following are a few ACP Certification benefits that can be reaped by individuals:
Career Growth
Being an Agile Certified Practitioner entitles project professionals to pursue higher positions within an enterprise. The knowledge and skills acquired by certified professionals during the course of training make them more insightful and experienced in the field. Moreover, the certification is awarded by the Project Management Institute which is said to validate the credibility of an individual who engages in managing agile projects. As a result, the certification of PMI-ACP fast tracks the career growth of professionals in Agile environment.
Increased reliability
The certification of Agile Certified Practitioner offered by PMI demonstrates the advanced skills that an individual possesses in Agile project management. Colleagues and top-level management consider ACP Certification holders to be more reliable in applying agile methodology within their internal structure. With hands-on experience through case studies and real-life examples, Agile Certified Practitioners are well-versed to work within the Agile mindset.
Learning opportunity
Professionals working with agile projects need to constantly update their skills with advancements in the project management field. PMI ACP Certification awards this opportunity to professionals having adequate experience in managing agile projects. In addition, professionals get to learn the updated skills of handling agile projects more efficiently and effectively. The certification of PMI ACP is a learning opportunity as it embraces the latest practices of agile methodology that are fruitful for the organization.
Credible resume
A professional owning PMI ACP Certification can add the credential logo to his/her resume. This instantly entitles Agile Certified Practitioners to stand out from the crowd of regular project professionals in the field. Even organizations recruiting agile professionals prioritize profiles with the PMI ACP logo. As the ACP Certification is globally recognized, professionals can easily find opportunities in any of the 7 continents and land their dream jobs. Agile Certified Practitioners are blessed with two choices by owning the certification. They can either advance their position in the current company by acquiring the certification or switch their organization to climb the career ladder.
Higher pay
The advantage that every project professional yearns to have while advancing his/her career is to have higher pay. Agile Certified Practitioner Certification is one such certification that significantly increases the remuneration of agile project managers. The demand for professionals who are experts in agile project management has seen constant growth over the years. The median income for PMI ACP Certification holders is USD 91,000. However, with experience and expertise, Agile Certified Practitioners are expected to earn comparatively a higher percentage than project professionals in the near future.
Along with these benefits, it is also important to understand the soft skills that an Agile Certified Practitioner should possess to be successful.
Must-have skills for Agile Certified Practitioners
The success or failure of agile projects depends on the skills and expertise of Agile project managers/ Agile Certified Practitioners. Although theoretical knowledge is fruitful in handling projects, certified professionals also need to have certain soft skills to manage the team and stakeholders. These skills include:
Communication
An Agile Certified Practitioner is expected to communicate effectively with the project team and stakeholders. The incremental approach necessitates Agile professionals to constantly conduct meetings and stay up-to-date with the activities being carried out on a daily basis. Agile project managers need to effectively communicate with clarity among team members while defining their roles. As a result, having communication skills enables Agile Certified Professionals to be better.
Adaptability
Agile methodology uses iterative approach that paves way for continuously including changes at various intervals. Although project managers get frustrated with the changes, Agile Certified Practitioners are required to incorporate these changes as and when necessary. Possessing adaptability skill assists professionals in managing agile projects without any hassles.
Time Management
Every project needs to be performed within the set schedule. Likewise, Agile projects need professionals to manage time effectively while applying the iterative approach. The project activities are represented as sprints in the agile method. Each sprint needs to be completed within the specified time by Agile project team members. Numerous tasks form each sprint, demanding Agile Certified Practitioners to effectively manage their time for delivering projects within the deadline. As a result, managing time is one of the essential soft skills that every agile professional needs to demonstrate.
Possessing Agile Certified Practitioner Certification offered by Project Management Institute is indeed fruitful for those willing to advance their career. In addition, even organizations benefit from hiring PMI ACP Certification holders due to their comprehensive knowledge on agile project management. Along with the theoretical aspects, an Agile Certified Practitioner demonstrates the soft skills needed to handle the agile team and stakeholders. Moreover, the Agile approach is being accepted much faster by organizations currently when compared to the initial stages of its introduction. Therefore it is evident that PMI’s Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) Certification is gaining more attention from organizations as well as individuals.
An individual learns a great many things while pursuing this certification. Certified individuals are considered eligible for developing important documents like the release plan, product roadmap, etc. They take care of every little detail of the sprint review, wireframes, and spikes in agile projects. Such professionals are empowered to assign agile themes and create user stories, as well. They are enabled to make the most of time boxing and process tailoring. Certified professionals possess a better understanding of agile methods’ values.
The certification endows with the knowledge of maintaining a balance between risk and value in agile projects. They use tools like risk-adjusted backlog and product backlog to serve the purpose. Training teaches them to implement methods like planning poker and wideband estimating for agile estimation. Aspirants become well-acquainted with agile adaptation terms. They exercise several significant theories and agile tooling to obtain the desired results for real.