Monday, June 28, 2021

PMP Success Story: Focus, Consistent Practice and Self-Belief Will Make You A PMP

By Sandip Kumar Nath, PMP



Introduction

I’m cutting a long story short, which inspired me to be a Project Management Professional (PMP®). Few years back, I completed a big migration project in Canada. While coming back to the hotel, my project manager, who herself is a PMP, told me: “Sandip, this is the right time for you to do your PMP.”

After that project, whomever manager I’ve worked with, most of them were PMP certified. The way they manage the teams, clients, upper management was really eye-opening for me.

 

PMP Coaching Experience

When I started my 35 contact hours PMP classroom session, Satya Sir was my coach. It was fun to attend such an interactive session. 

The way Satya Sir taught us the 49-process flow, how they relate to each other, and in what sequence they are being executed, was excellent. It was done in less than an hour! It was like a story. He also promised us that he would ensure all the participants in the program could do the same. 

He is a man of his words. We were able to write down the 49 processes, the relationship and the sequence by the end of the session.

Post the session I started reading the needed guides and books. First of all, I didn’t miss a single chapter from PMBOK® guide, 6th edition and the Agile Practice Guide. I completed reading the I Want To Be A PMP book cover to cover including process flow quizzes in every chapter end and all full length practice exams. 

If you are asking me about my strong areas, it’s difficult to tell for me as I gave the same importance to all chapters and don’t want to miss anything which may come as questions in the exam. However, I’ve following view:

  • Certain chapters were easy to read and understand like Scope Management.
  • Few chapters were challenging such as Agile Project Management, Integration Management and Risk Management.
  • Chapters like Quality Management and Resource Management are also important.

Own Study and Full Preparation

Usually spend 2 hours daily in the morning during the weekdays and 6 to 10 hours during the weekend. My target was 30 hours weekly.

This is the approach I took for my exam:

  • For a day or two (Day-1 and Day-2), I read a specific chapter from the PMBOK Guide. Next, I will read the corresponding chapter from the book I Want to Be A PMP and watch the video lectures, where available. 
  • I made my own notes which help me to revise later. 
  • Then on Day-3 morning, I’ll take a 100-question timed quiz on that chapter. Then review the quiz, making notes on what I did wrong and right.
  • The next day I started the 3-day process again on a new chapter – first from PMBOK, then from the book and took practice questions. At this rate, I planned to finish all chapters by May 15th, 2021. 
  • From 16th May until the week before test day (mine was 19th June, 2021), I took timed quizzes and exams on all chapters.
  • I have completed at least 4,000 questions and answers, 6 full length exams.
  • I created a note for all the problems that I did wrong and searched online to understand more on those concepts. This is in addition to the explanation in the practice exams.

I would also say that you should try to find the matching words or synonyms as you go through the questions: one in the problem and one in the correct choice.

From my experience:

  • Do the practice test and repeat as much as you can. What is great is that you can learn from the good and bad answers.
  • Focus on Agile. If you do not have a background on it, like me.

Books, Material and References

You can use any material you feel comfortable and available to you. But refer to PMBOK and Agile Practice guide. Read these at least once.

I mainly followed these resources.

Primary: PMBOK Guide, 6th edition and the Agile Practice Guide. You must read three times, cover to cover.

Secondary: I followed these two books.  

  • Book: I Want to Be A PMP, by Satya Dash 
  • Book: Essential Scrum by Kenneth Rubin, and the Latest Scrum Guide.

I’ve also referred to the following ones.

Book Review - I Want To Be A PMP

As mentioned before, this was the main reference book as I started my full-fledged preparation. There are many reasons why I bought this book. 

Few points which I am mentioning below: 

  • Simplicity: The PMBOK guide is vast and sometimes I was not able to understand the inner meaning for many Inputs, Tools and Techniques, and Outputs (ITTOs) or why they are used. This book makes it very simple for me. 
  • What Happens, Process Flows and Videos: The book has sections on What Happens for every knowledge area, process flows, and a number of videos. There are diagrams in every chapter that clear my understanding about each knowledge area and how they are communicating within the process group and across the process groups. This makes this book unique in its nature. 
  • Vision tips. These tips you should not miss. It'll keep reminding you what is important for a Project Manager and for the PMP exam. 
  • Please remember that the PMP exam is NOT based on the PMBOK guide. PMBOK and Agile Practice guide are only two reference books out of 10 referred books and guides. So, instead of studying all 10 books and guides, I choose the I Want To Be A PMP book. 
  • The book's Yogic Vision Tips, Yogic Revisions, PMP Formula Gold Cards, What Happens and process flow in every chapter were very helpful and you must read. 

Last one week, till exam day, I was only reading this book cover to cover. 

Project management areas such as Critical Math and Management (CPM), Earned Value Management (EVM), Conflict Management, Change Management, Interpersonal skills (soft skills). These topics are very important. In particular, I found the videos and flow diagrams are very useful to make my understanding very clear.

I received the Best Return on Investment from this book.

PMP Exam Experience

My exam was scheduled centre based on 17th June 2021, but due to pandemic’s lockdown PearsonVUE cancelled it. So, I took my exam from home on Saturday, 19th June, 2021. Though I have not faced difficulties by taking exams from home, still I encourage you all to go to the centre and give the exam. 

Both taking exams from home and centre have their pros and cons. For example, while taking the exam from home, you have your own known and comfortable environment and at the same time you must make sure that you have a fully reliable internet connection.

Following is my experience with the Online Proctored PMP Exam:

  • If you are taking the exam from home, then make sure you find a quiet place so that you can concentrate on the exam.
  • I luckily did not have any issues with the 'check in', just had to take pictures of the desk and me and upload them. The chat was helpful and working well.
  • During the exam, make sure your face should be visible in the camera all the time, otherwise you may get a warning from the proctor.
  • During the exam, watch your time. I struggle with it. I answered the last question with 10 seconds left! 

Following was my strategy for the exam:

  • The first and foremost strategy of mine was making myself as much calm as possible. 
  • I was mentally prepared that this exam is NOT going to be easy. I started with a positive note that I WILL PASS.
  • I always read the question first so that I will NOT miss key words like “Not”, “Least”, “Most”, “Except” etc. This is crucial, otherwise I will choose the wrong answer. 
  • Then I read the scenario or the problem statement to understand which context the question was asked. 
  • Final step to read all given answers choices and choose the correct option(s). 
  • Time management was a big factor.  My plan was to take 75 minutesed for me. I took 92 minutes for the first 60 questions and 79 minutes for second 60 questions. Hence, I was left with only 59 minutes for the last 60 questions. 
  • Some items require you to select two answers from the options and some items require you to match 1st column to 2nd column.

Coming to the question aspects of the exam:

  • The exam was tough for me. NO direct questions, NO key words, all scenario-based questions and 70% questions had more than three to four sentences or more. Very few are one or two liners. 
  • I did not use calculator as the mathematical question was easy and can be done without using a calculator. 

Suggestions for PMP Aspirants

Dos 

  • Fix the exam date ASAP. Until you do not have the exam date, you will NOT be able to plan and execute your preparation. Have you ever seen a project which does not have a final delivery date? 
  • Focus is the key. Focus on your study plan, focus on the topic you are studying now, focus while answering questions. 
  • Read all chapters from I Want To Be A PMP book and complete all full-length Q&As. 
  • Yogic Vision Tip, Revision, PMP Formula Gold Cards, What Happens and process flow in every chapter were very helpful and are must-reads.
  • Try to understand each topic you read and make your own notes while reading. 
  • During the exam, usually you can eliminate two choices easily but if you have difficulty in choosing between two, re-read the QUESTION first. If it’s not working, re-read the problem statement which has a lot of distractors and useless information.

Don’ts

  • During the exam, never think about the previous question(s) you already answered or the performance of your previous section. 
  • Never skip your break during the exam. Use both 10-minute breaks to motivate yourself. Tell yourself that you can DO it.
  • Avoid brain dump if possible. Please do not take unnecessary tension before the exam and brain dump will NOT help you for the new exam pattern.  

Conclusion

If you are reading this line, then I am sure that you have already decided to go for the PMP exam. So why would you want to think more? 

Start your preparations. Prepared earnestly with the right material. 

I wish you all the best.  

Brief Profile:

Name: Sandip Kumar Nath, PMP

I am working as a Project Manager in Diksha Technologies. 




Monday, June 21, 2021

Course Comparison: ACP 21 Contact Hours Vs. ACP Live Lessons


There are now new courses on the Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP®) exam from the Project Management Institute (PMI®). These new courses are already being used by aspiring PMI-ACPs. 

Among the questions I received, one question is particularly important.

What are the main differences between these courses?

Another associated question is this:

What are the differences with the credentials such as Master of Scrum or Owner of Product which are done in 2- or 3-days?

First, we will see the differences and then we will compare with other courses. These courses are unique and are ONLY such courses in the world. No one gives moneyback guarantee (but everyone claims to give!), without a number of terms and conditions. Both these courses come with full moneyback guarantee and with simple, direct and upfront moneyback schemes. 

Fundamental Difference

First and foremost, these two courses vary with their goal(s) and objective(s) with the associated motto.

For ACP 21 Contact Hours, these are the goal, objective and motto.

  • One Goal: Get the 21 contact hours with complete satisfaction. 
  • One Objective: Get the 21 ACP contact hours in 6 months.
  • One Motto: Don’t just get casually trained for 21 contact hours. Understand fully, learn strongly and prepare well for your ACP exam.

To know more, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0AFHhrCNmE [2m 08s]

For ACP Live Lessons, these are the goal, objectives and motto.

  • One Goal: You clear the ACP exam. 
  • Two Objectives: 
    • Get the ACP Contact Hours Certificate. 
    • Crack the ACP exam in 6 months.
  • One Motto: Learn deeply and use it to clear the ACP Exam.

To know more, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBYKHDyoifc [2m 26s]

You can see all the sample videos in this playlist:
Sample Video Playlist for ACP Live Lessons - 29 Videos

Note: A number of videos from the above playlist are also part of ACP 21 Contact Hours Online Course.

Now, let's see the other differences.

Other Main Differences

I’ve noted other main differences in the below two tables. Actually, it’s one table, but I’ve segregated them into two because I’ve prepared to have better visibility and understanding.


The second part of this table is noted below.



Now a very important part considering millions of masters of Scrums or owners of Product!

Comparison with 2 Days of Master of Scrum or Owner of Product

There is a plethora of courses in the market, which claim to make you master of Scrum, Kanban or Agile with 2-days of training. Now-a-days, they have advanced mastery courses with another 2-days of training! 

I’ve always wondered how people get mastery in just 16 hours of training. Is it possible in any field of human endeavor to have mastery in 2 days? 

I believe you know the answer! 

Let me give an example from hundreds of classes I’ve taken on Agile, where I’ve met “masters”, “owners” – hundreds of them. 

Example: 

In my classes, I ask people, especially who have got “masters” in Agile/Scrum:

  • Can you tell me the 4 values and 12 principles of Agile Manifesto?
  • Not one person could answer this. 

Next, I ask the following by reducing the standard:

  • Can you tell me 2 values and 2 principles of Agile Manifesto?
  • Not one person could answer!

This is where it becomes quite surprising!  I reduce the standard much lower, and ask:

  • Can you tell me just one value and one principle of Agile Manifesto?
  • This also could not be answered by one person! One person tried (out of 100s), but could not complete a single principle statement. 

As recently as last week, I was speaking with another "master" of Scrum/Agile and asked these questions. The person could not answer, though became a "master" (or "owner") few days before.

Please note that it’s not their fault that they can’t even tell just one value and/or one principle of the Agile manifesto, but it’s the way they have been taught. 

If you want to be a “Master” of Scrum or “Master” of Kanban or a “Owner” of a Product in 2, 3 days or even less, then ACP is not a right fit for you.

Because for the ACP exam, you have to prepare sincerely and honestly. You have to truly earn it. There are no shortcuts. 

ACP course and subsequently earning the credential is for professionals, who:

  • Want to learn Agile with a large breadth and depth.
  • Want to learn a number of Agile frameworks and Scaled Frameworks.
  • Want to apply a number of engineering and troubleshooting practices in the real-world.
With these courses, you will also remember the 4 values and 12 principles. 

Conclusion

I’ve enabled many ACPs, who have used my book, I Want To Be An ACP and/or Various Practical Agile courses over years to clear the ACP exam and/or apply them with hands-on tools. 

When you purchase the courses, I’m also involved with you throughout your journey. Many providers can’t do that, because they don’t have the subject matter understanding. They merely aggregate the courses, reduce the price to the lowest point possible and then claim to do business (some with heavy external funding, hence can sell at throw-away prices, but with poor quality courses).

I firmly believe with these courses, you will:

  • Get the best value for your money.
  • Have the content with the latest agile standards, guides and the needed references/books.
  • Understand the content clearly, which boosts your confidence.

If you prepare sincerely and honestly, with these courses – particularly with ACP Live Lessons course, you have a fair chance to clear the ACP exam and be a certified PMI-ACP.





Thursday, June 17, 2021

More Sample Videos (11): ACP Live Lessons – Guaranteed Pass

    



This is in continuation of the following posts: 


In total 18 sample videos have been made available in the above posts.

In this post, 11 more sample videos have been made public. With this, in total 29 videos from the ACP Live Lessons have been made public.  The access to these videos is completely free and can be seen at the YouTube channel of Management Yogi.

The eleven videos are from:

  • Lesson - 3: Agile Principles and Mindset (3 videos)
    • Video: 3.1.30 Agile Project Management Framework (from Part - 1)
    • Video: 3.2.5 Scrum – First Note (from Part - 2)
    • Video: 3.2.7 Scrum Artifacts - Figure (from Part - 2)
  • Lesson - 6: Team Performance (1 video)
    • Video: 6.1.48 Velocity Range
  • Lesson - 7: Adaptive Planning (3 videos)
    • Video: 7.1.18 DEEP Characteristics
    • Video: 7.1.23 Story Map
    • Video: 7.1.29 Various Levels of Planning in Agile
  • Lesson - 8: Problem Detection and Resolution (2 videos)
    • Video: 8.1.14 Sources of Risk in Agile
    • Video: 8.1.32 Finding Bottlenecks with CFD
  • Lesson - 10: Various Agile Exercises (2 videos)
    • Video: 10.1.5 Agile Definitions - Exercises (2)
    • Video: 10.1.7 Agile Diagrammatic Exercises (1)

You can check these videos one by one.

Part 1 of this series: Sample Videos from ACP Live Lessons

Part 2 of this series: Sample Videos from ACP Live Lessons


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Videos: Lesson 3 – Agile Principles and Mindset

This is the first domain to know for your PMI-ACP exam.

Video 3.1.30 Agile Project Management Framework (5m:24s) [Part 1, Lesson 3]

This video informs on the Agile Project Management Framework (APM), which has five phases – Envision, Speculate, Explore and Adapt. Let’s see what happens in these phases. 


Accompanying article, if are a traditional management practitioner: 

Agile Project Management - A Comparison

Video 3.2.5 Scrum Basics (2m:19s) [Part 2, Lesson 3]

The basics of Scrum with its definition, referring the latest Scrum Guide, 2020. It’s one of important areas to know for PMI-ACP exam.


Accompanying article: 

A Deeper Look: Top Changes in the New Scrum Guide 2020 for Agile Practitioners


Video 3.2.5 Scrum Artifacts (2m:28s) [Part 2, Lesson 3]

The three artifacts in Scrum along with the commitments, referring the latest Scrum Guide, 2020. It’s one of important areas to know for PMI-ACP exam.


Accompanying article: 

A Deeper Look: Top Changes in the New Scrum Guide 2020 for Agile Practitioners


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Videos: Lesson 6 – Team Performance

This is the fourth domain to know for your PMI-ACP exam. 

Video 6.1.48 Velocity Range (2m:31s)

Velocity can be tricky when expressed in ranges. It’s a good practice to express velocity in ranges. This video informs on it. 


Accompanying article (from Agile Asanas series): 

Agile Asanas: Key Guide Lines to Follow for Velocity (1)

Agile Asanas: Key Guide Lines to Follow for Velocity (2)


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Videos: Lesson 7 – Adaptive Planning

This is the fifth domain for your PMI-ACP exam.

Video 7.1.18 DEEP Characteristics of Backlog (3m:50s)

The product backlog is one of key artifacts in Agile development – flow- or iteration-based. It comes a unique set of DEEP characteristics. This is fundamental to understand how the backlog is developed.


Accompanying article: 

Product Prioritization Techniques in Agile Development


Video 7.1.23 Story Map (6m:11s)

This video explains the Story Mapping technique in detail along with the concepts of backbone, walking skeleton, release planning, minimally viable product (MVP), minimally marketable features (MMF). It’s a key technique to have the big picture view of the product roadmap.  


Accompanying article:

The Big Picture with Story Map in Agile Development


Video 7.1.29 Various Levels of Planning in Agile (5m:38s)

This video explains the various levels of planning in Agile with the help of Agile Planning Onion. The levels of planning are – Strategy, Portfolio, Product, Release, Iteration and Daily.



Accompanying article:

Agile Release Planning: Let’s Break It Down!


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Videos: Lesson 8 - Problem Detection and Resolution

This is the sixth domain to know for your PMI-ACP exam. 

Video 8.1.14 Sources of Risk in Agile (3m:26s)

Many ACP aspirants ignore risk management in Agile. You may face a number of questions on it the exam. One of the successful ACPs informed on it. This video explains the sources of risk in Agile. 



Video 8.1.32 Finding Bottlenecks with CFD (3m:39s)

Cumulative Flow Diagrams (CFD) are used in Lean-Agile environments, particularly in Kanban. There are quite a few misconceptions associated with CFDs and how to detect the bottlenecks. You will learn with this video.



Accompanying article on how to create a CFD: 

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Videos: Lesson 12 – Various Agile Exercises

This is a completely separate lesson. A number of exercises are explained in Agile so that you get sufficient practice and confidence for your exam.  

Video 10.1.5 Agile Definitions - Exercises (2) (4m:38s)

To be proficient in Agile concepts, you need to be thorough with respect to the definitions in Agile. This video takes a few exercises, out of many, to explain.  



Video 10.1.7 Agile Diagrammatic Exercises (1) (4m:38s)

As we have seen a number of Agile concepts, artifacts, practices so far, time for a diagrammatic exercise. This video shows a figure associated with a number of questions, which you have to answer.



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To know more about this course and what is "Guaranteed ACP or Your Money Back Program",  please refer:


Part 1 of this series: Sample Videos on ACP Live Lessons

Part 2 of this series: Sample Videos on ACP Live Lessons


If you require more information, please send a mail to: managementyogi@gmail.com


You can also see the sample videos in a playlist.



Monday, June 14, 2021

More Sample Videos (10): ACP Live Lessons – Guaranteed Pass

  



This is in continuation of the following post: 

Eight sample videos have been made available in the above post.

In this post, 10 more sample videos have been made public. The access to these videos is completely free and can be seen at the YouTube channel of Management Yogi.

The ten videos are from:

  • Lesson - 2: Introduction (2 videos)
    • Video: 2.1.4 PMI-ACP Certification Pre-requisites
    • Video: 2.1.12 The PMI-ACP Exam
  • Lesson - 3: Agile Principles and Mindset (2 videos)
    • Video: 3.1.8 Project Life Cycles (from Part - 1)
    • Video: 3.1.18 Two Agile Types (from Part - 1)
  • Lesson - 4: Value Driven Delivery (3 videos)
    • Video: 4.1.5 Current Domains Mapping - Value Driven Delivery
    • Video: 4.1.6 Notations Used
    • Video: 4.1.7 Features, Benefits, Agile Business Value
  • Lesson - 5: Stakeholder Engagement (2 videos)
    • Video: 5.1.1 Learning Objectives
    • Video: 5.1.42 Levels of Conflict
  • Lesson - 6: Team Performance (1 video)
    • Video: 6.1.28 T, I and Broken-Comb Skills

You can check these videos one by one.

Part 1 of this series: Sample Videos from ACP Live Lessons


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Videos: Lesson 2  Introduction

Video 2.1.4 PMI-ACP Certification Pre-requisites (3m:41s)

This video needed pre-requisites to sit in the Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) exam. There are the latest ones. 



Video 2.1.12 The PMI-ACP Exam (4m:15s)

This video explains on the PMI-ACP exam structure with the number of questions (scored and unscored), the exam duration, the performance rating categories and how you should score in the exam to pass.


To check upon various ACP Success Stories, you can refer: 

ACP Success Stories Over Years 


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Videos: Lesson 3  Agile Principles and Mindset

This is the first domain to know for your PMI-ACP exam. 

Video 3.1.8 Project Life Cycles (7m:34s) [Part 1, Lesson 3]

There are various types of project life cycles such as Predictive/Waterfall, Iterative, Incremental, Adaptive and Hybrid. This video explains in detail. The focus for ACP Live Lessons will be Adaptive or Agile cycles. 


Accompanying article: 

Why and When to Go for Agile Life Cycle


Video 3.1.18 Two Agile Types (3m:39s) [Part 1, Lesson 3]

There are two Agile types – Iteration-based and Flow-based. An example of iteration-based Agile can be the Scrum framework, whereas example of flow-based Agile can be the Kanban method.  


Accompanying article:

Troubleshooting in Lean-Agile Development 


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Videos: Lesson 4  Value Driven Delivery

This is the second domain for your PMI-ACP exam. As per the ACP-ECO, maximum number of questions are expected from this domain.

Video 4.1.5 Current Domains Mapping - Value Driven Delivery (4m:53s)

The lessons covers a number of areas such as User Stories (an introduction), minimally marketable features (MMF), a number of prioritization techniques, Risk Adjusted Backlog, a number of quality related practices such as TDD, ATDD, BDD, DoD. It also covers various compliances needed and Agile contracting. This video gives a brief overview of the tools and techniques (T&T) as well as knowledge and skills (K&S) used for this lesson/domain.



Video 4.1.6 Notations Used (1m:04s)

For the ACP exam, you have to be proficient in a number of tools and techniques (T&T) as well as knowledge and skills (K&S. These are spread across all the lessons. These notations will be used for the T&Ts as well as K&Ss. It shows a clear distinction and will be applicable all lessons.  



Video 4.1.7 Features, Benefits, Agile Business Value (9m:01s)

Many confuse features, benefits and value. They are all different and distinct terms. Agile is fundamentally about business value and value delivery. This video relates features, benefits and business value. This belongs to the Value Driven Delivery lesson. 



Accompanying article:

Fundamentals of Value-Driven Delivery


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Videos: Lesson 5  Stakeholder Engagement

This is the third domain to know for your PMI-ACP exam. 

Video 5.1.1 Learning Objectives (2m:31s)

The learning objectives for Stakeholder Engagement lesson. We will cover a number of areas such as Agile business case, chartering, eliciting stakeholder requirements, communicating with stakeholders to applying interpersonal skills with stakeholders. 



Video 5.1.42 Levels of Conflict (3m:55s)

There are 5 levels of conflict in Agile. As an Agile coach or practitioner, you need to know these five levels of conflict, which are not only important for your PMI-ACP exam, but also in the real-world. 



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Videos: Lesson 6  Team Performance

This is the fourth domain to know for your PMI-ACP exam. 

Video 6.1.28 T, I and Broken-Comb Skills (4m:23s)

One of the successful characteristics of Agile team is that the team is cross-functional with generalizing specialists. To understand generalizing specialists, you need to understand T-shaped, I-shaped and broken-comb skillsets. This video explains in detail.  


Accompanying article (from Agile Asanas series): 

Agile Asanas: Bus Factor, Broken-Comb Skills and Cross-Functional Teams

*********

To know more about this course and what is "Guaranteed ACP or Your Money Back Program",  please refer:

Part 1 of this series: Sample Videos on ACP Live Lessons

If you require more information, please send a mail to: managementyogi@gmail.com

You can also see the sample videos in a playlist.



Saturday, June 12, 2021

ACP Live Lessons – Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back

 



I am delighted to announce the availability of ACP® Live Lessons, a complete video course. 

ACP Live Lessons – Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back

The Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) from Project Management Institute (PMI®) is a well-recognized and advanced certification in the Agile domain.

This is the ONLY such course in the world. No one ever has given a guaranteed pass, with FULL money back on ACP exam in two attempts with video lessons. This course was in private mode with a group of people for sometime. The current post announces the course going fully public.

I believe that the ACP certification is achievable for any genuine candidate. Anyone who truly aspires to be a PMI-ACP, can surely be one. One needs right content, proper direction, solid understanding of concepts with sufficient practice and of course hard work, to crack the exam. ACP Live Lessons meets this need.

This course has been requested by aspiring ACP because the coverage for ACP exam is quite different, advanced and deep. In-spite of them going through multiple classroom and virtual sessions, they are unable to have the confidence to appear for the exam.  There are few ACPs around the world around 40,000, though many providers claim misleadingly. The ACP credential definitely stands as a differentiator in your profile. Unlike various "masters" in Scrum, who are created in 2- or 3-days of training and are in millions and millions now, the PMI-ACP credential is not easy to achieve. Hence, it has value!

ACP Live Lessons course has been internally available for some time with a few people aspiring to be PMI-ACPs. With this post, this course is now fully public. The contents of this course have been used already by successful ACPs, worldwide, who have used few videos to clear the exam. Now, it’s a full-fledged video course and available to everyone. 

For sample videos, you can refer the below link.

Sample Videos for ACP Live Lessons - 1 (8)

Sample Videos for ACP Live Lessons - 2 (10)

Sample Videos for ACP Live Lessons - 3 (11)

The ACP certification is NOT equal to the Project Management Professional (PMP®) as many think it to be. The learning for this certification will be at least 5x more when compared to the new PMP exam, particularly when you consider Agile. When compared with the pre-2021 old PMP exam, the learning will be 8x to 9x more. The exam coverage scope is vast, because it takes multiple reference books and one guide. In addition, you need to be aware of scaled Agile approaches. These make many aspiring ACPs struggle.

The ACP Live Lessons course incorporates all the needed areas, including the latest practices and concepts in Agile. It has exhaustive content with high quality practice questions so that you crack the ACP exam. 

Top 12 Features: ACP Live Lessons

  1. Total Video Duration: 30 hours (29h 41m 16s) 
  2. Number of Videos: 480
  3. Number of Lessons: 12
  4. Number of Questions: 1254
  5. Number of Full-Length Question Sets: 6 (total = 720 Questions) 
  6. Practice Questions: 60 questions (average)
  7. Smart Cards: 160 (Smart Cards referring Agile guides and others)
  8. Figures and explanations: 100+
  9. Video Exercises on Agile with explanations: 107
  10. Tips and Tricks: 100s of Tips throughout the lessons
  11. Practical Tools: Usage of practical tools such as MS Project, Atlassian Jira in areas such as Release Planning, Iteration/Sprint Planning, and metrics.
  12. 21 Contact Hours Certificate: Mandatory 21 contact hours certificate needed to sit in the ACP is part of this course.

The content of this video course is highly simplified so that you can understand quickly. The videos are highly interactive, with a number of exercises and interactive questions.

Course Breakdown: ACP Live Lessons 

  • Lesson 1 – Welcome (9 videos): 18m 41s [18 minutes 41 seconds]
  • Lesson 2 – Introduction (19 videos): 1h 13m 16s
  • Lesson 3 – Agile Principles and Mindset (80 videos): 5h 26m 21s
  • Lesson 4 – Value Driven Delivery (58 videos): 3h 53m 52s
  • Lesson 5 – Stakeholder Engagement (55 videos): 3h 02m 34s
  • Lesson 6 – Team Performance (64 videos): 3h 23m 33s
  • Lesson 7 – Adaptive Planning (69 videos): 4h 14m 38s
  • Lesson 8 – Problem Detection and Resolution (46 videos): 2h 55m 16s
  • Lesson 9 – Continuous Improvement (61 videos): 3h 35m 16s
  • Lesson 10 – Various Agile Exercises (17 videos): 1h 31m 31s
  • Lesson 13 – Six Full Length Question and Answer Sets (720 Q&As)
  • Lesson 14 – Final Talk - ACPP Live Lessons (2 videos): 06m 15s

The details on it this course, with information on additional features, are available also available at:

https://www.managementyogi.com/p/acp-live-lessons.html


What is Full Money Back Guarantee for ACP Live Lessons Course?

You go through the videos, along with detailed instructions (also in video format), and appear in the ACP exam – only two attempts. If you couldn’t clear, share your exam report. I’ll refund your entire money - no questions asked. 

There are no little tricks, such as – “terms or conditions apply”, “appear the exam multiple times till you pass”, “** conditions (conditions with stars in the footnote in small letters)”, as you would have seen in many places. What you see (and reading in this post) is what you get.

The premise is simple – Give the exam. You pass and you are a PMI-ACP. You win. In case you couldn’t clear the exam, your full money will be with you. You still win.

You will also have the 21 contact hours certificate free of cost. The course, as noted in the top features, provides this certificate. This is another win for you.  

The below video explains the money-back guarantee scheme [2m:26s]. It has the goal (one), objectives (two) and motto (one) for ACP Live Lessons.


Note: You can also evaluate the videos before paying any money. Up-to thirty (30) videos will be available for your evaluation, even before your purchase. 

Applicability and Validity

  • ACP Latest Exam: Agile Practice Guide (APG) from PMI, Eleven (11) recommended reference books by PMI, around 50+ other books on Lean-Agile approaches and practices. 
  • Course Duration: 6 months or 1 year from the date of purchase
  • Price:
    $709 USD / Rs 56,719 (6 months access)
    $1,049 USD / Rs 83,919 (1 year or 12 months access)
  • Payment: paypal.me/managementyogi
    (Login, Send your payment to paypal account of ndsatya@gmail.com, Enter the amount; Invoice will be generated after payment)
    OR, you can pay via Bank Transfer or Payment. For this, please send a mail to managementyogi@gmail.com to get account the details.
  • Available since: June, 2021
  • Primary Format: Video 
  • Status: Available
    (accessible via laptop/desktop)

Detailed Course Breakdown

The detailed course breakdown is shown below. It details the hours of learning, number of videos and practice questions, along with various exercise details. You can scroll to see the full content. 



You can also see it in a larger screen by clicking the arrow on the link below:

Course Index – ACP Live Lessons, Guaranteed Pass


You can also see the sample videos in a playlist.

ACP Guaranteed Pass Sample Video Playlist (18 Videos) 

If you want to buy this course or have any question, please send an email to managementyogi@gmail.com.