By Ravi O’Reilly, CIPSA, CHAMP
Introduction
Before starting the CIPSA certification, I had already gone through the CHAMP journey with Satya, and it gave me a strong foundation with MS Project Agile.
Naturally, my next step was to expand my knowledge into scaling frameworks, and the CIPSA certification felt like the right choice.
It wasn’t just about adding another certificate — I wanted to really understand how to apply scaling with Scrum and Kanban, using practical MS Project Agile tools. The fact that it’s a niche and credible certification made it even more appealing.
Own Study – CIPSA Certification
To prepare, I dedicated daily time in the evenings after work and weekends. On average, I studied 1–2 hours per day, and I followed a roadmap similar to CHAMP:
- Watching the videos in sequence
- Reviewing handouts and exercises
- Going through the .mpp solution files
- Revisiting tricky topics until they made sense
Overall, it took me about 6–7 weeks of consistent study. I also took mock exams which helped me gauge my readiness and highlighted weak areas I had to revisit.
“The mock exam was a game changer — it showed me exactly where I stood and what I needed to focus on.”
The course material is very detailed, and the videos are short and clear — which makes it easier to digest. The lesson-end questions were especially helpful in making sure I really understood each topic before moving forward.
Review – CIPSA Certification Course
This course is niche and unique, just like CHAMP, but it goes deeper into scaling Scrum and Kanban. The USP of the course is how it takes you from single-team agile to scaled environments, and all of it is tied back to MS Project Agile views.
The topics that helped me most were:
- Scaled Scrum (especially Sprint Planning, Reviews, Retrospectives at CIPSA level)
- Scaled Kanban meta-events (Kanban Planning, Stand-ups, Reviews, Retros)
- Scaled backlog refinement and reporting views
- Resource management and over-allocations in scaled projects
The exercises and solution files were a big plus — you can follow along, check your own work, and immediately see how theory applies in MS Project.
The solution files were invaluable — they helped me bridge the gap between theory and practical application.
CIPSA Exam Experience
I scheduled the exam once I felt confident with the mocks. The exam has 40 questions in 1 hour, and my strategy was simple:
- Read carefully, don’t rush.
- Mark tricky ones, come back later.
- Watch out for trap questions that mix Scaled Scrum vs. Scaled Kanban events.
The exam standard is tough but fair. In the exam, questions included graphs, burndowns, CFDs, situational problem-solving, and some tricky overlaps between scaled Scrum and scaled Kanban.
When I got my result and saw I had passed, it was a huge relief. The evaluation report and certificate came through soon after, which made it all feel real.
Dos:
- Be consistent with daily study, even if it’s just an hour.
- Do every exercise file — they make the difference between knowing theory and applying it.
- Use the mocks to spot weak areas and go back to the lessons.
Don’ts:
- Don’t skip the scaled Kanban videos — they are equally important as the Scrum ones.
- Don’t assume CHAMP knowledge alone will carry you through; this course builds on it but goes much further.
- Don’t underestimate reporting questions — they will come.
Conclusion
The CIPSA certification has given me a solid understanding of scaling frameworks and how to apply them using MS Project Agile. I can now confidently guide teams and managers on both Scrum and Kanban at scale.
“CIPSA is not just another certificate — it’s a niche, high-value skill that is already making a difference in my role.”
This certification is not just another “add-on” — it’s a niche, high-value skill that has already started helping me in my professional role. I plan to keep applying these learnings in my day-to-day projects and use them to drive real delivery improvements.
Brief Profile: Ravi O’Reilly, CIPSA, CHAMP
Programme Planning Manager, working in UK Government programmes across Transport, Civil Engineering, and IT, with a focus on applying industry best practices and planning standards.
CIPSA Certification Course:
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