My Experience – PMI ACP Examination

[NEW: ACP Exam Prep Book Available - "I Want To Be An ACP" (Link)]

I would suggest that you read the Myths and Facts (Part 1, Part 2) for the PMI-ACP examination once, before proceeding on it.  

I used eXtreme Programming in mid last decade while based out of Northern America. It was 2006/2007 and I was the only person from a well known technology company. My role was that of a onsite customer to co-ordinate with the offshore team. Before applying for the exam in late 2012, I took a course on CSM (Certified Scrum Master) from Scrum Alliance to help me know more on Scrum methodology.

I have used many Agile specific tools and hence had a decent understanding on the framework, its various methodologies. However, I have had my apprehensions about the PMI examination! It is more from the difficulty point of view, having passed PMP in 2008. PMP requires a lot of effort and understanding and certainly a challenging exam. Even with thorough preparation, I was not sure if I would score “Proficient” in all the 5 process groups.

However, let me inform you very clearly. PMI-ACP is relatively much easier and it does not require the level of preparation needed for PMP.

21 Contact Hour Training:

The world today is much commercialized. Without naming any provider, I was keen on it as the trainer had written a book on passing PMI-ACP examination. I was a novice that time and later on realized the book no way matches on what is really needed in the exam! The trainer did not even know if the Project Charter is needed for an Agile project or not! The program I took, let me be brutally honest, only helped me getting the 21 contact hours and that is all. The trainer did not really inform much on the Agile. However, it is mandatory to take the contact hours of learning.

Exam Application Confirmation:

I was working on a product in Agile mode (tailored one), and hence immediately applied. Being a PMP, I did not need to fill up the 2000 hours of project management experience. The application was approved and I knew it is time to prepare now.

People ask what should be filled in the content on “Agile Experience”. Just mention what you did. In my case, we had iterations, releases, prioritized product backlog, an iteration backlog. We had wireframes to develop on the application, used personas.

Timeline:

I started preparing immediately after getting the 21 contact hours of training, but gave up, due to other workload. Again, after a few months, I started preparing earnestly. My timeline was 8 weeks.

PMI:

PMI has some resources which are going to help for sure.

• PMI-ACP Handbook: Link
• Exam Content Outline: Link
• Reference List of Books: Link
• PMI-ACP Community: Link

Books:

As noted in the myths and facts, there are some 11 books, which I prioritized and read.

However, it must be noted that “I really wanted to know” – what people say on various aspects of Agile. Passing the exam was definitely one of the top criteria. But, equally important was knowing the concepts thoroughly and applying them in real world. Hence, my prioritization will be from that perspective.

Books That I Read:

1. The Art of Agile Development by James Shore and Shane Warden (Must read)
1. It has informed on various XP concepts thoroughly. It has also a lot of programming samples from Java. Coming from a deep development background (that too mostly in Java/J2EE!), it was on top of my list.
2. Agile Estimation and Planning by Mike Cohn (Must read)
1. Mike writes this book with great clarity on various Agile estimation techniques and planning.
3. Agile Project Management with Scrum by Ken Schwaber (Must read)
1. This books, as noted by Ken, is primarily for Scrum Masters. There are a lot of real world experiences outlined by Ken and it helps to know what to do when.
4. Lean-Agile Software Development Achieving Enterprise Agility by: Alan Shalloway; Guy Beaver; James R. Trott (Must Read)
1. This one covers not only Lean, but also soundly on Kanban and notes out the differences between Lean, Kanban and Scrum.
5. Agile Retrospectives (Must Read)
1. I took up this book as retrospective is one of the most neglected areas and some people informed that a lot of questions on retrospective. It was a treat to read the book – a very well written one.
2. However, solely from the exam point of view, it will be a “Should Read”.
6. Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (Must Read)
1. I liked this book, as it changes your mindset on Agile Project Manager. The book is filled with wisdom of Lyssa and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
2. However, solely from the exam point of view, it will be a “Should Read”
7. The Software Project Manager's Bridge to Agility by Michele Sliger and Stacia Broderick (Must Read)
1. This is another wonderful book, if you are coming from PMBOK/PMP background. I mostly glanced through the book as coming from a PMP background and also having Agile experience, all I needed to know what the book can offer from exam point of view.
2. However, solely from the exam point of view, it will be a “Should Read”

Books That I Looked at, but not Thoroughly

1. Agile Project Management by Jim Highsmith (Should Read)
1. My primary focus was on the Agile framework which is defined by Jim so well – Envision, Speculate, Explore, Adapt, Close and some needed important Agile artefacts – Charter, Data Sheet, Project Scope Statement and so on
2. Agile Software Development: The Co-operative Game by Alistair Cockburn
1. This I took up to brush on the fundamentals of some additional concepts such as Crystal

Exam Prep Book:

I bought Andy Crowe’s book as it was available that time. The book is easy to read. However, after you have read the aforementioned books, it does not help much on the concepts.

Where the book helped was from the Questions points of view. There are 2 practice question set (100 each) at the end of the book and another 120 online. However, Exam questions are tougher than what is presented in the book. I am not really sure, if only reading this book is going to help you pass the exam.

I hear there is another book – “PMI-ACP Exam Prep” by Mike Griffith. I have no idea. I attempted some of the questions from his blog. But, they were only from one chapter.

My budget was limited and I decided to stop pursuing further on that.  

Practice Questions:

As noted, I took all the tests from Andy Crowe’s and consistently scored between 88% to 95% and was finishing them in less than 45 minutes. But it did not give me the required final confidence, though helped me to prep for the exam.

So, went back to the 1^st book on XP and took his practice questions to try out my understanding. There are a lot of questions on Developing, Planning, Releasing, Collaborating, Thinking and tried to look up where my conceptual understanding lacks. It helped. I again revisited the concepts from the books (had made my personal notes) and that finally helped in the exam.

At the Exam:

I woke up late, though had scheduled early at 9:30 am – due to tiredness of my daily work schedule. Rushed to exam spot and the exam center personal was very co-operative. The Prometric center was at Richmond road,Bangalore and I had specifically selected this center after speaking to few others (where either they do not pick up the phone or have no clue or not really co-operative).

On the first question, I was bumped. It was from “Coaching Agile Teams” book (which I realized during my review). Taken back on the 1^st question, took a deep breath and relaxed. I marked that question and moved on. For the 120 questions, it took me just around 1 hour. I spoke the Prometric centre person and went for a break of 4/5 minutes. After coming back, took the marked questions (around 18/20) and went through the process of elimination, correlation to select the final ones.

I was confident that I have answered at least 100 questions right. My target was 80%, which is 96 questions, was crossed. However, though confident, knowing PMI was slightly skeptical. I scored “Proficient” in both Tools and Techniques as well as Knowledge and Skills. The message from PMI looked heartening – “Congratulations, you have been certified as a PMI-ACP….your certification will be delivered to you in 6 weeks of time…”

Post The Exam:

I received the hard copy of my PMI-ACP certificate from PMI, around 3 weeks after passing the exam. PMI definitely works sincerely on it as the dispatch date from the USA was mentioned within 1 week after the exam. 

I hope this post helps. And good luck to you all, who are preparing for this exam. 


[NEW: ACP Exam Prep Book Available - "I Want To Be An ACP" (Link)]


You may also want to check:
1. 30 Free Questions on PMI-ACP Examination (Part - 1)
2. 30 Free Questions on PMI-ACP Examination (Part - 2)

Other Articles:
1. PMI-ACP Prep: Scrum Sprint I/O (Inputs and Outputs)
2. PMI-ACP Prep: Scrum and Kanban – Similarities and Differences
3. Changing PMI-ACP Exam in 2015: What is New and What Has Changed? (Part – 1)
4. Changing PMI-ACP Exam in 2015: What is New and What Has Changed? (Part – 2)

30 Free Questions with Answers on PMI-ACP Examination (Part - 1)

The questions for PMI-ACP have changed. For the latest questions, refer the below link.

  [NEW PMI-ACP Questions and Answers on Latest PMI-ACP Exam (Link)]

[ This series - Part - 2 ]

The questions are based on my personal experience in the PMI-ACP examination. Though I tried a few questions from a few providers, did not find any one closer to the real PMI examination. The questions in the exam are rarely direct and always tests your understanding. 

In this series, there are 15 questions (close to the real examination). 

Question – 1: Velocity is used for Iteration as well as Release Planning. It is typically the sum of delivered user stories. Which of the following is not TRUE about velocity?

A)    Even if the work is fully complete other than few bugs, it will not counts towards velocity

B)    While measuring with velocity, there is no scope to correct estimation errors

C)    As velocity informs on all the "done" stories, in a way it tracks the customer satisfaction

D)    Velocity does not inform on the productivity of the team

Question – 2: Which one of the following is correct about Kanban?

A)    No estimation is required in Kanban

B)    In Kanban Team Leader plays the Role of Coach as in XP

C)    Team focuses on completing features as quickly as possible but is not constrained by a time-box

D)    All of the above

  

Question – 3: An user story is very useful for the project. Till what time, the user story cards are considered relevant in an Agile project?

A)    End of iteration

B)    End of release

C)    End of project

D)    When work related to the story is complete

. . .
. . .

The question set is available in the embedded PDF below. 

For all the questions and answers, subscribe to this blog and send a mail (from your GMail id) to managementyogi@gmail.com. 





  

You may also like:

• Part - 2: 30 Free Questions with Answers on PMI-ACP Examination (Part - 2)
• My Experience: PMI-ACP Exam
• PMI-ACP Prep: Scrum Sprint I/O (Inputs and Outputs)
• PMI-ACP Prep: Scrum and Kanban – Similarities and Differences

Practical PMP - Applying PMBOK principles with MS Project Tool

Let me tune you into a real time situation. Many of you would have faced it in real life, while taking interviews. Even if you have never took an interview, still I believe you can correlate!

Situation: You are taking an interview for the position of an Android Developer with experience of 2 to 3 years range in your company. The management is clear - get the best possible candidate for the post. Finally you shortened it to three aspirants for the post. 

Aspirant - 1: Knows Android decently and is a certified Android professional, from a well known institute. 

Aspirant - 2: Knows Android very well as he has real world experience in Android development. But he does not hold any certification. 

Aspirant - 3: Knows Android well as has hands on experience and is also a certified Android developer from a well known institute. 
With all other things being equals, it is a no brainer on who will be your desired candidate among the above three? It is Aspirant Number 3. Is not it? 

If you consider only between Aspirant 1 and Aspirant 2, who will be considered a better candidate and will have more likelihood of succeeding? I believe it will be Aspirant Number 2. Some of you may disagree, but the majority of you will agree. And I am sure all of would agree that Practical understanding or experience rules over everything else. 

In one of my earlier posts - "What is There in A Certification", I wrote this:

Conventional education and certifications, per se, are not useful if you can not apply them in real life. I have read 48 papers in my 4 years of investment in Electronics and Communication Engineering. Though I remember some of them, they never had any practical value for me. And I doubt if it would have for anyone!

In the same post, I also informed how I remember the formula for impulse as I applied in real life - driving a bike or taking a catch in cricket match. 

Let us add on to it. In today's world, though certification is valued, there is no substitute for knowing the practical utility of a certification. Project Management Professional certification from PMI is perhaps the most well known and most respected program world wide. 

However, only PMP on its own does it help? How about knowing the practical applicability of PMBOK? How about knowing how critical path is actually analyzed in a schedule? Similarly there are many concepts which PMBOK/PMP gives you - like WBS, Various forms of Dependencies, Network Diagram, Compression Techniques (Fast Tracking/Crashing), Resource Leveling, Cost Baselinging, Schedule Baselining, Earned Value Management (EVM) et al from various knowledge areas such as Scope,Schedule,Cost, Human Resource. How about various reports that can be generated and communicated as noted in Communication Management Knowledge Area? Imagine them to be applied with a practical tool along with PMI-PMP preparation course. 

That is what makes Practical PMP. 

To put is simply, it is a combination of PMBOK and MS Project. This is one of the courses, I introduced in mid last decade to great success in India.  

Practical PMP Program - PMBOK with MS Project

And yes, let me also tell you that for the 1st time, the entire team remembered all the process areas, all the knowledge areas, all the process groups. They did not miss even one of them and also remembered many ITTO . Not only that, they learned how to use PMBOK with MS Project. 

Does it sound exciting to you? If yes, you may want to start from here. It has both PMBOK 4th and 5th along with MS Project 2007 or 2010.

Link 1: PMBOK Guide 5th Edition and MS Project 2010 - A Practical Step-by-Step Approach

Link 2: Synergy between PMBOK Guide 4th Edition and MS Project 2007 - A Schedule Management Perspective

And if interested to join me and know how to apply PMBOK principles with the help of tools, drop a mail.  

Friendly Warning: You will have to be more hands-on with PMBOK via MS Project than mostly listening to theories of PMBOK for days. So, if you decide to join, please come with a laptop or tablet to do the practicals with MS Project and to get your hands dirty!

The Trinity Analogy in Software

This is an old post, re-plugged here!

A younger relative of mine who is in Software industry has a career inflection point – which path to choose for growth. I have had mine and had learned it in a hard way. Also, in-spite of all the turmoil in the current economic environment, I believe the tech industry is the future. As I have seen the industry for quite some time - here is my take.

Most of us can understand and relate with the Trinity Gods in Hindu mythology: Bramha, the creator; Bishnu, the sustainer, and Shiva, the destroyer. In any IT company you will have 3 minimum roles - as that of a Bramha or a Bishnu and a Shiva.

The role of an Architect is that of a Brahma. He thinks, creates new things and brings new ideas or products into life. He is the person who conceptualizes the idea, and designs the architecture for the system. But, also like Brahma, he is not the person who is most worshipped. In fact, in India, Bramha is the only God who does not have many temples made by his devotees (I guess only one is there at Pushkar, Rajasthan, India). He is not glamorous, does not get much credit for the creation and likes to keep a very low profile as well. But, he deeply loves what he creates and has a profound impact on the entire ecosystem with his creation. Similar is the role of an Architect. If you are a creative person, love new technical challenges, do not want to get into various soft political battles, and do not want to be in the front page for every achievement, then this role is for you.

The role of a Manager is that of Bishnu. Bishnu is the sustainer. The role of a manager is to manage what has been created already or which is going to be designed by someone else. He is savvy, smart, and political. He is also intelligent and many times have come through the rank where you are now. He changes color (or has various incarnations) as and when the system demands. Mostly he remains in a love-hate relationship with the people, knows how to get the credit (many times doing it himself, most of the times for getting the work done, and sometimes for nothing!). If you are that of a kind of a person who loves to work with people and wants to work done and possibly reach the pinnacle in your company, this role is for you. Also like Bishnu to remain worshipped for ever, you have to create that edge for yourself - through new learning, new methodologies, new practices.

The role of a customer is that of a Shiva. Shiva is the destroyer. He can be very furious and can make you extremely nervous when things go wrong or if he is unfairly treated. He can cause havoc in your world – your company. However, gets pleased very much if served well and rewards very well. A customer is very much like that. If he is served well, and if taken care of consistently, then the reward is manifold. Also, when things go wrong, it could prove disastrous for your company. Bottomline - he must be pleased at any cost. You can play this role and/or know how to serve to this role with direct customer facing jobs such as sales, marketing and specifically pre-sales proposals writings, negotiations, customer support and so on.   

Finally, it is up-to you on what role you choose for your growth.