More Details about PMI’s Agile Certification

The new PMI Agile certification will come on stream in two waves. The first is the pilot program starting in May where participants get the chance to sit the 120 question, multiple choice, 3 hr exam and instead of pressing the dreaded “Submit” button at the end, they will be advised 10-12 weeks later. This long wait is to allow the PMI to score everyone in the pilot and then calibrate the cut-off scores.

For enduring the wait, and I guess being guinea pigs in the process, pilot participants will receive a 20% refund on the exam fee bringing the cost to members of $435 down to $348. To qualify to sit the exam participants must satisfy the following criteria:

• High school or equivalent education
• 2,000 hours general project management experience within the last 5 years (if you already hold a PMP you can forget this since you had to prove that for your PMP)
• 1,500 hours agile project management experience working on agile project teams or in agile methodologies within the last 2 years. These hours are in addition to the 2,000 hours required in general project management experience
• 21 hours agile project management training

 

The full certification program will be publically available in the third quarter of 2011. To maintain the credential you must earn 30 PDUs every 3 years in agile project management and these hours would also count toward fulfilling PMP requirements.

 

Comments

[Mike Allen]

So, I would consider myself an Agile Project Manager. I have been managing Agile projects since 2003, I have spoken at national conferences and am now coaching a leading financial organisation through it's Agile transformation programme. But... according to your criteria above I couldn't be considered for PMI Agile certification as I haven't undergone 21 days of "Agile Project Management" training??

I think this post shows certification up for what it really is... a driver for selling training, rather than a driver for ensuring quality in Agile project management.

I'll certainly be passing up on this offer!

[Mike Griffiths]

Hi Mike A,

Please remember this is not “my criteria above” but the PMI’s. And if you re-read it you will see is not 21 days of training, but 21 hours (3 days) which, achieved anytime in the last 10+ years, is not a whole bunch of related training to average. I think if the PMI was just out to drive training as you suggest they would have put a time limit on the 3 days training (i.e. achieved in the last 2 years) or better still, make training part of the ongoing requirement for maintaining the certification, which is not the case either. Your choice to pass it up is entirely yours and respected, but since your company appears to offer agile training that would qualify people for the certification, also a little ironic.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts, certification is not for everyone, and I acknowledge this alternative viewpoint.

Best regards
Mike G.