In today's fast-paced business world, agility is no longer just a buzzword; it's a critical strategy for success. The PMI-ACP certification validates your expertise in a wide range of agile approaches, from Scrum and Kanban to Lean and XP, proving your ability to adapt, innovate, and lead high-performing teams. This training course is meticulously designed to not only prepare you for the exam but to empower you with the skills to drive true value and continuous improvement in any project environment, making you an indispensable asset in the modern workplace.

Whether you're looking to formalize your existing agile knowledge or make a strategic shift in your career, this program offers a deep dive into the principles and practices that define agile excellence. Through a blend of hands-on exercises, real-world case studies, and focused instruction, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the agile mindset, from stakeholder collaboration and adaptive planning to problem-solving and team dynamics. This is your opportunity to elevate your skill set and stand out as a certified leader in the agile community.

Duration 10 days

Target Audience This course is ideal for experienced professionals who lead or participate in agile teams. This includes project managers, Scrum Masters, product owners, team leads, business analysts, and developers. It is also well-suited for professionals transitioning from traditional project management who need to validate their agile knowledge and enhance their career opportunities.

Objectives

• Understand and apply the core principles and mindset of agile.
• Master various agile frameworks, including Scrum, Kanban, and Lean.
• Develop skills in value-driven delivery and adaptive planning.
• Enhance stakeholder engagement and team collaboration.
• Identify and resolve common agile project problems.
• Implement continuous improvement strategies for processes and products.
• Prepare effectively for the PMI-ACP certification exam.

Course Modules

Module 1: Agile Principles and Mindset

• The Agile Manifesto and its twelve guiding principles.
• Developing an agile mindset for yourself and your team.
• Understanding the different agile approaches and their uses.
• The role of servant leadership in agile environments.
• The importance of transparency, inspection, and adaptation.

Module 2: Value-Driven Delivery

• Techniques for creating a clear product vision.
• Prioritization methods such as MoSCoW and Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF).
• Defining and delivering value in short iterations.
• The concept of minimum viable product (MVP).
• Using feedback loops to ensure customer satisfaction.

Module 3: Stakeholder Engagement

• Identifying and effectively engaging key stakeholders.
• Building trust and fostering collaboration with stakeholders.
• Techniques for managing stakeholder expectations.
• Methods for transparent communication and reporting.
• The role of the product owner in stakeholder communication.

Module 4: Team Performance

• Forming, storming, norming, and performing: stages of team development.
• Creating a psychologically safe and high-trust environment.
• Encouraging cross-functional and self-organizing teams.
• Facilitating effective team meetings and ceremonies.
• Strategies for conflict resolution and promoting shared ownership.

Module 5: Adaptive Planning

• Introduction to agile planning at different levels: product roadmap, release, iteration, and daily.
• Techniques for story writing and backlog refinement.
• Agile estimation methods like Planning Poker and story points.
• The concept of rolling wave planning.
• Forecasting and tracking progress using agile metrics.

Module 6: Problem Detection and Resolution

• Identifying and addressing project impediments and risks.
• Techniques for root cause analysis like the Five Whys.
• Facilitating collaborative problem-solving sessions.
• Using visual boards to make problems transparent.
• The importance of immediate and proactive issue resolution.

Module 7: Continuous Improvement

• The principles of Kaizen and its application in agile.
• Conducting effective retrospectives to learn and adapt.
• Tools and techniques for process optimization.
• The role of the agile coach in fostering continuous improvement.
• Measuring and celebrating small, incremental successes.

Module 8: Scrum Framework

• The core roles: Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Development Team.
• Scrum artifacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment.
• Scrum ceremonies: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective.
• Understanding the time-boxed nature of sprints.
• Applying Scrum principles to real-world scenarios.

Module 9: Kanban Method

• The four core principles of Kanban.
• Visualizing the workflow with a Kanban board.
• Limiting work in progress (WIP).
• Managing flow and reducing bottlenecks.
• Implementing and improving the Kanban system.

Module 10: Lean and XP (Extreme Programming)

• The five principles of Lean software development.
• Eliminating waste and maximizing value flow.
• The core values of Extreme Programming (XP).
• XP practices such as Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Pair Programming.
• Combining Lean and XP for enhanced project delivery.

Module 11: Agile Metrics and Reporting

• Key agile metrics: velocity, burn-down charts, and burn-up charts.
• Understanding Cumulative Flow Diagrams (CFD).
• Using metrics to inform decisions and improve transparency.
• Reporting on progress to stakeholders.
• Balancing outcome-based metrics with output-based metrics.

Module 12: Agile Analysis and Design

• Techniques for agile requirements gathering.
• Creating user stories and user story mapping.
• The concept of emergent design and continuous architectural planning.
• The importance of modeling and prototypes.
• Ensuring quality through testing and validation.

Module 13: Communication and Collaboration

• Techniques for effective co-located and distributed team communication.
• The role of information radiators.
• Active listening and constructive feedback techniques.
• Facilitating collaborative decision-making.
• Tools for asynchronous and real-time communication.

Module 14: Value-Based Prioritization

• Prioritizing features based on business value, risk, and dependencies.
• Exploring different prioritization techniques beyond MoSCoW.
• Involving stakeholders in the prioritization process.
• Maintaining a prioritized and well-groomed product backlog.
• Adapting the prioritization strategy as conditions change.

Module 15: Risk Management

• Identifying and assessing risks in an agile context.
• Strategies for mitigating and responding to risks.
• The concept of risk-adjusted backlog.
• Continuous risk identification and management.
• The team's role in proactive risk management.

Module 16: Exam Preparation and Review

• A comprehensive review of the seven exam domains.
• Tips and strategies for tackling the PMI-ACP exam.
• Mock exams and practice questions.
• Understanding the format of situational and knowledge-based questions.
• A plan for continued professional development and certification renewal.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Training Venue

The training will be held at our Skills for Africa Training Institute Training Centre. We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.

Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Skills for Africa Training Institute certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Terms of Payment: Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 10 working days before commencement of the training.