Unfortunately, I am not sure that a certification exam such as the PMI-ACP would provide as much value to your employer as learning HOW to apply agile approaches effectively. Unlike a PMP which would demonstrate a consistent understanding of the PMBOK framework and the ability to apply it to specific scenarios, the ACP exam does not really confirm competency, merely that you understand common agile roles, practices, tools & techniques.
Now if you had said the DASSM exam on the other hand, that would be easier to justify as the workshop for that would provide you with the confidence and knowledge needed to help a team discover their way of working...
Kiron
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1 reply by Genora Reed
Mar 23, 2023 2:53 PM
Genora Reed
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Why would you recommend a Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) certification rather than PMI-ACP? Why is the DASSM more beneficial as a project/program manager? I work with a PMO that is not very mature nor do I have strong leadership buy to adopt a comprehensive agile culture career. Which certification would most benefit my career pivot?
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Genora ReedProject Manager| LeidosFt. Washington, Md, United States
Mar 23, 2023 1:52 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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Unfortunately, I am not sure that a certification exam such as the PMI-ACP would provide as much value to your employer as learning HOW to apply agile approaches effectively. Unlike a PMP which would demonstrate a consistent understanding of the PMBOK framework and the ability to apply it to specific scenarios, the ACP exam does not really confirm competency, merely that you understand common agile roles, practices, tools & techniques.
Now if you had said the DASSM exam on the other hand, that would be easier to justify as the workshop for that would provide you with the confidence and knowledge needed to help a team discover their way of working...
Kiron
Why would you recommend a Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) certification rather than PMI-ACP? Why is the DASSM more beneficial as a project/program manager? I work with a PMO that is not very mature nor do I have strong leadership buy to adopt a comprehensive agile culture career. Which certification would most benefit my career pivot?
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1 reply by Kiron Bondale
Mar 23, 2023 5:38 PM
Kiron Bondale
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Generally, employers won't be as keen on a certification as what you are able to apply to your job. The exception is those companies where a certification is required to be in a certain role OR where they need certified staff to be competitive on bids with their clients.
The reason I give the DASSM a higher weight than the ACP is that the former is only achievable after going through the DASSM course whereas the latter can be achieved based just on your past experience and agile-specific education. As such, the DASSM workshop would teach you new things which you could apply whereas with the ACP you may learn nothing new.
DA is a pragmatic, hybrid approach to delivering and hence is applicable to many contexts whereas the ACP focuses more on agile principles, values and Scrum with a very few questions related to Kanban and XP.
The best justification is regarding the aggregated value that your employer gains in the optimization of agile project execution. You can mention the most important agile projects that are executed on the enterprise right now, and their direct contribution to the enterprise's objectives. Saving Changes...
Why would you recommend a Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) certification rather than PMI-ACP? Why is the DASSM more beneficial as a project/program manager? I work with a PMO that is not very mature nor do I have strong leadership buy to adopt a comprehensive agile culture career. Which certification would most benefit my career pivot?
Generally, employers won't be as keen on a certification as what you are able to apply to your job. The exception is those companies where a certification is required to be in a certain role OR where they need certified staff to be competitive on bids with their clients.
The reason I give the DASSM a higher weight than the ACP is that the former is only achievable after going through the DASSM course whereas the latter can be achieved based just on your past experience and agile-specific education. As such, the DASSM workshop would teach you new things which you could apply whereas with the ACP you may learn nothing new.
DA is a pragmatic, hybrid approach to delivering and hence is applicable to many contexts whereas the ACP focuses more on agile principles, values and Scrum with a very few questions related to Kanban and XP.
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Genora
Kiron provided great perspective, however, my experience was a bit different. I started with PMI-ACP then moved to DASSM.
Before getting any certification, I had many years of experience under my belt working in both waterfall and agile environments. Getting the PMI-ACP helped me gain more in-depth knowledge of Agile which enabled me to make more sense of the DASSM Hybrid approach when I decided to take the course so it made the transition easier. If I did jump directly to DASSM, I don't think I would have personally benefited as much at the time.
I will give a completely different perspective. There is a difference between your employer paying for your certification exam, vs. paying for you to take a course on agile where you can then bring that new knowledge into the company.
Unless it is a requirement for your job function, a cert primarily helps the employee by showing some standardized knowledge level. If you already work there, you don't need the paperwork to apply the knowledge you already have.
If your manager makes supporting their team's professional growth a priority, then it supports their annual performance objectives. We all advance in our careers by taking other jobs as we grow our abilities, and they are helping your long term career, hopefully with that company.
If your manager questions why they are only paying for you to get better job mobility, it is a hard sell. Saving Changes...
You should see if there is a policy to cover training & development expenses or not. Generally, it should fall under this category in your company.
If there has not been such a policy in your company, then it will be hard to convince a low/med. level manager, because he/she does not have the authority to do so. Saving Changes...
Latha Thamma reddiSr Product and Portfolio Management (Automation Innovation)| DXC TechnologyMckinney, Tx, United States
I think Genora, would need to check the organization reimbursement policy. Saving Changes...
Vijay SuryavanshiProject Manager - Engineering| RECARO Aircraft SeatingPlantation, Fl, United States
Agree with Latha. Check with your HR and the policy of your organization. Also, PMI-ACP is more valuable if you are in software field and working as a Project Manager and want to use Agile in your daily life. Else, PMP is a better option because it now gives a holistic approach and uses both waterfall, Agile and several other methodologies. In the end the value that you get by adding such certification in your resume is much higher than the cost of reimbursement from your company. Saving Changes...
Hi, You may convince your employees by directing his attention to the fact that enhanced skillset will benefit me in my career progression meanwhile it will be source of incredible value addition to the work and my job description. It will help in both tangible and integible terms for the organisation. Saving Changes...
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