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SAFe Certifications vs PMI-ACP

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George Monnat Technical Delivery Manager| Kapsch TrafficCom North America Austin, Tx, United States
Hi all,

I plan on earning my PMI-ACP soon, now that I'm working for a company that actually/correctly practices agile methodologies. They use a custom version of SAFe 4.0, and I'm a Product Owner. I saw SAFe's POPM certification which made me wonder how industries view PMI-ACP vs SAFe vs CSM, etc.

Have you seen an increased awareness and appreciation for PMI-ACP, or is it still the young fish in a big pond?
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Drew Craig Sr. Agile & Product Coach| Vanguard Philadelphia, Pa, United States
If you are in a SAFe shop, I'd suggest going that route, and b/c of that, you should get support from your organization; whether reimbursement or time off to take the course, or both!

Plus, there is a growing popularity for SAFe, and even so, what you gain from going through the course and preparation, can easily be applied in other Agile environments.

The PMI-ACP is a completely different type of designation, more general and has the PMI attribute. That said, the Scaled Agile Framework is certainly making a name for themselves as well!
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George Monnat Technical Delivery Manager| Kapsch TrafficCom North America Austin, Tx, United States
Thanks Andrew. The SAFe certification seems fairly easy to get. I think it's just the 2-day class then a test. Is it?
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Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD Senior Project Manager| Infosys Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Yeah it may end up like the CSM: a 2 day class, easy exam pass, and reduce its value over time ;-)
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1 reply by Drew Craig
Apr 18, 2018 9:48 AM
Drew Craig
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Sorry, Sante, I would not agree with this; or are you just trying to stir the pot :)
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Drew Craig Sr. Agile & Product Coach| Vanguard Philadelphia, Pa, United States
Yes, that is correct. I took the SA. I would not say it is easy, like the CSM, but certainly not the level of the PMP. It was a bit more difficult than the PSM. There will be preparation required with what is learned in the 2-day. But it will be a great learning opportunity and networking! I met great professionals there and remain connected with them. The different stories, backgrounds, and org situations are a great addition.
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Drew Craig Sr. Agile & Product Coach| Vanguard Philadelphia, Pa, United States
Apr 18, 2018 9:42 AM
Replying to Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
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Yeah it may end up like the CSM: a 2 day class, easy exam pass, and reduce its value over time ;-)
Sorry, Sante, I would not agree with this; or are you just trying to stir the pot :)
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1 reply by Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
Apr 18, 2018 6:32 PM
Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
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haha a little bit. I'm also trying to highlight the difference between the PMI-ACP and SAFe.
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Sergio Luis Conte Helping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based Organizations Buenos Aires, Argentina
I have the PMI-ACP and I am working with SAFe too. I am working into Agile based environments from long time ago. I was one of the first ten people in getting the PMI-ACP certification in the world. I made this comment just for the following (in other context it has not sense at all): each time I decide to start the endeavor to go for a certification I made my own estimation about future market demands. Based on my estimation I go for it. Is an estimation so is based on available information and time and it has an inherent error. Go for a certification is much more, in my personal opinion, than spend money. Is spend time and time is the most valuable because you can not buy it. For example, in my actual work place, they pay me the Program Manager and Portfolio Manager certifications. But because I believe they have no sense then I am not going for them.
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George Monnat Technical Delivery Manager| Kapsch TrafficCom North America Austin, Tx, United States
Thanks for the wise words, Sergio.

This morning my boss finally responded saying I could go, but the class is now full. Now I'm trying to get him to pay for the next one here in Austin on May 14th or 20th.
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Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD Senior Project Manager| Infosys Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Apr 18, 2018 9:48 AM
Replying to Drew Craig
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Sorry, Sante, I would not agree with this; or are you just trying to stir the pot :)
haha a little bit. I'm also trying to highlight the difference between the PMI-ACP and SAFe.
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George Monnat Technical Delivery Manager| Kapsch TrafficCom North America Austin, Tx, United States
I noticed a banner on this site advertising a SAFe introductory webinar. It's by one of the SAFe founders who's a PMP and PMI-ACP with a PMI audience, and it's even a PMI PDU :)

I signed up for the SAFe POPM on May 19th & 20th, and I'm really looking forward to it. It looks like the SAFe POPM cert and PMI-ACP will go hand-in-hand and both be very beneficial for me and my company.
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Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD Senior Project Manager| Infosys Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
That's great George, I hope you find it enjoyable :-)
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