Certified Senior Agile Project Manager

The Project Management Association of Canada offers an advanced-level certification in agile project management called the “Certified Senior Agile Project Manager.” Those who are awarded this certification have the right to use the postnomial “Sr.APM” for as long as their certification remains current.

Benefits

This unique specialty project management certification is aimed at primarily IT project managers who are looking for additional credentials beyond basic project management credentials such as the PMP designation from PMI and basic agile certifications such as PMAC's Cert.APM and the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) designation. Having specialty certifications such as PMAC's Sr.APM offers project managers a number of benefits:

• Differentiation - Basic project management certification has spread throughout the world, with over 336,000 project managers (as of June 2009) having PMI's PMP designation alone. In addition, as of June 2009, over 42,000 Certified Scrum Masters are currently registered with the Scrum Alliance. Having one's PMP or CSM used to be a differentiator in the marketplace; now, they are so common that project managers need something more to stand out.
• Development - An advanced project management specialty certification from PMAC is evidence that a project manager is actively engaged in skills growth and career development — a sign of a true professional.
• Competence - Having PMAC's Certified Senior Agile Project Manager designation shows that a candidate has proven expertise successfully leading agile projects in complex environments. These people consistently demonstrate competence in the practical application of agile management theory and techniques.

This is not an exam. This certification requires an assessment of competence -- or, how one successfully applies agile management techniques in the workplace. Such a performance assessment looks at several elements:

1. Experience demonstrated through a detailed résumé showing adequate experience in using agile management technqiues
2. Leadership as assessed through interviews with team members from the candidate's agile projects
3. Stakeholder Management as assessed through interviews with project sponsors (or "Product Owners")
4. Application of Agile Best Practices demonstrated through a detailed report on a project of sufficient complexity and verified by providing evidence (documentary artifacts) such as initial and updated release plans, project and iteration backlogs, etc.
5. Soft Skills required to be an effective agile PM, assessed through a 2-hour oral interview.

The assessment process will follow the general competence assessment processes established by the International Project Management Association (IPMA) for determining project management competence as administered by the Canadian IPMA member association, the Project Management Association of Canada. While this agile PM competence assessment follows the general IPMA processes, the underlying agile practices being assessed will be somewhat different from the standard ones in the International Competence Baseline (ICB) for project management.

How to Apply

To apply for the Certified Senior Agile Project Manager designation, a number of requirements must first be met:

1. Applicants must have attained the PMAC Certificate in Agile Project Management (Cert.APM) to demonstrate knowledge of a common set of agile terminology and agile best practices.
2. Applicants must have a minimum of two years of experience managing agile projects. The application form will provide an area for applicants to document this experience.
3. Applicants must have a minimum of five years of project management experience using any methodology (not restricted to just agile methods). The application form will provide an area for applicants to document this experience.
4. Applicants must prepare a profile of one agile project that they have managed, addressing how specific aspects of agile management methods were applied on that project. Instructions on what to include in this profile will be included with the application form.
5. Applicants must pay a certification fee of $750 to the PMAC. Payments may be made via cheque mailed to the association or via our online payment form (coming soon).
6. Applicants must complete the application form and include any supplemental documents described above.

Application Form

The application form for this new certification is still being finalized. Please check back here for the latest up-to-date information, or send an email to our Certification Board (certification@pmac-ampc.ca)

Support for this Certification

Permalink