PMI-ACP Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner Exam Study Guide

The ultimate study package for the new PMI-ACP exam

The PMI-ACP Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner Exam Study Guide is an all-in-one package for comprehensive exam preparation. This up-to-date guide is fully aligned with the latest version of the exam, featuring coverage of 100 percent of the exam domains. Expanded coverage of AGILE includes the basic principles, value-driven delivery, stakeholder engagement, team performance, adaptive planning, problem detection and resolution, and continuous improvement to align with the A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® 6^th Edition) and its increased emphasis on agile, adaptive and iterative practices.

In-depth discussion merges with hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios to provide a well-rounded review of essential exam concepts, while the online learning center provides an assessment test, chapter tests, a practice exam, and study aids to help you ensure complete preparation for the big day.

• Master 100 percent of the exam objectives, including expanded AGILE coverage
• Reinforce critical concepts with hands-on practice and real-world scenarios
• Test your knowledge with challenging chapter review questions
• One year of FREE access to the Sybex online test bank featuring practice tests, flashcards, a glossary, and more

Project management is one of the most in-demand skills in today's job market, making more and more employers turn to AGILE methodologies to enhance delivery and results. The PMI-ACP certification shows employers that you have demonstrated mastery of essential project management skills and a practical understanding of adaptive, iterative processes; this validation puts you among the ranks of qualified project management professionals employers are desperately seeking, and the PMI-ACP Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner Exam Study Guide is your one-stop resource for exam success.

J. Ashley Hunt, PMP, PMI-ACP, MCSA, Project +, CSM, is currently the senior project management instructor at StormWind Studios and is responsible for writing, producing, teaching, and maintaining all the live courses in the field of Project Management. She is the Global REP point of contact and manager of Quality Assurance and Quality Control for StormWind Studios and The Project Management Institute (PMI^®) to maintain quality in submitted materials.

Preface xix

Introduction xxi

Assessment Test xlii

Chapter 1 Agile Foundations 1

History and the Agile Manifesto 2

The Agile Alliance 2

The Agile Manifesto 3

The 12 Principles of the Agile Manifesto 5

The 12 Principles Simplified 6

The Declaration of Interdependence 7

The Declaration of Interdependence Simplified 8

Empirical Process Control 9

Agile vs. Waterfall Project Management 10

The Benefits of Using Agile in Any industry 11

Satir Model 14

Organizational Agility Tips 15

Summary 15

Exam Essentials 16

Review Questions 17

Chapter 2 Scrum and eXtreme Programming (XP) 21

What Is Scrum? 22

Transparency 23

Inspection 23

Adaptation 24

Scrum Values 24

The Scrum Team 26

The Product Owner 27

The Development Team 28

Scrum Master 28

Scrum Artifacts 30

The Product Backlog 30

The Sprint Backlog 32

Scrum Events 34

Sprint Planning 34

The Sprint 36

The Daily Scrum 37

Scrum of Scrums 38

The Sprint Review 39

Elements of the Sprint Review 40

The Sprint Retrospective 40

The Purpose of the Sprint Retrospective 41

eXtreme Programming (XP) Overview 42

Key Aspects Of XP 43

XP Core Values 43

XP Core Values Simplified 44

XP Roles 45

Core Practices of XP 46

The 13 Core Practices of XP 47

The 13 Core Practices Simplified 48

Summary 54

Exam Essentials 54

Review Questions 56

Chapter 3 Key Aspects of Additional Agile Methodologies 61

Dynamic Systems Development Method 63

The Eight Principles of DSDM 64

Kanban 68

Kanban Board 70

The Six Principles of Kanban 71

The Six Principles of Kanban Simplified 72

What Is Lean Product/Software Development? 74

The Seven Principles of Lean 75

How Lean Complements Agile 75

The Seven Wastes of Lean Manufacturing 76

The Seven Wastes of Lean Manufacturing Simplified 76

The Seven Wastes of Lean Software Development 78

The Seven Wastes of Lean Software Development Simplified 79

Continuous Improvement 82

Feature-Driven Development 83

The Five Processes of FDD 84

Best Practices of FDD 85

Best Practices of FDD Simplified 85

Crystal Methods 86

Crystal Family Color Codes 87

The Crystal Family 87

Adaptive Software Development (ASD) 88

Adaptive Software Development Cycle 89

Adaptive Software Development (ASD) Cycle Simplified 89

Creating a Successful Mindset 90

Three Main Aspects of Leading an Agile Project Effectively 91

Three Main Aspects of Leading an Agile Project Effectively Simplified 91

Summary 93

Exam Essentials 94

Review Questions 95

Chapter 4 Agile Initiation and Stakeholder Engagement 99

Charters and Agile Projects 101

Determining Return on Investment 105

Payback Period 106

Internal Rate of Return 106

Net Present Value 107

Techniques of Pre-Project Engagement 109

Elevator Statements 109

Tweeting 112

The Definition of Done 115

Wireframes 115

User Stories 116

User Story Workshops 118

Agile Knowledge Sharing and Communication 121

INVEST for User Stories 122

The INVEST Acronym 123

Communication and Knowledge Sharing Basics 128

Summary 133

Exam Essentials 133

Review Questions 135

Chapter 5 The Human Side of Agile Project Management 139

Interpersonal Skills 141

Communication 142

Self-Directed Teams 147

Negotiation 147

Aspirational Skills 149

Motivation 150

Conflict Resolution 151

Adaptive Leadership 154

Summary 155

Exam Essentials 155

Review Questions 157

Chapter 6 Agile Estimation and Planning 163

Iteration Zero 165

Analyzing Based on Business Value 166

The Product Owner 167

Development Team 168

Agile Project Manager 170

Timeboxing 171

Themes, Epics, and User Stories 172

Themes 173

Epics 174

User Stories 175

Personas 179

Wireframes 179

Backlog Refinement 180

Definition of Done 181

Story Mapping 182

Relative Sizing 183

Wideband Delphi 184

The Fibonacci Sequence 184

Planning Poker 185

Planning Poker Best Practices 186

Initial Velocity 188

Iteration/Sprint Calculations 189

Story Point Estimates and Spikes 192

Summary 193

Exam Essentials 193

Review Questions 195

Chapter 7 Effective Team Performance on Agile Projects 201

Tuckman’s Ladder 203

Shu Ha Ri and Skill Mastery 204

Dreyfus Model: Five Stages of Skill Acquisition 205

Collaborative Working Environments 207

Distributed Teams 211

Context and Culture 214

Osmotic Communication 216

Team and Individual Coaching 217

Velocity Tracking 218

Burn Down and Burn Up Charts 220

Burn Down Charts 220

Burn Up Charts 222

Summary 223

Exam Essentials 224

Review Questions 226

Chapter 8 Agile Execution and Tracking of Iterations 231

Return on Investment and Benefit Measurement Methods 233

Earned Value Analysis 234

Controlling the Schedule 235

Controlling the Budget 236

Earned Value Technique 238

The Formulas 241

Key Performance Indicators 243

The Triple Constraints 246

The Gulf of Misunderstanding 247

Dot Voting, or Multi-Voting 248

MoSCoW 249

Monopoly Money 250

100 Points 251

Kano Analysis 252

Customized Procurement 254

Summary 256

Exam Essentials 257

Review Questions 258

Chapter 9 Detecting Problems and Working Through Changes 263

The Cost of Changes 264

Rolling Wave Planning 265

Technical Debt 266

Refactoring 267

Refactoring When You Don’t Code Software 267

Determining Defects 269

Common Causes 270

Special Causes 271

Risk Management 271

Spikes 273

Risk-Adjusted Backlog 274

Expected Monetary Value 275

Assessing Risk 278

Risk Burn Down Charts 281

Summary 283

Exam Essentials 283

Review Questions 285

Chapter 10 Tailoring, Quality Management, and Improving Project Processes 291

Tailoring 292

Tailoring and the PMBOK® Guide 295

Lead Time and Cycle Time 296

Process Improvement 299

Value Stream Mapping 301

Continuous Product Improvement 304

Intraspectives 304

Premortem 305

Retrospectives 305

Summary 306

Exam Essentials 307

Review Questions 308

Appendix A Next Steps 313

What Is the PMI-ACP Certification? 314

Real-World Considerations 315

Tools and Techniques Overview 316

Agile Toolkit 316

PMI Ethical Decision-Making Framework 317

Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct 317

Task Overview 317

Agile Principles and Mindset Considerations 318

Value-Driven Delivery 318

Stakeholder Engagement 320

Team Performance 321

Adaptive Planning 322

Problem Detection and Resolution 323

Continuous Improvement 323

Tools and Techniques Overview 324

Knowledge and Skills 327

Concluding Thoughts 328

Appendix B Answers to Review Questions 329

Chapter 1 330

Chapter 2 331

Chapter 3 333

Chapter 4 334

Chapter 5 336

Chapter 6 338

Chapter 7 339

Chapter 8 341

Chapter 9 343

Chapter 10 344

Index 347

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