Top 6 Agile Certifications in 2018

In this age of corporate culture, Agile is turning out to be a new pacesetter. Agile is an alternate and innovative solution to all out-dated ways of Project Management, which were in use for years, until it came along. With the boom in the IT sphere and Engineering industry in last decade, the demand for agile pros has augmented enormously. And this automatically brings in light the inevitability of the Agile certifications that most of the companies are rooting for in their job profiles.

Agile is a project management practice that makes use small growth progressions called sprints to put all the efforts on uninterrupted enhancement in the development of a product or service. An Agile certification is an amalgamation of Agile training, evaluation of its ideologies and methodology, and work experience in Agile setting.

Why should you choose an Agile Certification?

The Agile certification is a great opportunity for professionals who are seeking to accomplish success in their career along with the professionals who want to change their job and work in Agile based environment.

According to a survey conducted by Scrum Alliance in 2015, on average about 67% professionals have completed four Agile projects in the year. It appears as if the business world along with other sectors is achieving triumphs by successfully employing the most prevalent Agile methodologies in their projects. In addition, to meet the demands of the industry, the certification is including a variety of Agile structures and approaches bettered by esteemed certification programs.

The project management experts are progressively accepting and implementing the Agile practices for efficacious administration and supervision of the projects. As the community of Agile professionals is rising and organizations have started to implement the Agile methodology to run their projects in active environment, the Agile certifications are becoming a widespread and fast emerging certification. It provides the managers with an advantage over their rivals by officially identifying their understanding and expertise of Agile tools and systems. According to researchers, average salary of a certified project manager is approximately $123,000 p.a. as compared to non-certified project managers whose average salary is about $96,000 p.a.

Benefits of Agile Certifications

+ In High Demand

The businesses all around the world are always looking for more capable, highly proficient project managers to administer their projects smoothly and with high rate of success. They are looking for people who not only have successful academic background, but also an authorized certification as an evidence of their proficiency on the project management abilities. As a result, the professionals who have worked in the Agile environment in the past as developers and project leaders, a valid Agile certification will offer them with a platform to prove their aptitudes.

+ Wide Range of Methodologies

The Agile certification is not restricted to a solitary technique. It covers a wide range of Agile approaches like Scrum, FDD, Kanban, Crystal etc. The main objective of this certification is to bring forward the mavens working with Agile methods, apparatuses and procedures in their jobs.

+ Certified Growth in Industry

With an Agile certification, a person involved in project management profession can achieve a high rate growth in their career. It helps the project managers exhibit their competence to their current employers and open the doors for lucrative future opportunities where Agile practices will be needed on a very high level. Having this certification means that the holder of the certification possesses essential skills and experience with Agile methodologies.

+ Very Beneficial for Business Enterprises

In the present day, many companies all over the globe are embracing the Agile methodology instead of traditional methods. This certification program works towards discovering new practices for dynamic management of project and help people comprehend Agile principles and procedures that can enhance the team work that in the end warrants improved delivery of performance.

+ Transform the Outlook

The Agile methodology helps in changing the mind-set and perspective of people working in the industry as project managers and their contemporaries. Agile training and certification helps in improving the outlook people working in teams, ultimately leading to fewer discrepancies, healthier team organization, and more prosperous projects.

+ Certified Professionals Can Win More Projects

A business with certified Agile professionals can win more projects and finish them successfully. The prospective clients will be able make out the true worth of a team that can both collaborate and employ the Agile techniques in an effective fashion.

+ Respectable Reputation

A professional with the Agile certification will earn a lot more respect and honor in the industry as compared to non-certified professionals. Moreover, if an employer or management team get their personnel trained and certified, it will be a worthwhile investment with the long term benefits.

Top 6 Agile Certifications in 2018

Above all, it is important to know what is the difference among different certificated and why are they important. Given below are top Agile certifications a professional can go for in 2018 and achieve high level of success in their career:

1. Certified ScrumMaster® (Exam: CSM)

The Certified ScrumMaster® certification from Scrum Alliance is the simple Scrum cert. It is also one of the most widely held credentials among management professionals. It provides you with the access to the basic Agile structure, Scrum Roles, happenings, artefacts, and procedures of Scrum Framework. The examination for Scrum Master Certification is quite easy, however if you are not theoretically and practically aware about the Scrum Framework, it is highly recommended to study the course before taking the exam. This certificate has been rated 4.5 out of 5 stars by its users, showing that the Scrum certificate is quite popular among the professionals as compared to other similar certifications.

2. PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (Exam: PMI-ACP)

This certification is intended for those who already are leaders of their teams or want to get a leadership role in their current project management team. It is also for those who have been employing the Agile principles and methodologies in the daily tasks pertaining to their projects. To attain PMI-ACP certification, you must at least have a minimum of 1500 hours of work experience on Agile projects and 2000 hours of work experience of overall project management. Moreover, if your company is planning to incorporate Agile framework in the organizational structure for attaining high-end project goals, then PMI-ACP can be your primary choice. Along with Scrum Framework, the PMI-ACP examination also takes account of other frameworks such as Lean, XP, and Kanban. It is one of the most highly rated Agile certifications with 5 out of 5 stars.

3. Kanban Management Professional

Kanban is a management technique that provides accessibility to the developmental transformation approach instead of abrupt or disorderly changes. It is a starting course with the main objective of improving the workflow of your team. It teaches Kanban values, methodologies, and overall notion of Kanban system. It is a great option for the learners, who want to improve their work atmosphere by understanding early stages of Kanban method. It comprises of two levels Kanban Management Professional 1 (KMP 1) and 2 (KMP 2). While KMP is about early stages of Kanban method, KMP 2 is an intermediary for attaining advanced certificate in Kanban and helps you in learning several continuous development programs. However, before getting KMP-2, you will have to obtain KMP-1. The most interesting fact is that to obtain the certifications you do not have to clear any examination. All you have to do is attend KMP recognized courses and you can get your certifications. LKU Kanban certifications have been rated 4.7 out of 5 stars, and these certificates are valid for a lifetime and no renewal fee is needed.

4. SAFe Agilist (Exam:SAFe® 4 Agilist)

By obtaining this certification, you can validate your knowledge and understanding about employing the Scaled Agile Framework, improved intelligence, and product development values in an enterprise framework. If you are willing to work with multiple teams, SAFe Agilist (SA) could be a great choice for you with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

5. Certified Disciplined Agilist (Exam: CDA)

If you are a Certified Disciplined Agilist (CDA), it means that you can show your contemporaries and bosses that you possess essential knowledge and understanding about Disciplined Agile strategies and that you are enthusiastic about learning and proliferate your talents and aptitudes as software professional. This certification is appropriate for both novices in Agile working environment and those who are already working as agile practitioners. To obtain this certification you need to attend its recognized course and later pass the examination. This certification has been rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.

6. ICAgile-Agile Certified Coach (ICP-ACC)

This certification can be a great choice if you want to be an efficacious Agile Coach in a business environment. The ICP-ACC certificate can be a turning point for your career. It helps you in developing proficient coaching skills by providing you with the aptitude to distinguish between mentoring, training, and coaching. Your newly developed coaching abilities can help you in making an effective and efficient team that can find solutions to its difficulties on its own. ICP-ACC certification is a three-day program, offered by a recognized institute. You just have to attend the program for three days and then you can get the certificate without sitting in any examination as their focus is plentiful usage of discussions, doing case studies, and classroom exercises. The users have rated this certification 4.7 out of 5 stars.

3 Organizations for Agile Certifications

APMG International 

APMG International is a globally authorized organization that offers a variety of agile project management certifications. The main purpose of these certifications is to set high standards for the aptitude of project managers to administer the agile projects in organizations with required criteria, consistency, and conspicuousness according to the agile framework.

International Consortium for Agile

The International Consortium for Agile is a self-governing authorizing institute that offers wide-ranging Agile certifications that provide the knowledge about role skills all through the various Agile programs together with Scrum, Kanban and many more. This certification comprises of three certification stages and they are Professional, Expert, and Master. These levels have been designed to examine and appraise a contender’s ability to procure the knowledge and proficiency within the Agile working environment.

StrategyEx

Associate’s or Master’s Certificate in Agile practices – Online company TwentyEighty Strategy Execution, which is working in partnership with George Washington University, offers an Associate or Masters certification in the field of agile methodologies. To get the Associate’s certification, you will have to take three courses in two years’ time, and seven courses in a four years’ time to obtain the Master’s level, respectively.

Conclusion

In today’s competitive age, you need to appreciate the influence of learning to transform your career and take it to the new heights. The more skills you will possess, the better you will be able to perform and deliver exceptional work for your employers and companies.  And without a doubt, it has been found out that both national and international companies are willing to pay a high salary for their personnel who can administer a project efficaciously on their own and give the best results with fast turnaround time. At the moment, there is a lack of qualified professionals who can comprehend the true worth of the Agile methods and can effortlessly implement the procedure in the existing Project Management scenarios. And the Agile certifications can offer you visibility and an influential platform to exhibit your true credentials. All the above given certifications are quite remarkable and effective programs. You just need to figure out which one will suit your needs in best possible way.