Introduction
AgilePM was first released in 2010, with over 250,000 people worldwide becoming AgilePM certified by 2025, making AgilePM the most popular agile project management qualification globally.
Scrum evolved simultaneously with AgilePM (formerly called DSDM), but entirely independently of it, and helped shape the Agile Manifesto. It has become the world’s most popular agile product delivery approach, with individuals certified by a range of organizations numbering in the millions.
AgilePM version 3 blends the powerful simplicity and potent agility of Scrum for product development, with the fundamentals of AgilePM that bring agility to the much broader project context. Scrum has been chosen here because of its popularity but any agile approach to development that is focused at the development team level would also fit. Examples include DSDM and Kanban (both at the Solution Development Team level), DevOps, eXtreme Programming (XP), and Agile Digital Services – AgileDS (which is based on the increasingly popular UK Government Digital Services standard).
The primary purpose of the syllabus is to provide a basis for the accreditation of people involved with AgilePM version 3. It documents the learning outcomes related to the use of AgilePM and describes the scope of the requirements a candidate is expected to meet to demonstrate that these learning outcomes have been achieved at each qualification level. This syllabus informs the design of the exams and provides accredited training organizations with a more detailed breakdown of what the exams will assess. Details on the exam structure and content are documented in the AgilePM 3 Practitioner Design.
Practitioner Qualification
Purpose of the Practitioner Qualification
The purpose of the Practitioner qualification is to measure whether the candidate has sufficient knowledge and understanding of AgilePM version 3 to apply and tailor it in the scenario of a real project. The scenario is designed to allow the candidate to demonstrate they possess the competence to apply the AgilePM approach to a real-world project.
Target Audience
This qualification is aimed at anyone with responsibility for leading a project who is looking to increase the agility of those projects in the face of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA) in their operating/market environment. Specifically, it is targeted at individuals who are, or will be, leaders of or influencing an Agile project team including Project Managers; Product Owners; line-of-business managers or leaders with responsibility for delivering business change; solution architects, and other roles involved with ensuring quality, integrity, and compliance of the business and technical solutions created by the project; and project management officers and any other roles with responsibility for the governance of projects individually or as part of a program or portfolio.
High-Level Performance Definition of a Successful Practitioner Candidate
The candidate who meets this High-Level Performance Definition should be able to recall, recognize, and demonstrate an understanding of the theories, concepts, models, and approaches outlined in the guide.
What is required?
- AgilePM Foundation certificate.
Learning Outcomes Assessment Model
Each learning outcome in the High-Level Performance Definition requires the candidate to demonstrate specific knowledge and skills. For each learning outcome, several learning outcome measures are identified which are evaluated in the examination, by the Examination Design, to confirm that the learning outcome has been achieved. These learning outcome measures are shown as syllabus topics and define the scope of the standard required to achieve the qualification.
A classification widely used when designing assessments for certification and education is Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. This classifies learning objectives into six ascending learning levels, each defining a higher degree of competencies and skills. (Bloom et al, 1956, Taxonomy of Educational Objectives).
APMG has incorporated this into a Learning Outcomes Assessment Model that is then used to develop each qualification’s Assessment Model. The model provides a simple and systematic means for assessing and classifying the learning outcome measures.
This structured approach helps to ensure:
• The appropriate level is identified for a qualification
• A clear delineation in learning level content between different qualifications
• Wording is standardized and syllabi are presented consistently across APMG’s
qualification portfolio
• Exam questions and papers are consistent in their design.
The Practitioner qualification tests at levels 2 (understand), 3 (apply), and 4 (analyze).
