Introduction
If you’re preparing to take the PMI-ACP® exam, you’ll undoubtedly want to find out as much information as you can about multiple Agile frameworks. The more information you have at your disposal, and the more hands-on experience you gain, the better off you’ll be when attempting the exam. This study guide is written with that in mind. The goal is to provide you with enough information to prepare you for the test, but not so much that you’ll be overloaded with information that’s outside the scope of the exam.
This book presents the material at an intermediate technical level. Experience with and knowledge of different Agile frameworks like Scrum, eXtreme Programming (XP), Lean, and Kanban will help you to get a full understanding of the challenges that you’ll face as an Agile project management professional.
I’ve included review questions at the end of each chapter to give you a taste of what it’s like to take the exam. If you’re already working in an Agile or project management field, I recommend that you check out these questions first to gauge your level of expertise. You can then use the book primarily to fill in the gaps in your current knowledge. This study guide will help you round out your knowledge base before tackling the exam.
If you can answer 90 percent or more of the review questions correctly for a given chapter, you can feel safe moving on to the next chapter. If you’re unable to answer that percentage of questions correctly, reread the chapter and try the questions again. Your score should improve.
It Pays to Get Certified
In a world that is becoming more focused on technology, project management literacy in multiple modalities is an essential survival skill. Agile certification proves that you have the knowledge and skills to solve business problems in virtually any business environment.
Certification makes you more competitive and employable. Research has shown that people who study project management best practices get hired. In the competition for entry-level jobs, applicants with high school diplomas or college degrees who included Agile project management coursework in their academic load fared consistently better in job interviews and were hired in significantly higher numbers. When considered a compulsory part of technology education, testing for certification can be an invaluable competitive distinction for Agile and project management professionals.
How Certification Helps Your Career
Obtaining certifications can be highly beneficial for your career strategy and in many cases having multiple certifications shows a wide range of abilities in your chosen careers.
Agile is one of the job categories in highest demand. According to the Project Management Institute’s (PMI)® digital Pulse of the Profession, Global Project Management Survey (2017), Agile is a topic of growing importance in project management, with 71 percent of organizations now reporting that they use Agile approaches to their projects sometimes or more frequently than in the past. The report states that over the past 12 months, one in five projects has used Agile approaches, whereas another one in five has used hybrid or blended approaches. Another item from the report worth mentioning is that the percentage of projects that used something other than Agile, hybrid, or plan-driven approaches, which could be a further blend or customization of other approaches, is approximately 23 percent.
Get your foot in the door. The Project Management Institute’s goal in putting together the Agile Certified Practitioner exam is to call attention to the multiple methodologies and best practices involved in projects that would utilize an Agile approach. There are many other certification types that are proprietary; for example, the Scrum Alliance (www.scrumalliance.org) has numerous certifications that are applicable to the methodology of Scrum, but this is the first certification exam of its kind to combine many best practices across multiple methodologies. The content itself is not company-specific or partial to any one methodology over another. The content is based on numerous books and best practices surrounding Agile projects.
Potential income for Agile Project Managers Earn a national average of almost $90,000 to $151,000 per year depending on their location and specialty according to Glassdoor.
The Project Management Institute’s Agile Certified Practioner (PMI-ACP®) certification enhances your project management knowledge. Professionals who are PMI-ACP® certified are 85 percent more likely to believe that they have the knowledge and skills needed to fulfill their jobs successfully. The PMI-ACP® certification is a big step in starting your career as a certified Agile professional.
Popularity of the PMI-ACP® certification is increasing. More than 17,000+ individuals worldwide are PMI-ACP® certified and that number is growing daily and exponentially.
Agile project management is regularly used in organizations. Companies such as Pixar, Spotify, video gaming companies, marketing organizations, staffing companies, manufacturing companies, and many software developers are using Agile methods to complete their projects effectively.
Steps to Getting Certified and Staying Certified
While the steps for gaining your certification may seem daunting, the steps below will help guide you through the process.
Review the exam objectives. Review the certification objectives to make sure you know what is covered in the exam:
www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/certifications/ agile-certified-exam-outline.pdf
Practice for the exam. After you have studied for the exam, review and answer as many sample questions as you can to prepare for it.
Submit your application. Fill out your application and determine your next steps for the 21 hours of education:
www.pmi.org/certifications/types/Agile-acp
Take the test! Once your application is approved, you will be given information on payment and scheduling options. Most exams are hosted through Prometric:
www.prometric.com/en-us/for-test-takers/pages/schedule.aspx?Type=schedule
Stay certified through continuing education! PMI-ACP® certifications are valid for three years from the date of certification. There are a number of ways the certification can be renewed. For more information, check the Project Management Institute’s site.
How to Obtain More Information
There is a lot of information online about PMI certifications but it’s always best to go directly through the contact information below first.
- Visit the Project Management Institute’s website (www.pmi.org) to learn more about getting PMI-ACP certified.
- Contact PMI by calling +1 (855) 746-4849, emailing [email protected], or using live chat directly from the website Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. US EDT (GMT-4).
- Connect with PMI on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube.
Before You Begin Studying for the PMI-ACP® Certification Exam
Before you begin studying for the exam, it’s imperative that you understand a few things about the PMI-ACP® certification.
When you’re studying for any exam, the first step in preparation should always be to find out as much as possible about the test: The more you know up front, the better you can plan your course of study. The current exam, and the one addressed by this book, is the 2017 update. Although all variables are subject to change as this book is being written, the exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions, there is only one correct answer for each question, and you will have three hours to complete the exam.
The exam is predominantly multiple choice with short, concise questions, usually followed by four possible answers. Don’t expect lengthy scenarios and complex solutions. This is an exam of knowledge-level topics; you’re expected to know a great deal about Agile topics from an overview perspective.
You’re likely to see a question on the exam about what an Agile project manager does in different situations, based on servant leadership and best practices. Spend your study time learning the different frameworks and tools and techniques where they would be applicable. Don’t get bogged down in step-by-step details; regardless of the framework to which you subscribe, you must be able to participate and collaborate. Those are skills that are crucial to a successful project outcome and to answering questions on the exam.
You should also know that PMI® is notorious for including vague questions on all of its exams. You might see a question for which two of the possible four answers are correct—but you can choose only one. Use your knowledge, logic, and intuition to choose the best answer and then move on.
Sometimes, the questions are worded in ways that would make English majors cringe—a typo here, an incorrect verb there. Don’t let this frustrate you—answer the question, and go to the next one. Although I haven’t intentionally added typos or other grammatical errors, with the questions throughout this book, I make every attempt to re-create the structure and appearance of the real exam questions.
As you study, you need to know that the exam you’ll be taking was created at a certain point in time. Due to the recently released Agile Practice Guide and minor updates to the PMI-ACP® exam for 2018, there may be some variations in terminology and exam structure. This is the most up-to-date version, and therefore you should be okay. Remember, you will need to take a training course to obtain your 21 hours of contact hour from a registered education provider, or REP (1 = 1 hour of training). More information on the exam itself and what you’ll need to do appears later in this Introduction.
You won’t see a question about the new tailored version, which was just created, but you’ll see questions about concepts that existed when this exam was created. Updating the exam is a difficult process, and the exam number is incremented to reflect the new version.
Why Become PMI-ACP® Certified?
There are a number of reasons for obtaining a PMI-ACP certification:
It provides proof of professional achievement. The certification requirements include general project management experience as well as Agile project management experience. Certification demonstrates that you have the knowledge and the experience, and it provides you with opportunities in your current industry that you may not have had before certification.
It increases your marketability. Almost anyone can bluff their way through an interview. Once you’re PMI-ACP® certified, you’ll have the credentials to prove your competency. Moreover, certifications can’t be taken from you when you change jobs—you can take that certification with you to any position you accept. Many project management positions these days have minimum requirements for certification in multiple areas of project management, including Agile.
It provides opportunity for advancement. Individuals who prove themselves to be competent and dedicated are the ones who will most likely be promoted. Becoming certified is a great way to prove your skill level and to show your employer that you’re committed to improving your skill set. Look around you at those who are certified: They are probably the people who receive good pay raises and promotions.
It fulfills training requirements. Many companies have set training requirements for their staff so that they stay up-to-date on the latest project management frameworks and best practices. Having a certification program in Agile frameworks provides project managers and development teams with another certification path to follow when they have exhausted some of the other industry-standard certifications.
It raises customer confidence. As companies discover the advantages of Agile frameworks, they will undoubtedly require qualified staff to achieve these certifications. Being proficient in Scrum or XP goes a long way to understanding other methodologies, but learning new best practices tools and techniques through the process of certification will improve your current knowledge and add new knowledge that is applicable in your day-to-day management of projects.
How to Become a PMI-ACP Certified Professional
The first place to start to get your certification is to review the specifics of education and experience needed to apply.
Education High school diploma, associate’s degree, or global equivalent at minimum
Experience in Project Management The 2,000 hours of project management experience can be any type of project management experience. If you are currently PMP® certified, or you have your PgMP®, PMI® will waive that 2,000 hours because it has already been proven on your PMP® application.
1,500 Hours’ Additional Experience This can be gained by working on Agile types of projects as either a team member or Scrum Master or as any other role you played on Agile projects.
21 Contact Hours of Training The training is necessary and should be focused on Agile methodologies and practices. Self-study is one category of Contact hour, but an e-learning or live course can count for the rest and is highly recommended.
To maintain your PMI-ACP® (much like a PMP® certification), you will have to obtain 30 PDUs (basically 30 hours) every three years based on Agile topics.
If you’re not familiar with the professional development or PDU process, the best thing to do is to go to www.pmi.org and look at what counts as a professional development unit and how the Project Management Institute’s talent triangle works for professional development. You will also need to fill out an application in order to sit for your PMI-ACP® exam.
The PMI-ACP® Application Process
The application process is comprehensive for the PMI-ACP® exam but not impossible. There are several things to document and you may need to do some pre-work to collect the information in advance of beginning your application.
- Create an account at www.pmi.org. You could join PMI® or simply apply. Either way, you will need to log in to fill out your application.
- Be honest about your experience, and be prepared in advance with the names and addresses of the companies you worked with and for as well as the contact information for individuals who can validate your experience. Also, be aware of dates and hours spent on the projects on which you worked.
- You can start your application, save it, and continue completing it for up to 90 days, so if you are missing information, you have the time to obtain it.
- Once you submit your application, it takes about five business days for approval. Keep checking your PMI® account using your login information to see when the application is accepted. In some cases, you will get an email, but it’s best to check the website after about three days.
- Once approved, you have one year to sit for the exam and three opportunities in that year to pass it. Exam pricing may fluctuate, so it’s always best to check www.pmi.org for any updates on pricing.
- If you are already certified with a PMP®, CAPM®, or PgMP®, have your certification number handy so that you can forego the 2,000-hour requirement and focus only on the 1,500 hours of Agile experience needed.
- Read through the guidebook on the application found at the following address. This will give you all of the information you’ll need to fill out and submit your application, as well as how the hours are calculated.
- Be prepared to write short descriptions of the projects on which you worked. Be concise and focus on the deliverables and your role on the project.
- When you submit payment, you will receive an email with instructions on how to schedule your exam plus a registration code that will allow you to arrange it through www.prometric.com. Once you are logged into the Prometric site, you can search for and find the testing location closest to your home or office.
- One out of four applications are randomly selected for audit, and you will know if you are being audited after you pay for the exam. Even though it sounds like an ominous process, PMI® will walk you through everything. I recommend that you send out your application to those who can validate your experience in advance of submitting it. That way, if you are indeed audited, those who can validate your experience will know how to respond to the audit. If you are properly prepared, you can submit all of the additional information quickly. Also, have a certificate of completion from the training organization who provided the exam prep training and a copy of your diploma(s). Once PMI® has all of the information they need, it will take another five days or so to process your application.
The Project Management Institute
United States and Canada: 1 (855) 746-4849
When you schedule the exam, you’ll receive instructions regarding the appointment and cancellation procedures, ID requirements, and information about the testing center location. In addition, you’ll receive a registration and payment confirmation email.
Exams can be scheduled up to six weeks out, or as late as the next day (in some cases, even on the same day). Prometric testing centers have a variety of schedules for exams, and some even have weekend and evening schedules.
You’ll be able to choose your exam date and time from the available time/date slots. Be sure that you can keep the appointment, because after a certain amount of time, you will be charged a fee for cancellation or rescheduling unless it is for a medical reason or for another covered cancellation allowance.
On Exam Day
It’s easy to be a bit anxious or nervous before taking an exam so to make sure exam day goes smoothly keep these things in mind.
- Bring the authorization letter sent via email by PMI® to the testing center, as well as two forms of identification with the exact name that you put on your application.
- You will be asked to place everything into a locker prior to going into the testing room and to sign in.
- You will be given something to write on and write with. The exam is highly proctored.
- Your exam will be computer-based with one question displayed at a time.
- You can mark questions for later review and click the next or back button as needed to review your answers.
- You will get your results immediately after you click Submit, or if you choose to fill out the survey, you will get your results after you complete that. Completing the survey isn’t mandatory, but you can fill out the survey based on your exam experience (should you choose to do so). The only time that this is different is in the rollout of a latest version of the exam. Usually, with the first couple of months of a new exam, the results are delayed for a couple of weeks.
- You will have access to a calculator should you need one.
- The PMI-ACP® exam is pass/fail and based on proficiency in each domain. It is best to take practice exams and focus on gaining a score of at least 90 percent to be totally prepared.
- The PMI-ACP® exam is not adaptive; your test pool is static throughout the exam. There are no points subtracted for incorrect questions, only points given for correctly answered questions.
- The exam provides level of proficiency ratings in each domain. The proficiency ratings for each domain are Proficient, Moderately Proficient, and Below Proficient.
If you pass, you will also receive a proof of certification on the day of your exam from Prometric. They will give you a certified copy of your results, which proves that you have passed the exam and shows the levels of proficiency in each domain. You can call yourself a PMI-ACP right away. It does take some time to get the official certificate from PMI, though.
The Project Management Institute will award you a formal certification. Within four to six weeks of passing the exam, you’ll receive your official certification. (If you don’t receive these items within eight weeks of taking the exam, contact PMI® directly using the information found in your registration packet.)
Who Should Read This Book?
If you want to acquire a solid foundation in Agile frameworks and best practices, and your goal is to prepare for the exam by learning how and why the best practices work in an Agile environment, this book is for you. You’ll find clear explanations of the concepts that you need to grasp and plenty of help to achieve the high level of professional competency that you’ll need in order to succeed in your chosen field.
If you want to become PMI-ACP® certified, this book is definitely what you need. However, if you just want to attempt to pass the exam without really understanding Agile, this study guide isn’t for you. It’s written for people who want to acquire understanding, skills, and in-depth knowledge of multiple Agile frameworks.
What Does This Book Cover?
This book covers everything you need to know to pass the PMI-ACP exam.
- Chapter 1: Agile Foundations
- Chapter 2: Scrum and eXtreme Programming (XP)
- Chapter 3: Key Aspects of Additional Agile Methodologies
- Chapter 4: Agile Initiation and Stakeholder Engagement
- Chapter 5: The Human Side of Agile Project Management
- Chapter 6: Agile Estimation and Planning
- Chapter 7: Effective Team Performance on Agile Projects
- Chapter 8: Agile Execution and Tracking of Iterations
- Chapter 9: Detecting Problems and Working Through Changes
- Chapter 10: Tailoring, Quality Management, and Improving Project Processes
- Appendix A: Next Steps
Tips for Taking the PMI-ACP Exam
Here are some general tips for taking your exam:
- Bring two forms of ID with you. One must be a photo ID, such as a driver’s license. The other can be a major credit card or a passport. Both forms must include a signature.
- Arrive early at the exam center so that you can relax and review your study materials, particularly tables and lists of exam-related information. After you are ready to enter the testing room, you will need to put everything into a locker; you won’t be able to bring any materials into the testing area.
- Read the questions carefully. Don’t be tempted to jump to an early conclusion. Make sure that you know exactly what each question is asking.
- Don’t leave any unanswered questions.
- The exam requires and tests on actual experience and knowledge with 120 situational questions.
- Some questions have two or more seemingly “correct” answers. There is only one correct answer, so you will need to select the best answer.
- Many questions have extra information that doesn’t apply to the actual answer.
- You have the option of going through the exam several times to review your answers for correctness until you submit it or to review or answer marked questions. Most people mark about 10 to 25 questions and then go back to them after they have completed the other questions.
- Read Carefully!
- Use all of your time to review, and only change your answers if you misread the question. Don’t rush through it.
- When answering multiple-choice questions about which you’re unsure, use a process of elimination to get rid of the obviously incorrect answers first. Doing so will improve your odds if you need to make an educated guess.
- For the latest pricing on the exams and updates to the registration procedures, visit PMI®’s website at www.pmi.org.
This exam is pass/fail, and it’s all based on knowledge work, such as, for example, developing software, IT projects, or developing apps. PMP® or Waterfall project management, on the other hand, is more focused on longer-term, tangible work efforts like building a bridge, constructing a building, or mass production of “something.” Those project types need a more formal Waterfall approach that uses preplanning and formal change control systems to update work that is being executed.
Your results on an Agile project can be completely intangible, and you can expect the scope of work to change. Scope change is just part of the day-to-day process. This means continuous improvement is necessary.
With Agile (think agility), you must be malleable to improve best practices and products or services. Yes, you are self-driven, self-motivated, and self-managed. Nevertheless, you are also coached in the best practices that you choose or a hybrid approach of several.
What’s Included in the Book
We’ve included several testing features in this book and on the companion website. These tools will help you retain vital exam content as well as prepare you to sit for the actual exam.
Assessment Test There is an assessment test at the end of this Introduction that you can use to check your readiness for the exam. Take this test before you start reading the book; it will help you determine the areas in which you might need to brush up. The answers to the assessment test questions appear on a separate page after the last question of the test. Each answer includes an explanation and a note telling you the chapter in which the material appears.
Objective Map and Opening List of Objectives After this book’s Introduction, I have included a detailed exam objective map showing you where each of the exam objectives is covered in this book. In addition, each chapter opens with a list of the exam objectives that it covers. Use these to see exactly where each of the exam topics is covered.
Exam Essentials Just before the summary, each chapter includes a number of exam essentials. These are the key topics that you should take from the chapter in terms of areas to focus on when preparing for the exam.
Review Questions To test your knowledge as you progress throughout the book, there are review questions at the end of each chapter. As you finish each chapter, answer the review questions and then check your answers. The correct answers and explanations are found in Appendix B. You can go back to reread the section that deals with each question that you got wrong in order to ensure that you answer them correctly the next time you’re tested on the material.
Interactive Online Learning Environment and Test Bank
The interactive online learning environment that accompanies the PMI-ACP® Agile Certified Practioner Exam Study Guide provides a test bank with study tools to help you prepare for the certification exams and increase your chances of passing them the first time! The test bank includes the following elements:
Sample Tests All of the questions in this book, including the assessment test that you’ll find at the end of this Introduction and the review questions found at the end of each chapter, are provided. In addition, there is a practice exam. Use these questions to test your knowledge of the study guide material. The online test bank runs on multiple devices.
Electronic Flashcards One set of questions is provided in digital flashcard format (a question followed by a single correct answer). You can use the flashcards to reinforce your learning and to provide last-minute test prep before the exam.
Glossary The key terms from this book and their definitions are available as a fully searchable PDF.
How to Use This Book and the Interactive Online Learning Environment and Test Bank
If you want a solid foundation for preparing for the PMI-ACP exam, this is the book for you. Countless hours have been spent putting this book together with the sole intention of helping you prepare for the exam.
This book is loaded with valuable information, and you will get the most out of your study time if you understand how it is put together. Here’s a list that describes how to approach studying:
- Take the assessment test immediately following this Introduction. It’s okay if you don’t know any of the answers—that’s what this book is for. Carefully read over the explanations for any question that you get wrong, and make a note of the chapters where that material is covered.
- Study each chapter carefully, making sure you fully understand the information and the exam objectives listed at the beginning of each one. Again, pay extra-close attention to any chapter that includes material covered in the questions that you missed on the assessment test.
- Read over the summary and exam essentials sections in each chapter. These will highlight the content from the chapter with which you need to be familiar before sitting for the exam.
- Answer all of the review questions at the end of each chapter. Specifically note any questions that confuse you, and study those sections of the book again. Don’t just skim these questions—make sure you understand each answer completely.
- Go over the electronic flashcards. These help you to prepare for the latest PMI-ACP® exam, and they’re really great study tools.
- Take the practice exam.
Final PMI-ACP® Exam Considerations
Honestly, to pass this exam there is a fine balance of doing Agile types of projects and studying and taking practice exams. Rote memorization will not help you.
Every single question will be situationally based. It will test your ability to be agile, not to do Agile.
Agile, as a term, is almost the umbrella over all of the different frameworks and tools and techniques that you can absorb, use, and understand. To pass an exam like this, you have got to get into that frame of mind.
The Agile principles mindset involves the following principles:
- Exploring, embracing, and applying Agile principles while incorporating that mindset across the team and the organization
- Focusing value-driven delivery on high-value increments and making sure they are produced early and often
- Meeting and reviewing stakeholder priorities
- Gaining feedback on the increments you produce and then prioritizing and improving upon them
You’ll see some aspects of these principles across every single one of the different domains.
PMI-ACP® Exam Objectives
The Project Management Institute goes to great lengths to ensure that its certification programs accurately reflect the industry’s best practices. They do this by establishing committees for each of its exam programs. Each committee comprises a group of IT professionals, training providers, volunteers, and publishers, who are responsible for establishing the exam’s baseline competency level, and who determine the appropriate target-audience level. The PMI-ACP® exam updates come from a collaboration with the Agile Alliance and Role Delineation Studies (RDS) that help craft the exam updates.
Once these factors are determined, PMI® shares this information with a group of hand-selected subject matter experts (SMEs). These people are the true brainpower behind the certification program. In the case of this exam, they are Agile-seasoned pros. The SMEs review the committee’s findings, refine them, and shape them into the objectives that follow this section.
Even so, they have to go back to the drawing board for further refinements in many cases before the exam is ready to go live in its final state. Rest assured that the content you’re about to learn will serve you long after you take the exam.
PMI® also publishes relative weightings for each of the exam’s objectives. The following table lists the seven PMI-ACP® objective domains and the extent to which they are represented on the current exam. As you use this study guide, you’ll find that just the right dosage of objective knowledge has been administered by tailoring coverage to mirror the percentages that PMI uses.
| Domain | % of Exam |
| I. Agile Principles and Mindset | 16% |
| II. Value-Driven Delivery | 20% |
| III. Stakeholder Engagement | 17% |
| IV. Team Performance | 16% |
| V. Adaptive Planning | 12% |
| VI. Problem Detection and Resolution | 10% |
| VII. Continuous Improvement | 9% |
| Total | 100% |
PMI-ACP® Certification Exam Objective Map
| Objective | Chapter |
| Domain I: Agile Principles and Mindset | |
| Task 1: Advocate for Agile principles by modeling those principles and discussing Agile values in order to develop a shared mindset across the team as well as between the customer and the team. | Chapter 1, 2, 3 |
| Task 2: Help ensure that everyone has a common understanding of the values and principles of Agile and a common knowledge around the Agile practices and terminology being used in order to work effectively. | Chapter 1, 2, 3 |
| Task 3: Support change at the system or organization level by educating the organization and influencing processes, behaviors, and people in order to make the organization more effective and efficient. | Chapter 1, 2, 3 |
| Task 4: Practice visualization by maintaining highly visible information radiators showing real progress and real team performance in order to enhance transparency and trust. | Chapter 1, 2, 3 |
| Task 5: Contribute to a safe and trustful team environment by allowing everyone to experiment and make mistakes so that each can learn and continuously improve the way he or she works. | Chapter 1, 2, 3 |
| Task 6: Enhance creativity by experimenting with new techniques and process ideas in order to discover more efficient and effective ways of working. | Chapter 1, 2, 3 |
| Task 7: Encourage team members to share knowledge by collaborating and working together in order to lower risks around knowledge silos and reduce bottlenecks. | Chapter 1, 2, 3 |
| Task 8: Encourage emergent leadership within the team by establishing a safe and respectful environment in which new approaches can be tried in order to make improvements and foster self-organization and empowerment. | Chapter 1, 2, 3 |
| Task 9: Practice servant leadership by supporting and encouraging others in their endeavors so that they can perform at their highest level and continue to improve. | Chapter 1, 2, 3 |
| Domain II: Value-Driven Delivery | |
| Task 1: Define deliverables by identifying units that can be produced incrementally in order to maximize their value to stakeholders while minimizing non-value-added work. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 2: Refine requirements by gaining consensus on the acceptance criteria for features on a just-in-time basis in order to deliver value. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 3: Select and tailor the team’s process based on project and organizational characteristics as well as team experience in order to optimize value delivery. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 4: Plan for small releasable increments by organizing requirements into minimally marketable features/minimally viable products in order to allow for the early recognition and delivery of value. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 5: Limit increment size and increase review frequency with appropriate stakeholders in order to identify and respond to risks early on and at minimal cost. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 6: Solicit customer and user feedback by reviewing increments often in order to confirm and enhance business value. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 7: Prioritize the units of work through collaboration with stakeholders in order to optimize the value of the deliverables. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 8: Perform frequent review and maintenance of the work results by prioritizing and maintaining internal quality in order to reduce the overall cost of incremental development. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 9: Continuously identify and prioritize the environmental, operational, and infrastructure factors in order to improve the quality and value of the deliverables. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 10: Conduct operational reviews and/or periodic checkpoints with stakeholders in order to obtain feedback and corrections to the work in progress and planned work. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 11: Balance development of deliverable units and risk reduction efforts by incorporating both value producing and risk reducing work into the backlog in order to maximize the total value proposition over time. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 12: Re-prioritize requirements periodically in order to reflect changes in the environment and stakeholder needs or preferences in order to maximize the value. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 13: Elicit and prioritize relevant non-functional requirements (such as operations and security) by considering the environment in which the solution will be used in order to minimize the probability of failure. | Chapter 6 |
| Task 14: Conduct frequent reviews of work products by performing inspections, reviews, and/or testing in order to identify and incorporate improvements into the overall process and product/service. | Chapter 6 |
| Domain III: Stakeholder Engagement | |
| Task 1: Identify and engage effective and empowered business stakeholder(s) through periodic reviews in order to ensure that the team is knowledgeable about stakeholders’ interests, needs, and expectations. | Chapter 4, 5 |
| Task 2: Identify and engage all stakeholders (current and future) by promoting knowledge sharing early and throughout the project to ensure the unimpeded flow of information and value throughout the lifespan of the project. | Chapter 4, 5 |
| Task 3: Establish stakeholder relationships by forming a working agreement among key stakeholders in order to promote participation and effective collaboration. | Chapter 4, 5 |
| Task 4: Maintain proper stakeholder involvement by continually assessing changes in the project and organization in order to ensure that new stakeholders are appropriately engaged. | Chapter 4, 5 |
| Task 5: Establish collaborative behaviors among the members of the organization by fostering group decision making and conflict resolution in order to improve decision quality and reduce the time required to make decisions. | Chapter 4, 5 |
| Task 6: Establish a shared vision of the various project increments (products, deliverables, releases, iterations) by developing a high-level vision and supporting objectives in order to align stakeholders’ expectations and build trust. | Chapter 4, 5 |
| Task 7: Establish and maintain a shared understanding of success criteria, deliverables, and acceptable trade-offs by facilitating awareness among stakeholders in order to align expectations and build trust. | Chapter 4, 5 |
| Task 8: Provide transparency regarding work status by communicating team progress, work quality, impediments, and risks in order to help the primary stakeholders make informed decisions. | Chapter 4, 5 |
| Task 9: Provide forecasts at a level of detail that balances the need for certainty and the benefits of adaptability in order to allow stakeholders to plan effectively. | Chapter 4, 5 |
| Domain IV: Team Performance | |
| Task 1: Cooperate with the other team members to devise ground rules and internal processes in order to foster team coherence and strengthen team members’ commitment to shared outcomes. | Chapter 7 |
| Task 2: Help create a team that has the interpersonal and technical skills needed to achieve all known project objectives in order to create business value with minimal delay. | Chapter 7 |
| Task 3: Encourage team members to become generalizing specialists in order to reduce team size and bottlenecks, and to create a high performing cross-functional team. | Chapter 7 |
| Task 4: Contribute to self-organizing the work by empowering others and encouraging emerging leadership in order to produce effective solutions and manage complexity. | Chapter 7 |
| Task 5: Continuously discover team and personal motivators and demotivators in order to ensure that team morale is high and team members are motivated and productive throughout the project. | Chapter 7 |
| Task 6: Facilitate close communication within the team and with appropriate external stakeholders through co-location or the use of collaboration tools in order to reduce miscommunication and rework. | Chapter 7 |
| Task 7: Reduce distractions in order to establish a predictable outcome and optimize the value delivered. | Chapter 7 |
| Task 8: Participate in aligning project and team goals by sharing project vision in order to ensure the team understands how their objectives fit into the overall goals of the project. | Chapter 7 |
| Task 9: Encourage the team to measure its velocity by tracking and measuring actual performance in previous iterations or releases in order for members to gain a better understanding of their capacity and create more accurate forecasts. | Chapter 7 |
| Domain V: Adaptive Planning | |
| Task 1: Plan at multiple levels (strategic, release, iteration, daily) creating appropriate detail by using rolling wave planning and progressive elaboration to balance predictability of outcomes with ability to exploit opportunities. | Chapter 8 |
| Task 2: Make planning activities visible and transparent by encouraging participation of key stakeholders and publishing planning results in order to increase commitment level and reduce uncertainty. | Chapter 8 |
| Task 3: As the project unfolds, set and manage stakeholder expectations by making increasingly specific levels of commitments in order to ensure common understanding of the expected deliverables. | Chapter 8 |
| Task 4: Adapt the cadence and the planning process based on results of periodic retrospectives about characteristics and/or the size/complexity/criticality of the project deliverables in order to maximize the value. | Chapter 8 |
| Task 5: Inspect and adapt the project plan to reflect changes in requirements, schedule, budget, and shifting priorities based on team learning, delivery experience, stakeholder feedback, and defects in order to maximize business value delivered. | Chapter 8 |
| Task 6: Size items by using progressive elaboration techniques in order to determine the likely project size independent of team velocity and external variables. | Chapter 8 |
| Task 7: Adjust capacity by incorporating maintenance and operations demands and other factors in order to create or update the range estimate. | Chapter 8 |
| Task 8: Create initial scope, schedule, and cost range estimates that reflect current high-level understanding of the effort necessary to deliver the project in order to develop a starting point for managing the project. | Chapter 8 |
| Task 9: Refine scope, schedule, and cost range estimates that reflect the latest understanding of the effort necessary to deliver the project in order to manage the project. | Chapter 8 |
| Task 10: Continuously use data from changes in resource capacity, project size, and velocity metrics in order to evaluate the estimate to complete. | Chapter 8 |
| Domain VI: Problem Detection and Resolution | |
| Task 1: Create an open and safe environment by encouraging conversation and experimentation, in order to surface problems and impediments that are slowing the team down or preventing its ability to deliver value. | Chapter 9 |
| Task 2: Identify threats and issues by educating and engaging the team at various points in the project in order to resolve them at the appropriate time and improve processes that caused issues. | Chapter 9 |
| Task 3: Ensure issues are resolved by appropriate team members and/or reset expectations in light of issues that cannot be resolved in order to maximize the value delivered. | Chapter 9 |
| Task 4: Maintain a visible, monitored, and prioritized list of threats and issues in order to elevate accountability, encourage action, and track ownership and resolution status. | Chapter 9 |
| Task 5: Communicate status of threats and issues by maintaining a threat list and incorporating activities into the backlog of work in order to provide transparency. | Chapter 9 |
| Domain VII: Continuous Improvement (Product, Process, People) | |
| Task 1: Tailor and adapt the project process by periodically reviewing and integrating team practices, organizational culture, and delivery goals in order to ensure team effectiveness within established organizational guidelines and norms. | Chapter 10 |
| Task 2: Improve team processes by conducting frequent retrospectives and improvement experiments in order to continually enhance the effectiveness of the team, project, and organization. | Chapter 10 |
| Task 3: Seek feedback on the product by incremental delivery and frequent demonstrations in order to improve the value of the product. | Chapter 10 |
| Task 4: Create an environment of continued learning by providing opportunities for people to develop their skills in order to develop a more productive team of generalizing specialists. | Chapter 10 |
| Task 5: Challenge existing process elements by performing a value stream analysis and removing waste in order to increase individual efficiency and team effectiveness. | Chapter 10 |
| Task 6: Create systemic improvements by disseminating knowledge and practices across projects and organizational boundaries in order to avoid re-occurrence of identified problems and improve the effectiveness of the organization as a whole. | Chapter 10 |