Available now: the Agile Project Managers’ Guide!

In line with the publication of our "Project Managers' Guide", the "Agile PM Guide 2.0" is now also published in a new and revised format. It therefore becomes the "Agile Project Managers' Guide (IAPM)".
Just like its counterpart in traditional project management, the Agile Project Managers' Guide is now available online. This means that the certification basis can always be kept up-to-date. Especially in agile project management, this flexibility is necessary to incorporate innovations and updates more quickly and efficiently.

Of course, we have made some adjustments in the first chapter "Scrum" so that our contents match with the current Scrum Guide. But since our certifications in agile project management do not only deal with Scrum, we have also made some adjustments in other chapters. Additionally, three chapters were added:
At the beginning of our completely revised guideline, you will find from now on the "project check". Why? Because before you start working on a project, you should first make sure that it is a project at all. In addition, the "Agile close-out" has been implemented. If you are now wondering since when there is an official end in an agile project, then you should definitely take a look at our Agile Project Managers' Guide. However, this much can be revealed: as so often in agile project management, it is about interpersonal issues. Another chapter that has been added, but which is important in traditional project management for a long time, is the topic of stress management. Are you or have you been a Scrum Master, Product Owner or similar? Then you certainly can confirm that employees in agile project management are not spared from stress.

As mentioned earlier, changes can be incorporated quickly to the Agile Project Managers' Guide, this means that the guide is a living document which will not become obsolete. To make the changes visible and more transparent, we have established a change log. All changes are documented there and you can get a good overview of the adjustments made. Another advantage of the new format is that we can link to different sections within the text. You don't know the meaning of a certain word? A click on the term will take you to the extensive glossary. And if you want to know which sources were used, our detailed bibliography will help you out. A simple click on the reference is enough to lead you directly to the relevant position in the bibliography.

There is no project manager in Scrum. You learn this fact at the very beginning, when you start dealing with agile project management in general, or with Scrum in particular. But why do we presume to call our certifications in agile project management "Certified Junior Agile Project Manager (IAPM)", "Certified Agile Project Manager (IAPM)" or "Certified Senior Agile Project Manager (IAPM)", although a project manager does not exist in an agile environment? And why do we now even go one step further and name our revised certification basis the Agile Project Managers' Guide – in other words, the guide for an agile project manager? This question is easy to answer: we are the International Association of Project Managers, an organisation that focuses on project managers, i.e. on individuals within projects. We do not want to limit ourselves to methods and techniques alone, but instead focus on the role that people play in a project. However, since the guide is not limited to Scrum, but also includes Kanban and extreme programming, plus the fact that there may very well be project managers in these worlds, we have decided to give it this name. In short, the agile project manager stands for every person who takes on an important function in an agile project – whether as a Scrum Master, a Product Owner or as the person responsible in a Kanban project.

We recommend that anyone who is interested in agile project management and who plans on taking an IAPM certification in the agile field should work through the Agile Project Managers' Guide. As usual, you can access it free of charge. However, please note that in the course of the revision of the certification basis, the certification exam itself will also be adapted. But do not worry if you have prepared yourself with the "Agile PM Guide 2.0". There will be a transition period of a few months. During this time, both the old and the new answers will be accepted.
From February 22, 2022 onwards, only the new answers will be accepted.

Author: IAPM internal

Source:
[1] Omar Prestwich / Unsplash