Agile Principles and Mindset (Domain I) contains the focus areas & quick notes which will help you to pass the PMI-ACP® exam offered by PMI. Agile Principles and Mindset account for 16% of all questions in the Exam (i.e. ~19 questions among 120 Exam questions). Below is a collection of the key knowledge addressed in Agile Principles and Mindset and nine tasks related to this domain (Explore, embrace, and apply Agile principles and mindset within the context of the project team and organization).
Focus Areas for Agile Principles and Mindset
Agile Manifesto
- Individuals and interactions over Processes and tools.
- Working software over Comprehensive documentation.
- Customer collaboration over Contract negotiation.
- Responding to change over Following a plan.
Agile Principles
Customer Satisfaction, Welcome Changes, Frequent Delivery, Collocated Teams, Motivated Individuals, Face to Face Contact, Working Software, Constant/Sustainable Pace, Continuous Attention, Simplicity, Self-Organization & Regular Reflection.
Declaration of Interdependence (DOI)
- Increase return on investment by making continuous flow of value our focus.
- Deliver reliable results by engaging customers in frequent interactions and shared ownership.
- Expect uncertainty and manage it through iterations, anticipation, and adaptation.
- Unleash creativity and innovation by recognizing that individuals are the ultimate source of value and creating an environment where they can make a difference.
- Boost performance through group accountability for results and shared responsibility for team effectiveness.
- Improve effectiveness and reliability through situationally specific strategies, processes, and practices.
Waterfall vs Agile project management: Former is plan-driven and the latter is value driven.
Empirical Process
- Transparency: This encompasses not just the process itself but all communications.
- Inspection: Frequent inspection and the utilization of frequent reviews of the product service or results is essential.
- Adaptation: If one or more aspects of the process are outside acceptable limits, and that the resulting product will be unacceptable, the inspector must adjust the process or the material being processed. The adjustment must be made as quickly as possible to minimize further deviation.
The Five Values of Scrum: Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect & Courage
Scrum Roles: Product Owner (PO), Scrum Master & Development Team
Ceremonies: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum Meeting & Sprint Review Sprint Retrospective
Artifacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Definition of Done, Product Increment & Burndown Charts.
Agile Methodologies
Scrum, XP (eXtreme Programming), Kanban, LSD (Lean Software Development), Crystal Family, FDD (Feature Driven Development), ASD (Adaptive Software Development), DSDM (Dynamic Systems Development Method
Core Values in Extreme Programming: Communication, Simplicity, Feedback, Courage & Respect
Lean 5S Tool for Improvement
- Sort (Seiri) – remove unnecessary materials from the workplace.
- Set in order (Seiton) – arrange all items in a proper sequence, which facilitates a smooth flow.
- Shine (Seiso) – periodically inspect the workplace and keep it clean.
- Standardize (Seiketsu) – follow standard practices and processes at the workplace.
- Sustain (Shitsuke) – maintain order, discipline, and good working conditions.
Principles of Lean Thinking
- Eliminate Waste
- Amplify Learning
- Decide as Late as Possible
- Deliver as Fast as Possible
- Empower the Team
- Build Integrity In
- Optimize the Whole
Principles in DSDM
- Focus on the business need
- Deliver on time
- Collaborate
- Never compromise quality
- Build incrementally from firm foundations
- Develop iteratively
- Communicate continuously and clearly
- Demonstrate control
Feature-Driven Development (FDD)
- Develop overall model
- Build feature list
- Plan by feature
- Design by feature
- Build by feature
