- Topic Certifications are clusters of learning objectives for individual topics in each specialty, which often may be obtained in just a few days of coursework.
- Level Certifications are topic areas or learning objectives that may take from a few days to several weeks of coursework and possibly practicum and assessment.
The ICAgile roadmap is divided into the Fundamentals of Agile, followed by five specialty tracks and three certification levels. The currently defined and planned tracks are:
- Fundamentals of Agile (common to all specialties)
- Agile Business Analysis And Value Management
- Agile Project Management
- Agile Facilitation And Coaching
- Agile Software Design And Programming
- Agile Software Testing
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The certification levels are:
Certified ICAgile Professional
The Fundamentals of Agile learning area is intended for everyone entering the agile world, from any industry or specialty. It covers five learning areas:
- Agile History & Mindset
- Individuals & Interactions
- Value-Driven Development
- Consumer & User Involvement
- Planning and Adapting
After completing the Fundamentals of Agile, you become eligible for the Certified ICAgile Professional designation.
Display this on your emails and resume in the following way, with the certificate name and the year in which you were awarded it, like this:
Janet Marqueson
ICAgile CIP, 2011
ICAgile Expert
With Agile Fundamentals in hand, develop in one or more of these specialty tracks:
- Agile Business Analysis And Value Management
- Agile Project Management
- Agile Facilitation And Coaching
- Agile Software Design And Programming
- Agile Software Testing
The tracks are named after areas of knowledge and skill, not after job titles or roles in any specific methodology. Our intention and hope is that you will train in multiple skill areas in order to improve your effectiveness and marketability. A software team lead, for example, besides completing the Software Design and Programming track, may gather topic certifications in the Facilitation and Coaching area, as well some in Testing and either Project Management or Business Analysis & Value Management.
Each track is divided into several topic areas. You are awarded a topic area certification after completing the learning objectives in any one topic area.
The learning objectives are cumulative, so that you can attend courses from different instructors and accumulate the credits.
After completing the Fundamentals of Agile and topic certifications in a particular track, you are eligible to apply for the Agile Expert designation in that track. You may become Agile Expert in multiple tracks if you choose.
It may take one to two weeks of coursework and multiple classes to achieve the Agile Expert level. For people in some corporate environments, this may represent several years of their educational budget.
The Agile Expert level should therefore be perceived in the marketplace as a fairly strong certificate, not unlike completing undergraduate studies at a university.
Display topic certifications on your emails and resume with the certificate name and the year in which you were awarded it, like this (taking Agile Team Coaching as an example):
Janet Marqueson
ICAgile CIP, 2011
ICAgile Team Coaching Certification, 2011
Display the Agile Expert level certification like this (taking the Testing track as an example):
ICAgile CIP, 2011
ICAgile Testing Certification, 2011
ICAgile Test Automation Certification, 2012
ICAgile Expert: Testing, 2012
Master Agilist
Not everyone will wish to move from Agile Expert to Master Agilist. You may prefer to collect all of the topic area certifications in your specialty, or, you may wish to collect multiple Agile Expert certifications.
Those who wish to reach the third level, Master Agilist, will proceed in three segments. The level details have not been finalized yet, but will look approximately like this:
- You will show evidence of having learned multiple approaches to your work, either a second methodology or alternative techniques within the specialty. The purpose of this segment is to show self-study, openness and facility in new ideas.
- You will provide a portfolio of work, references, and arrange for a preliminary screening (probably a phone interview). The purpose of this segment is to assess certain kinds of experiences and capabilities that cannot be captured either through an exam or even an in-person demo.
- You will perform work in front of a panel of experts. We foresee an open competition with a real business owner presenting a work objective to one or more teams of people sitting for the assessment, and a set of recognized experts watching the candidates work to see whether they actually have the skills they claim. The competition is open to outsiders, so others can see how agile work is done, how the examination is done, and how the people in the assessment are doing.
After passing the assessment, you become eligible for the Master Agilist certificate.
This third phase is arduous, and should be perceived in the market as a high-level certificate.
Display this on your emails and resume with the certificate name and the year in which you were awarded it, like this:
Janet Marqueson
ICAgile CIP, 2011
ICAgile Testing Certification, 2011
ICAgile Automated Scripting Certification, 2012
ICAgile Expert: Testing, 2012
Master Agilist, 2014
