Agile/Scrum cert ?

paflyer

paflyer

Final Approach
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So I'm currently "in transition" as the HR types like to call it. Soooo many positions in my area are SW and I'm basically a HW/product development guy with degrees in both computer science and EE and decades of eperience. You'd think the phone would be ringing off the hook, but my SW "professional experience" is limited and very last century.

I'd say 90% of technology management positions around here spec Agile, Scrum, and other flavors of the month.

Any suggestions from the IT guys on how I can knock out a (cheap) certification that will at least get my resume looked at and give me enough background to discuss it intelligently during interviews? I don't want to take a year and spend thousands. The rest I can learn once I'm in.

TIA
 
I have a PMP, PMI-ACP, and lean six sigma black belt. I also work as an independent contractor for a company that provides training and tools to help students pass the PMP or PMI-ACP certification exams. Currently, I am working as an author developing training materials.

A PMI-ACP includes Scrum but certifies a broader knowledge base of agile methodologies. This might provide more employment opportunities than just Scrum. Just let me know if I can be of assistance.

Here is the company I am currently working with and obviously recommend in my albeit biased opinion.

https://www.project-management-prepcast.com/
 
Thanks Don I'll check it out.

Is it true that you need thousand of hours as a "program manager" - I assume you need that title somewhere in the resume- to sit for the PMP?
 
The job title is not relevant. For the PMP, you will need to document 4,500 hours of experience leading and directing projects with a four-year college degree.

For a PMI-ACP, you will need 2,000 hours general project management experience and 1,500 hours working on agile projects with a four-year degree.
 
I got one through the Scrum Alliance. As far as certs go, it's simple enough, but then Agile is simple too. The cost is under a thousand. I got it to add a cert to my resume for something I've been doing anyway.

As a hiring manager, I will say that a cert without experience says to me that you want to do something, but you never actually have. It's not entirely positive.
 
I suppose the rub is in the definition of "working" on agile projects but I'll be retired before I can document PM hours. I've "directed" all kinds of things for at least 10x of the requirements but I don't know how I'd document any of it to the satisfaction of whomever the satisfiers are.
 
paflyer said:
I suppose the rub is in the definition of "working" on agile projects but I'll be retired before I can document PM hours. I've "directed" all kinds of things for at least 10x of the requirements but I don't know how I'd document any of it to the satisfaction of whomever the satisfiers are.
Click to expand...
You just have to provide a list of projects (and hours) that you have led. PMI will audit a small percentage of applications. In the unlikely event that you are audited, you just need a supervisor or coworker to verify your experience.
 
Stingray Don said:
You just have to provide a list of projects (and hours) that you have led. PMI will audit a small percentage of applications. In the unlikely event that you are audited, you just need a supervisor or coworker to verify your experience.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Actually I know a guy at PMI who's a former co-worker involved in certifications. I'll have lunch with him, it's been a while anyway.
 
I got my CSM in a weekend and it got me a job but I am anti Scrum have gone full release train management with it.
I can give you a link that will get your cert. Scrum master in under a week (which should tell you something) but If you really want the badge for the resume, PM me and I will get you the info.
 
dilbert-strategy-lean-sixsigma.gif
 
Agile is still deep into the hype cycle. I've seen more companies claim to be doing Agile than ones that actually are. The bigger question is what do you really want to do? What kind of work do you enjoy most. Plenty of work on the hardware side. Are you willing to relocate?
 
Agile is a wonderful cult. It's kind of like joining scientology if you want to be a movie actor.
 
My experience was that my company went full in.
I found myself in a room with literally 200 people and nobody was doing any work.

1000s of post its all over the walls and we were linking them together with yarn for 2 full 8 hour days


This is what really smart humans have decided is needed to manage a project.
We had a guy whose title was "release train engineer" What the hell is that even?

but it pays well...
CgGIZYsUEAA0F6c.jpg
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
My experience was that my company went full in.
I found myself in a room with literally 200 people and nobody was doing any work.

1000s of post its all over the walls and we were linking them together with yarn for 2 full 8 hour days


This is what really smart humans have decided is needed to manage a project.
We had a guy whose title was "release train engineer" What the hell is that even?

but it pays well...
View attachment 63719
Click to expand...
That would be funny if it wasn't real.
 
paflyer said:
Thanks. Actually I know a guy at PMI who's a former co-worker involved in certifications. I'll have lunch with him, it's been a while anyway.
Click to expand...
That’s a great idea! If you decide to get a PMP or PMI-ACP, just let me know if I can help.

Good luck!
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
My experience was that my company went full in.
I found myself in a room with literally 200 people and nobody was doing any work.

1000s of post its all over the walls and we were linking them together with yarn for 2 full 8 hour days


This is what really smart humans have decided is needed to manage a project.
We had a guy whose title was "release train engineer" What the hell is that even?

but it pays well...
View attachment 63719
Click to expand...

That picture is an epic fail of a Kanban board. 200 people? 1000s of post its? Seriously, you guys need to hire an external agile coach as a consultant.
 
Stingray Don said:
That picture is an epic fail of a Kanban board. 200 people? 1000s of post its? Seriously, you guys need to hire an external agile coach as a consultant.
Click to expand...
‘External agile coach’ hmmm....so you think they want to be outwardly agile?
 
Stingray Don said:
I think that if they are going to try to apply agile principles, then they ought to at least know what they are.
Click to expand...

we hired a team.
They called this SAFE (Scaled Agile blah blah)

We probably had 5:1 people managing to devs working.
I am a firm believer in the iterative approach to building anything.

but this is a disaster and an unnecessary financial burden
SAFe-Framework1.jpg on a company:
 
If management is making tactical decisions for a project, the project is not using Agile no matter what they say.
 
paflyer said:
So I'm currently "in transition" as the HR types like to call it. Soooo many positions in my area are SW and I'm basically a HW/product development guy with degrees in both computer science and EE and decades of eperience. You'd think the phone would be ringing off the hook, but my SW "professional experience" is limited and very last century.

I'd say 90% of technology management positions around here spec Agile, Scrum, and other flavors of the month.

Any suggestions from the IT guys on how I can knock out a (cheap) certification that will at least get my resume looked at and give me enough background to discuss it intelligently during interviews? I don't want to take a year and spend thousands. The rest I can learn once I'm in.

TIA
Click to expand...

Honestly, If I were you, what I would do (and what I actually did some years back) is file a DBA; buy a domain name; build a Web site for on-call, local computer repair, networking, support, and so forth that matches your skill set; buy a few Adsense ads to get started; accept whatever work comes along at the beginning; and then get more picky when you can.

About half the calls will be simple **** that anyone can do (except the caller). You'd be surprised how many people in the 21st Century can't install a printer. The rest will be things like malware removal, tuneups, and general software support. You can also upsell things like RAM upgrades, backup solutions, and the like.

It's not glamorous work, but it paid my bills (and then some) for about 14 years. And almost no one will give a rat's ass what certs you have.

Rich
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
My experience was that my company went full in.
I found myself in a room with literally 200 people and nobody was doing any work.

1000s of post its all over the walls and we were linking them together with yarn for 2 full 8 hour days


This is what really smart humans have decided is needed to manage a project.
We had a guy whose title was "release train engineer" What the hell is that even?

but it pays well...
View attachment 63719
Click to expand...

I dunno...that really doesn't look very agilish to me. There comes a point when you've added so much to agile that you've stopped being agile.

Ben Diss said:
If management is making tactical decisions for a project, the project is not using Agile no matter what they say.
Click to expand...

Case in point - a principle of agile development IS that the team makes a lot of the decisions. Agile is not something you do, it is something you are.
 
Ben Diss said:
Agile is still deep into the hype cycle. I've seen more companies claim to be doing Agile than ones that actually are. The bigger question is what do you really want to do? What kind of work do you enjoy most. Plenty of work on the hardware side. Are you willing to relocate?
Click to expand...
HW in my part of the country is rare, a lot of the lower-level design is done offshore or pays little. I'm a senior guy, so sub-six figures isn't going to cut it. Engineering (not SW)/prod dev is my bag, but I live in a heavy pharma/SW area. Relo is not feasible short term, south (from PA) would be only option I can live with.
 
bflynn said:
I dunno...that really doesn't look very agilish to me. There comes a point when you've added so much to agile that you've stopped being agile.



Case in point - a principle of agile development IS that the team makes a lot of the decisions. Agile is not something you do, it is something you are.
Click to expand...
And it starts with a delivery deadline. Right? :rolleyes:
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
we hired a team.
They called this SAFE (Scaled Agile blah blah)

We probably had 5:1 people managing to devs working.
I am a firm believer in the iterative approach to building anything.

but this is a disaster and an unnecessary financial burden
View attachment 63720 on a company:
Click to expand...
SAFe is not about software development. It is about enterprise management.

In my opinion it is awful.

"Agile is dead. Long live agility."
 
Unfortunately Agile is the new buzz word around here, along with "UE" (user experience)
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
but this is a disaster and an unnecessary financial burden on a company:
Click to expand...

Jeez. That diagram looks like somebody projectile vomited all the industry buzzwords on a clean sheet of paper, and called it a methodology.

The day somebody shows something like that to me in a workplace is the day I update my LinkedIn and start looking to leave.
 
I think an honest man would admit that corporate management has been pretty screwed up for several decades. And it's sad, because years ago, Edwards Deming provided us with a simple, sensible, and successful blueprint. Why do business owners continue to buy into this new crap?

Forcing an organization's employees to sit through hours and hours of this nonsensical boredom to earn a certification, or other, does nothing more than waste time and money. Worse yet, these training sessions are proven to lower moral, and stifle productivity. Continued attempts to reinvent the wheel, and then place another acronym, or stupid catchy name to the front of the package, does not create a solution. Granted, it keeps a lot of parasitic eggheads employed, but that's about the extent.

Learn from the past, and pay attention to that internal push back within the organization that nobody dares to openly express. One small example... if you're still using employee reviews for raises and promotions, you are part of the problem.
 
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Scrabo said:
Unfortunately Agile is the new buzz word around here, along with "UE" (user experience)
Click to expand...

Where's "here"? Do you need a well paid scrum master to help do it right? ;)
 
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