How getting an AgilePM qualification can help your career
Boost your career with AgilePM — learn how it shapes project success and opens new opportunities.
With AgilePM (Agile Project Management) training and qualifications from APMG and the Agile Business Consortium, you can begin or advance your career as an agile project manager. This can come with a wide range of benefits, such as improved confidence in managing projects, a better understanding of agile project management principles, and the ability to work in a range of agile project contexts.
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Starting your career in agile project management
Beginning a career in Agile Project Management can be a great way to take advantage of the growing trend of Agile approaches being adopted across organisations and industries. Agile allows for flexible, responsive product development that can accommodate unpredictable market environments and project contexts. Through its iterative and incremental approach, Agile enables project managers and their teams to remain focused on quality and on-time delivery of products to customers.
According to a 2020 report, Agile adoption in the IT sector has risen to 86%, up from 37% in 2020, according to more than 1,380 global respondents [1]. Non-IT organisations have also seen a significant increase in Agile adoption. With the projected 21 million new project management roles to be filled between 2017 and 2027 [2], now is the perfect time to start a career in Agile Project Management.
Is a project management the right career for you?
Increased demand for qualified professionals
With the rise of agile in recent years, there has been a growing demand for project managers trained in agile practices.
Agile has a different approach compared to traditional project management, as it prioritizes flexibility, adaptability to change, and team autonomy, whereas traditional approaches emphasize strict project governance and resource management.
Agile projects are iterative and incremental, delivering value early and often, while traditional projects follow a waterfall approach where work progresses only after predefined targets are met.
If you’re flexible, adaptable, and enjoy working in a team, you may already be suitable for an agile career.
Low barriers to entry
Enterprise-level roles
Complex enterprise-level projects often involve integrating with activities beyond the scope of the agile teams. Filling an enterprise-level agile project management role requires extensive knowledge of how agile integrates with other agile and non-agile approaches. These roles are meant for agile experts who can create innovative solutions to complex problems.
Team-level roles
Many agile project managers start their careers in team-level roles, where they are responsible for sourcing tools, resources, and staff to improve team performance. They act as servant-leaders, helping optimize the project team’s efficiency outside of time-boxed increments, but otherwise stay out of the way so developers have the autonomy to solve problems as they see fit.
Career progression
Managing agile projects can be a great career path for existing roles such as team leaders and developers. It offers opportunities for growth, learning, and personal development.
Can AgilePM help you start a career?
To meet the growing demand for qualified agile project managers, the Agile Business Consortium and APMG International developed the AgilePM qualifications scheme.
Holistic
Coupled with the AgilePM Handbook (based on the DSDM Agile Project Framework) AgilePM offers a comprehensive approach to agile management that covers the entire project lifecycle. What sets AgilePM apart from other equivalent qualifications is that while other courses may cover individual methods and frameworks, AgilePM teaches a broad range of skills applicable throughout the entire project lifecycle.
Easy integration with other methods
AgilePM can be used alone or in combination with other agile and non-agile approaches, including Scrum, PRINCE2, and PRINCE2 Agile. If you’re starting your career as an agile project manager or looking to enhance your resume with a well-known agile project management qualification, AgilePM is the solution for you.
AgilePM Foundation training
AgilePM Practitioner training
Managing agile projects efficiently
A 2021 survey by the Association for Project Management (APM) in the UK showed that 66% of project managers believe that agile will be a crucial asset for future project managers [3]. As the impact of agile continues to grow in the project management industry, more project professionals are learning new agile tools and frameworks to better adapt to changing demands.
Advantages of Agile
Some of the main benefits associated with agile include greater value realization, faster speed to market, improved collaboration, and higher customer satisfaction. In agile, products are delivered early and incrementally, with each iteration allowing users to provide feedback that is incorporated into the product in later development. This helps ensure quality from the start and helps teams deliver valuable products.
Since its introduction in 2010, AgilePM has become the leading framework and qualifications scheme for agile project management.
Practical approach
Based on the Agile Business Consortium’s Agile Project Framework, the AgilePM guidance provides a practical agile approach that combines the standards and visibility favoured by traditional project managers with the flexibility and responsiveness of agile.
Scalable corporate solution
AgilePM offers a structured and scalable corporate agile solution based on decades of proven practice, making it the perfect way to support the adoption or improvement of agile project management practices in organizations.
How AgilePM can enhance your project management skills
AgilePM benefits
The Agile Business Consortium in partnership with APMG International developed the AgilePM qualification scheme which offers several key benefits over equivalent qualifications:
Practicality
AgilePM directly addresses many of the common risks faced by project managers, with the Project Approach Questionnaire helping to create a shared understanding of project risks and how to avoid them.
Full project lifecycle
The informality of many agile approaches may not be suitable for larger organizations with established methods for managing projects and programs. AgilePM offers a flexible approach that still maintains many formal project delivery concepts.
Implementation
AgilePM goes a step further than most other project management approaches by detailing how products will be implemented, which is an integral part of the AgilePM lifecycle and ensures that users are supported once the products are made available.
Other agile practices
To support effective product delivery AgilePM incorporates a range of popular agile practices such as MoSCoW prioritization, timeboxing, and iterative development.
By enrolling on an AgilePM Foundation & Practitioner course, you’ll learn all this and more. effectively.
AgilePM Foundation training
AgilePM Practitioner training
Advance your career with AgilePM qualifications
AgilePM offers a solution to one of the common criticisms of many agile methods, which is their lack of guidance on traditional project management duties. By incorporating project management processes into its framework, AgilePM addresses this issue.
Balanced approach to project management
Contrary to popular belief, agile is not a one-size-fits-all solution for project management. In certain industries, abandoning the predictability of traditional project management can have negative consequences. However, learning how to apply a pure agile approach can bring benefits. Project managers must have a comprehensive understanding of multiple approaches to project management to be effective.
Complements existing knowledge
If you already have experience in project management, AgilePM will broaden your understanding of project management and complement your existing knowledge. For instance, what if you must lead a project with both Agile and non-Agile aspects, or what if your Agile project relies on products produced by non-Agile projects?
AgilePM provides a mix of project governance and iterative development to help you find the best solution for your project. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of project management will also help you work better with other departments in your organization that have not yet adopted Agile.
Continuing professional development
Earning an AgilePM qualification demonstrates to employers your commitment to professional development and your willingness to stay up to date with the latest advancements in agile project management. These are important qualities that are highly valued by potential employers.
Additionally, our Agile Project Management courses have won awards, giving you the assurance that you are in good hands when learning with us.
Future employment – global opportunities
With an AgilePM qualification, you can take your career to the next level. Thousands of organizations require AgilePM-qualified project managers to facilitate agile transformation, manage change projects, and improve product delivery.
AgilePM is recognized internationally, giving you the opportunity to work abroad and take your skills and experience with you. According to recent surveys, the median UK salary for Agile project managers with qualifications is £51,000 [4] per year, with the potential for career advancement and salary increases as you gain experience.
AgilePM Foundation training
AgilePM Practitioner training
Training your team
At agileKRC, we truly are the experts in AgilePM. Our founder Keith Richards was part of the team that developed DSDM, the foundation of AgilePM.
And, for 3 successive years agileKRC has won awards as a leader in AgilePM training.
Using our expert trainers, we can deliver AgilePM training to your team at your premises anywhere in the world. Or we can deliver training via our online virtual classroom platform. This can even support hybrid classrooms where remote learners join a physical class using the virtual classroom software.
Training can be off-the-peg accredited AgilePM training with or without exams, or can be customised to your needs.
To find out more about how our consultants can help your team, get in touch with us.
References
[1] 15th Annual State Of Agile Report | Digital.ai. 2022. 15th Annual State Of Agile Report | Digital.ai. [ONLINE] Available at: https://digital.ai/resource-center/analyst-reports/state-of-agile-report. [Accessed 29 November 2022].
[2] PMI | 2017 | Project Management Job Growth and Talent Gap 2017-2027 | PMI [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.pmi.org/learning/careers/job-growth [Accessed 29 November 2022].
[3] APM Salary and Market Trends. 2021. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.apm.org.uk/media/48657/apm_salary_and_market_trends_survey_2021_report-final.pdf [Accessed 29 November 2022].
[4] Glassdoor. 2022. Salary: Agile Project Manager (May 2022) | Glassdoor. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Salaries/agile-project-manager-salary-SRCH_KO0,21.htm?clickSource=searchBtn [Accessed 29 November 2022].