Which is better PMI ACP or CSM

Submitted by admin on Sat, 04/06/2013 - 09:51

A common question or FAQ is which certification is better PMI ACP or Certified Scrum Master ? Which one should the candidate take ? Which one has a better credibility in Market and industry value ?

In my opinion Both these certifications are reputed., they have their own differences, which I have tried to highlight below

	PMI-ACP ^®	Certified Scrum Master^®(CSM)	Certified Scrum Professional (CSP)
Intent	PMI ACP intends to standardize what “agile” means across organizations and certify professionals	CSM intent is to promote Scrum	To offer a recognized, respected and primary credential for Scrum Professionals. Something which has market value amongst employers.
Coverage	PMI ACP will cover agile methods like Scrum, kanban, XP, lean, DSDM, TDD, ATDD etc. Principles, practices and tools and techniques	Scrum Practices, Terminologies and Principles	In depth coverage of Scrum and practical practices.
Requirement	Candidate must have overview of Agile and lean methods	Candidate must have in-depth understanding of Scrum	Candidate must have in-depth understanding and experience of Scrum
Developed and Validated	Like PMI certification, developed by global group of agile experts.	Scrum alliance and Global Scrum community	Scrum alliance and Global Scrum community
Industry	Valid across all industries	Software industry	Software industry
Experience and Training	2000 hrs Project Exp 1500 hrs Agile Exp (non-overlapping) 21 hrs Agile Training	No Experience Required 2 day Scrum Master class	2000 Hours Current holder of CSM, CSPO or CSD Current Scrum Alliance Membership
Exam administered	ProMetric	Castle Worldwide	Castle Worldwide
Number of questions	120	35	150
Training required	21 hours of agile training by PMI REP or equivalent	CSM Class: May ONLY be taught by Certified Scrum Trainers. Certified by the Scrum Alliance	None. Requires that you be an existing CSM, CSPO or CSD Which do have training requirements
Recertification	PMI-ACP ^® credential holder will need to earn 30 PDUs in agile project management per three-year cycle	Currently CSM does not expire	2 year cycles. Recertification will require maintaining some level of PDUs. The Scrum Alliance traning program will be in place no later than January 2013
Fees	Cost of training + Exam Fees Member Computer based: $335 Non-Member computer based: $435 Member paper based: $270 Non-Member paper based: $370	Cost of training (around $1000 to $2000). No additional cost for the exam.You can not take the exam without taking the class.	$300 Registration fee Requires membership in Scrum Alliance: $100

However considering ACP is newer certification

Some companies may ask for CSM along with PMP or PMI ACP.
The CSM training course is important for the Scrum Master, the Product Owner and a newly formed scrum development team who may have never experienced Agile , but understand that CSM is only a training and it may not have any "certification" value like PMI ACP.
Check if agile certification is even necessary for you. If you think employers are asking for ACP or CSP then go for it. Do understand that real life experience is always more valuable.

Forums:

PMI - Agile certified professional - ACP

diba_perfect

Sat, 04/06/2013 - 21:41

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Small correction: PMI-ACP is

Small correction: PMI-ACP is a registered trademark now i.e. to be used as PMI-ACP^®and not as it appears here.

~ Diba

printusher

Thu, 09/19/2013 - 10:23

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