The agile development technology came into existence as an alternative to the already well-functioning, plan-based Waterfall model in the project management technology around three decades back. Still, this approach is perfectly fit for small projects with a limited scope and few variables. However, agile methodologies have opened a whole new horizon, especially in the software development business.
Looking at the speed through which businesses worldwide are adopting the agile approach in their operations, it becomes obvious to learn about the benefits an Agile Certified Practitioner exam offers to both students and professionals in different IT fields, or even those opting for specific DevOps training. Here are the reasons that you should consider pursuing the Agile Certified Practitioner exam.
Competitive edge over your peers
An Agile Certified professional acquires expertise and skills that can potentially change the performance of his/her team. You learn concepts that allow you to merge powerful agile methodologies and ensure a top-quality product is delivered. In other words, becoming a certified professional puts you in a commanding position over your peers in the team. Hence, presenting new opportunities in your career by highlighting you for organizations looking to hire the best IT talent in the industry.
Enhanced acquisition of Agile
According to the data provided by the Standish group, companies have started to experience increasing success after employing agile methodologies as compared to the traditional, Waterfall approach. From the data, we can safely conclude that the agile approach is gradually becoming the favorite for businesses. Furthermore, a 2010 Forrester survey stated that 35% of companies used agile, while another 2013 survey by Actuation Consulting stated that around 86.9% of users prefer and use agile.
Here we can see a sharp increase in the adoption rate of the agile approach.
Increasing demand for agile professionals
Considering the most powerful trends in the project management field, the rising demand for agile certified professionals and project managers stays among the top ones. This is partly due to the fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to find the right talent. The need for both agile and project managers is rising in a parallel fashion. ESI International predicts that very soon important project management roles will be difficult to fill due to the shortage of the right talent in the market. Several pieces of research have shown that project management professionals mainly prefer the incorporation of agile practices in their jobs. Therefore, the demand for agile certified professionals is all up for grabs.
Agile more effective than the old-school, Waterfall approach
Even after the repeated emphasis on the reliance and employment of agile principles in organizations today, it would be wrong to say that the Waterfall and similar methodologies should be completely discarded. As we stated above, these traditional methodologies work well with particular businesses or project types. However, at the same time, these businesses are also looking to start using agile concepts as the forefront for future projects. According to Actuation Consulting, 65.8% of teams using Waterfall admit that agile contributes to better profits, while only 13.2% insist that a genuine Waterfall approach brings them lucrative figures. As per the yearly survey carried by the State of Agile, 73% of participants admitted that agile practices help them complete their projects faster, 33% said that agile sped the time to market, 87% registered enhanced productivity, and 93% stated the approach helped them in better prioritization of tasks.
Moreover, around 23% of participants stated that the adoption of agile helped them align the IT and business correspondences, something that top DevOps training consistently focus on in their course material. In other words, even the Waterfall approach faithful have started to incline towards the agile methodologies. This is where one of the top project management trends in 2019—using traditional and agile tools in parallel, uncovers to help consolidate both the approaches in a balanced, productive manner.
Better career prospects
The agile methodologies are opening new doors of opportunity for a plethora of professionals including QA personnel and testers, IT project managers, and related individuals who can justifiably acquire the titles of Scrum Master, Agile Mentor, Technical Business Analyst, and Agile Coach. In short, companies today seek professionals who are well-versed in the theoretical and practical efforts of Agile. After pursuing related certifications or hands-on experience, you can easily move into qualified positions and get a chance to work on advanced, challenging projects.
Increased productivity
It has been thoroughly researched that businesses employing the agile methodologies in their operations are registering more productivity than with other methodologies, specifically in terms of rapid time to market, catering changing priorities, efficient production, and successfully completing the project within the allotted timeframe and budget. Furthermore, agile principles have proven to consume less cost and time as compared to their older counterparts. Agile practices tend to improve the overall team performance and create a seamless environment facilitating better decision making, learning the culture, and resolve longstanding concerns not only at the macro level but also at the granular level for each team member.
Certification calls for instant validation
Clearing the agile certified practitioner exam affirms your knowledge and expertise in adhering to the agile principles and enhancing the project performance and standards. This is why organizations rely on a genuine, certified agile expert to plan and execute a project over a non-certified pro. Putting it simply, a proper certification puts you in a prominent position within the sights of technical recruiters in the project management field. And the certification easily pushes you towards a successful, informative career.
Lucrative remuneration
As per a survey conducted by the Project Management Institute, the medium pay scale for project management personnel in the US, Australia, Germany, and some other countries is over $100,000. While the average income of a certified agile practitioner is around $123,000 per year. Also, the difference in income between a non-certified and certified pro is around 28%, apparently, the certified ones enjoying the higher salaries.
Conclusion
Given the rising need for qualified agile and project management individuals in the global IT sector, many students and working professionals accomplish related qualifications, such as DevOps certifications. In addition to that, you also need to regularly go through highly instructional blogs to stay abreast with the changing market trends and dynamics.