PMI-ACP® Exam Free Resources

A way of thinking and a systematic problem-solving process that collects the pertinent information on a single A3-size sheet of paper

A method of collaboratively creating acceptance test criteria that are used to create acceptance tests before delivery begins

An individual with knowledge and experience in agile who can train, mentor, and guide organizations and teams through their transformation

An approach that is both iterative and incremental to refine work items and deliver frequently

A way of thinking and behaving underpinned by the four values and twelve principles of the Agile Manifesto

The original and official definition of agile values and principles

A term used to describe a mindset of values and principles as set forth in the Agile Manifesto

A person embracing the agile mindset who collaborates with like-minded colleagues in cross-functional teams. Also referred to as agilest

The twelve principles of agile project delivery as embodied in the Agile Manifesto

A simplistic and understandable approach to developing business application software using agile techniques and concepts. It is a simplified version of the Rational Unified Process (RUP)

A person embracing the agile mindset who collaborates with like-minded colleagues in cross-functional teams. Also known as Agile Practitioner

A known, flawed pattern of work that is not advisable

The scripted testing of code base for bugs and vulnerabilities

An ordered list of user-centric requirements that a team maintains for a product. Also known as Product Backlog

The progressive elaboration of project requirements and/or the ongoing activity in which the team collaboratively reviews, updates, and writes requirements to satisfy the need of the customer request

A system design and validation practice that uses test-first principles and English-like scripts

Two or more agile frameworks, methods, elements, or practices used together such as Scrum practiced in combination with XP and Kanban Method

An obstacle that prevents the team from achieving its objectives.. Also known as Impediment

Refers to a person with various depths of specialization in multiple skills required by the team. Also known as Paint Drip

A graphical representation of the work remaining versus the time left in a timebox

A graphical representation of the work completed toward the release of a product

Listing of all requirements for a specific project

A rhythm of execution

A project acceleration and collaboration technique whereby any team member is authorized to modify any project work product or deliverable, thus emphasizing team-wide ownership and accountability

The practice of delivering feature increments immediately to customers, often through the use of small batches of work and automation technology

A practice in which each team member's work products are frequently integrated and validated with one another

A team that includes practitioners with all the skills necessary to deliver valuable product increments

A collection of lightweight agile software development methods focused on adaptability to a particular circumstance

A brief, daily collaboration meeting in which the team reviews progress from the previous day, declares intentions for the current day, and highlights any obstacles encountered or expected. Also known as daily coordination meeting or daily collaboration meeting. (Previously, this was commonly referred to as a standup meeting)

A team's checklist of all the criteria required to be met so that a deliverable can be considered ready for customer use

A team's checklist for a user-centric requirement that has all the information the team needs to be able to begin working on it

A collection of practices for creating a smooth flow of delivery by improving collaboration between development and operations staff

A process decision framework that enables simplified process decisions around incremental and iterative solution delivery

A process that challenges underlying values and assumptions in order to better elaborate root causes and devise improved countermeasures rather than focusing only on symptoms

An agile project delivery framework best known for its emphasis on constraint-driven delivery

Openly credited as the first agile method that contains a specific component no other methods have: the focus on delivering multiple measurable value requirements to stakeholders

An agile software development method that leads to higher quality software, a greater responsiveness to changing customer requirements, and more frequent releases in shorter cycles

A lightweight agile software development method driven from the perspective of features valued by clients

A product that is suitable for its intended purpose

A product that is usable in its current form to achieve its intended purpose

The coach for a team and service request manager working in a continuous flow or Kanban context. Equivalent to Scrum Master

A basic system or structure of ideas or facts that support an approach

A specific behavior that a product or service should perform

A specific function that a system or application is required to perform. Typically represented in a functional specifications document

A strategy or policy deployment method intended to align the corporate direction with the daily activities of the organization, ensuring that everyone in the company is working towards the same strategic objectives.

A combination of two or more agile and non-agile elements, having a non-agile end result

An organizational improvement model that is named for the five phases it describes: initiating, diagnosing, establishing, acting, and learning

A strategic planning technique that acts as a roadmap to the organization while building new products

An obstacle that prevents the team from achieving its objectives. Also known as a blocker

An approach that provides finished deliverables that the customer may be able to use immediately

A functional, tested, and accepted deliverable that is a subset of the overall project outcome

A visible, physical display that provides information to the rest of the organization enabling up-to-the-minute knowledge sharing without having to disturb the team

Refers to a person with a single deep area of specialization and no interest or skill in the rest of the skills required by the team

A timeboxed cycle of development on a product or deliverable in which all of the work that is needed to deliver value is performed

An approach that allows feedback for unfinished work to improve and modify that work

Events aimed at improvement of the system

A visualization tool that enables improvements to the flow of work by making bottlenecks and work quantities visible

An agile method inspired by the original Kanban inventory control system and used specifically for knowledge work

A product development framework that extends Scrum with scaling guidelines while preserving the original purposes of Scrum

An adaptation of lean manufacturing principles and practices to the software development domain and is based on a set of principles and practices for achieving quality, speed, and customer alignment

The process through which a product is imagined, created, and put into use

A technique in which multiple team members focus simultaneously and coordinate their contributions on a particular work item

The preferences of an organization on a set of scales characterized by the following core values: exploration versus execution, speed versus stability, quantity versus quality, and flexibility versus predictability

A comprehensive, cyclic, and structured approach for transitioning individuals, groups, and organizations from the current state to a future state with intended business benefits

Refers to a person with various depths of specialization in multiple skills required by the team. Also known as Paint Drip. Also known as Broken Comb

A technique of pairing two team members to work simultaneously on the same work item. Also known as Pair Work

Pair work that is focused on programming

A technique of pairing two team members to work simultaneously on the same work item. Also known as Pairing

An archetype user representing a set of similar end users described with their goals, motivations, and representative personal characteristics

A planned course correction designed to test a new hypothesis about the product or strategy

An iterative management method used in organizations to facilitate the control and continual improvement of processes and products

An approach to work management that utilizes a work plan and management of that work plan throughout the life cycle of a project. Also known as Predictive Approach

An approach to work management that utilizes a work plan and management of that work plan throughout the life cycle of a project. Also known as Plan-Driven Approach

A more traditional approach, with the bulk of planning occurring up-front, then executing in a single pass; a sequential process

An ordered list of user-centric requirements that a team maintains for a product. Also known as Backlog

A person responsible for maximizing the value of the product and who is ultimately responsible and accountable for the end product that is built. See also Service Request Manager

The iterative process of increasing the level of detail in a project management plan as greater amounts of information and more accurate estimates become available

A management structure that standardizes the project-related governance processes and facilitates the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools, and techniques

A product quality technique whereby the design of a product is improved by enhancing its maintainability and other desired attributes without altering its expected behavior

A regularly occurring workshop in which participants explore their work and results in order to improve both process and product

An iterative planning technique in which the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while the work in the future is planned at a higher level

A knowledge base of integrated patterns for enterprise-scale lean - agile development

A management framework that emerges when teams employ Scrum as the chosen way of working and use the Kanban Method as a lens through which to view, understand, and continuously improve how they work

An information radiator that is utilized to manage the product and sprint backlogs and show the flow of work and its bottlenecks

The coach of the development team and process owner in the Scrum framework. Removes obstacles, facilitates productive events and defends the team from disruptions. Also known as Flow Master

A technique to operate Scrum at scale for multiple teams working on the same product, coordinating discussions of progress on their interdependencies, and focusing on how to integrate the delivery of software, especially in areas of overlap

An agile framework for developing and sustaining complex products, with specific roles, events, and artifacts

Describes the combination of development team, scrum master, and process owner used in Scrum

A cross-functional team in which people fluidly assume leadership as needed to achieve the team's objectives

The practice of leading through service to the team, by focusing on understanding and addressing the needs and development of team members in order to enable the highest possible team performance

The person responsible for ordering service requests to maximize value in a continuous flow or Kanban environment. Equivalent to product owner

An organization structured in such a way that it only manages to contribute a subset of the aspects required for delivering value to customers

The practice of attempting to solve problems by just using specific predefined methods, without challenging the methods in light of experience

The practice of using a lightweight set of tests to ensure that the most important functions of the system under development work as intended

A collaborative approach to defining requirements and business-oriented functional tests for software products based on capturing and illustrating requirements using realistic examples instead of abstract statements

A short time interval within a project, usually of fixed length, during which a team conducts research or prototypes an aspect of a solution to prove its viability

A list of work items identified by the Scrum team to be completed during the Scrum sprint

Describes a timeboxed iteration in Scrum

A collaborative event in Scrum in which the Scrum team plans the work for the current sprint

A unit-less measure used in relative user story estimation techniques

A technique in which multiple team members focus collectively on resolving a specific impediment

The deferred cost of work not done at an earlier point in the product life cycle

A technique where tests are defined before work is begun, so that work in progress is validated continuously, enabling work with a zero defect mindset

 A fixed period of time, for example, 1 week, 1 fortnight, 3 weeks, or 1 month. See also Iteration

Refers to a person with one deep area of specialization and broad ability in the rest of the skills required by the team

A visual practice for organizing work into a useful model to help understand the sets of high-value features to be created over time, identify omissions in the backlog, and effectively plan releases that deliver value to users

A brief description of deliverable value for a specific user. It is a promise for a conversation to clarify details

The process of enhancing the user experience by focusing on improving the usability and accessibility to be found in the interaction between the user and the product

A lean enterprise technique used to document, analyze, and improve the flow of information or materials required to produce a product or service for a customer

An organizational construct that focuses on the flow of value to customers through the delivery of specific products or services

A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted

A development approach in which the requirements are subject to a high level of uncertainty and volatility and are likely to change throughout the project

A diagram that shows large numbers of ideas classified into groups for review and analysis

A method for estimating the duration or cost of an activity or a project using historical data from a similar activity or project

A project document used to record all assumptions and constraints throughout the project

A graphical representation of the work remaining in a timebox or the work completed toward the release of a product or project deliverable

The process(es) performed to formally complete or close a project, phase, or contract

Time or money allocated in the schedule or cost baseline for known risks with active response strategies

The approved version of the time-phased project budget, excluding any management reserves, which can be changed only through formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison to actual results

A measure of the cost efficiency of budgeted resources expressed as the ratio of earned value to actual cost

A method used to shorten the schedule duration for the least incremental cost by adding resources

An analysis method that uses a set of measures associated with scope, schedule, and cost to determine the cost and schedule performance of a project

A large, related body of work intended to hierarchically organize a set of requirements and deliver specific business outcomes

The expected total cost of completing all work expressed as the sum of the actual cost to date and the estimate to complete

The expected cost to finish all the remaining project work

A set of related requirements or functionalities that provides value to an organization

An adaptive development approach in which the deliverable is produced successively, adding functionality until the deliverable contains the necessary and sufficient capability to be considered complete

A meeting to clarify the details of the backlog items, acceptance criteria, and work effort required to meet an upcoming iteration commitment

A one-page template designed to communicate a business plan with key stakeholders in an efficient and effective manner

A concept used to define the scope of the first release of a solution to customers by identifying the fewest number of features or requirements that would deliver value

Means of receiving information without direct communication by overhearing and through nonverbal cues

Methods used to prioritize portfolio, program, or project components, as well as requirements, risks, features, or other product information

One or more components of one or more products, which are intended to be put into production at the same time

The process of identifying a high-level plan for releasing or transitioning a product, deliverable, or increment of value

A backlog that includes product work and actions to address threats and opportunities

A high-level time line that depicts such things as milestones, significant events, reviews, and decision points

The uncontrolled expansion to product or project scope without adjustments to time, cost, and resources

A component of the project or program management plan that describes how the scope will be defined, developed, monitored, controlled, and validated

A visual model of all the features and functionality desired for a given product, created to give the team a holistic view of what they are building and why

A visual representation of the progress of the planned work that allows everyone to see the status of the tasks

A document that records the team values, agreements, and operating guidelines, as well as establishes clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by project team members

A method for determining the cause and degree of difference between the baseline and actual performance

A measure of a team's productivity rate at which the deliverables are produced, validated, and accepted within a predefined interval

A group of people with a shared goal who work in different locations and who engage with each other primarily through phone and other electronic communications

A summarized, high-level description about the expectations for a product such as target market, users, major benefits, and what differentiates the product from others in the market

A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables

A documented tabulation of schedule activities that shows the activity description, activity identifier, and a sufficiently detailed scope of work description so project team members understand what work is to be performed

The realized cost incurred for the work performed on an activity during a specific time period

The process of classifying items into similar categories or collections on the basis of their likeness

A method used to evaluate identified options in order to select the options or approaches to use to perform the work of the project

A state of being unclear, having difficulty in identifying the cause of events, or having multiple options from which to choose

An assessment that ensures assumptions and constraints are integrated into the project plans and documents, and that there is consistency among them

The approved version of a work product, used as a basis for comparison to actual results

The documented explanation defining the processes for creating, maximizing, and sustaining the benefits provided by a project or program

A value proposition for a proposed project that may include financial and nonfinancial benefits

The net quantifiable benefit derived from a business endeavor that may be tangible, intangible, or both

A visual representation that helps trace an undesirable effect back to its root cause

A component of the project, program, or portfolio management plan that describes how, when, and by whom information about the project will be administered and disseminated

A characteristic of a program or project or its environment that is difficult to manage due to human behavior, system behavior, and ambiguity

A type of cognitive bias that confirms preexisting beliefs or hypotheses

A limiting factor that affects the execution of a project, program, portfolio, or process

An event or occurrence that could affect the execution of the project, which may be accounted for with a reserve

A financial analysis method used to determine the benefits provided by a project against its costs

The amount of budget deficit or surplus at a given point in time, expressed as the difference between the earned value and the actual cost

A chart indicating features completed over time, features in other states of development, and those in the backlog

A brief, daily collaboration meeting in which the team reviews progress from the previous day, declares intentions for the current day, and highlights any obstacles encountered or expected. Also known as daily collaboration meeting or daily scrum. (Previously, this was commonly referred to as a standup meeting)

A set of charts and graphs showing progress or performance against important measures of the project

A diagramming and calculation method for evaluating the implications of a chain of multiple options in the presence of uncertainty

A method used for dividing and subdividing the project scope and project deliverables into smaller, more manageable parts

The measure of work performed expressed in terms of the budget authorized for that work

The ability to identify, assess, and manage the personal emotions of oneself and other people, as well as the collective emotions of groups of people

Conditions, not under the immediate control of the team, that influence, constrain, or direct the project, program, or portfolio

The estimated value of an outcome expressed in monetary terms

Knowledge that can be codified using symbols such as words, numbers, and pictures

A relationship between project activities and non-project activities

A schedule compression method in which activities or phases normally done in sequence are performed in parallel for at least a portion of their duration

The depiction in a diagram format of the inputs, process actions, and outputs of one or more processes within a system

The measure of how efficiently work moves through a given process or framework

An estimate or prediction of conditions and events in the project’s future based on information and knowledge available at the time of the forecast

A bar chart of schedule information where activities are listed on the vertical axis, dates are shown on the horizontal axis, and activity durations are shown as horizontal bars placed according to start and finish dates

A graphical representation of situations showing causal influences, time ordering of events, and other relationships among variables and outcomes

A relationship between two or more project activities

A project document where information about issues is recorded and monitored

A relationship that is contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work

A description of a project or product attribute and how to measure it

A significant point or event in a project, program, or portfolio

A method used to estimate cost or duration by applying an average or weighted average of optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely estimates when there is uncertainty with the individual activity estimates

A review at the end of a phase in which a decision is made to continue to the next phase, to continue with modification, or to end a project or program

A method used to develop a range of estimates along with the associated probabilities within that range

A grid for mapping the probability of occurrence of each risk and its impact on project objectives if that risk occurs

A person who helps the project team to achieve the project objectives, typically by orchestrating the work of the project

A collection of logically related project activities that culminates in the completion of one or more deliverables

A concise, high-level description of the project that states the purpose and inspires the team to contribute to the project

A working model used to obtain early feedback on the expected product before actually building it

A description of a project or product attribute and how to measure it

A project document that includes quality management issues, recommendations for corrective actions, and a summary of findings from quality control activities and may include recommendations for process, project, and product improvements

An analytical method where a series of input variables are examined in relation to their corresponding output results in order to develop a mathematical or statistical relationship

A method for creating estimates that are derived from performing a comparison against a similar body of work, taking effort, complexity, and uncertainty into consideration

The plan that sets expectations for the dates, features, and/or outcomes expected to be delivered over the course of multiple iterations

A condition or capability that is necessary to be present in a product, service, or result to satisfy a business need

An analytical method used to determine the basic underlying reason that causes a variance or a defect or a risk

The approved version of a schedule model that can be changed using formal change control procedures and is used as the basis for comparison to actual results

A method used to shorten the schedule duration without reducing the project scope

A person or group who provides resources and support for the project, program, or portfolio and is accountable for enabling success

An individual, group, or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project, program, or portfolio

Personal knowledge that can be difficult to articulate and share such as beliefs, experience, and insights

A predetermined value of a measurable project variable that represents a limit that requires action to be taken if it is reached

A diagram that shows the accepted deliverables over time

A lack of understanding and awareness of issues, events, path to follow, or solutions to pursue

A chart that tracks the rate at which the deliverables are produced, validated, and accepted within a predefined interval

A planning method used to provide products, services, and results that truly reflect customer requirements by translating those customer requirements into the appropriate technical requirements for each phase of project or product development

Activities that consume resources and/or time without adding value

Comprehensive but Lean set of metrics that can be used to assess internal and external progress for an entire portfolio

Ensures Epics and Enablers are reasoned and analyzed prior to a PI boundary, prioritized, and have acceptance criteria

Tracks progress toward epic completion, i.e., initial estimate, work completed, and cumulative work completed.

At‐a‐glance view of the status of all epics in a portfolio, i.e., Epic X, progress, and current vs. initial est. story points.

Four perspectives to measure performance for each portfolio, i.e., Efficiency, Value delivery, Quality, and Agility

Structured, periodic self‐assessment to continuously measure and improve portfolio processes and evaluate the maturity and effectiveness of an organization's Lean Portfolio Management practices

Ensures Capabilities and Enablers are reasoned and analyzed prior to PI boundary, prioritized, and have acc. criteria

Aggregation of individual predictability measures for ARTs to assess the overall predictability of Solution Trains

Aggregation of individual performance measures for ARTs to assess the overall performance of Solution Trains

Decision rules to align work to financial objectives of Solution and guide economic decision‐making process

(Job Size) Length of time required to complete an epic, enabler, capability, or feature, i.e., size or complexity in story points.

Tracks feature and enabler status during PI and indicates which features are on track or behind, i.e., plan vs. actual

Ensures Features are reasoned and analyzed prior to a PI boundary, prioritized, and have acceptance criteria

Aggregation of Team PI Performance Reports to assess the predictability of ART, i.e., planned vs. actual business value

Aggregation of team metrics collected at end of PI, i.e., functionality (velocity, etc.) and quality (tests, defects, etc.)

Shows progress toward project increment (PI) timebox to track work planned against work accepted, gauging whether the team is on track to meet their goals by the end of the PI

Structured, periodic self‐assessment to continuously measure and improve program processes and typically covers various aspects of agile development, including team collaboration, delivery cadence, and alignment with value streams

Measures efficiency of steps in terms of touch and wait time, i.e., analysis, backlog, build, validate, deploy, release, etc.

Deployment and release frequency progress as a ratio of deployment to production vs. product release frequency

How often physical or logical rollbacks performed by overlaying points in time for deployment, release, and rollbacks

Hypothesis measures of MMF and MVP business outcomes based upon actionable innovation accounting measures

Number of successful vs. unsuccessful hypothesis tests (with goal of increasing the number, frequency, and success)

An index that measures the willingness of customers to recommend an organization's products or services to others

An estimating method in which subject matter experts go through multiple rounds of producing estimates individually, with a team discussion after each round, until a consensus is achieved

A tool used to gauge the mood, satisfaction, and morale of team members over time

A technique used for establishing requirement priorities where participants divide the requirements into four categories of must haves, should haves, could haves, and won’t haves

A tool that analyzes two dimensions to determine the relative complexity of a project: (a) the relative uncertainty of the requirements for the deliverable and (b) the relative uncertainty of the technology that will be used to create the deliverable

A technique used to model and analyze product features by considering them from the viewpoint of the customer

A collaborative relative estimation technique in which there is an agreed upon relative scale used for the relative estimates

A method that uses software tools to automate the testing process of software applications

A project delivery support structure that focuses on coaching teams; building agile skills and capabilities throughout the organization; and mentoring sponsors and product owners to be more effective in those roles

The person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives.

An individual who owns architecture decisions for the team and facilitates the creation and evolution of the overall solution design

The smallest viable enhancement to an existing product or service that delivers realized value for an internal or external customer.

A measure of schedule efficiency expressed as the ratio of earned value to planned value

A measure of schedule performance expressed as the difference between the earned value and the planned value

A visual tool used to assess the health of an agile project or team

A continuous improvement cycle used to identify and implement small, incremental improvements.