Jira Certification - Versions, Products best Path

[Peter Bourke]

I've got 3-4 years of Software Development Project experience using Jira version 7 as Scrum Master. I'm interested in advancing my career with certifications. Looking at the Atlassian products and versions, I'm unsure of the best way to proceed and am reaching out to others who may provide insights.

Desired role: Scrum Master growing to Enterprise Agile Manager

Questions:

1 Proposed base certification would be ACP-600 Project Administration with Jira. The exam is based on product version Jira 7 Enterprise. I see that Jira 8.4 is latest release. Is the exam out of date on versions? Are companies mostly on 8 now? Should I wait for Jira 8 or Jira Cloud training/exam?

2 Jira Align is the enterprise agile planning tool. There is an integration with Jira available. Are there courses that focus on Align/Jira integration, functionality etc.? Is learning Jira Align the next step to take advance my stated career to Agile Enterprise Management?

Thanks in advance for your advice,

Pete

[Carlos Garcia Navarro · Accepted solution]

Hi Peter,

This is not quite the same but you may find useful information in this other question that addresses some important aspects of the Atlassian certifications: https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-questions/Atlassian-Certification-Program-Is-it-worth-it/qaq-p/641870

My understanding is that Jira 8 introduces a number of performance  improvements (https://www.atlassian.com/blog/jira-software/introducing-jira-software-8-0) , so I believe that the functionalities are similar to Jira 7. Your learning journey while you prepare for the certification will likely take you to the next level and it's, in my opinion, worth it, regardless of if you use Jira 7 or Jira 8.

I haven't heard of an update on the certification exam for Jira 8, but honestly I don't know if there is a plan (I would think so!)

If you're becoming a Scrum Master you may be interested in ACP-300 Agile Development with Jira Software.

I'm not sure of trainings available on Jira Align, but if your concern is regarding how to advance your career in the area of Agile Enterprise Management, I'd recommend to learn about processes that provide good practices on scaled agile (e.g. SAFe). The tools can more or less easily adapt, and that's one of the biggest advantages of JIRA and the Atlassian ecosystem , in my opinion, that they're very flexible.

Hope it helps,

Carlos

[Geoff Mether _Togetha Group_]

Hi @Peter Bourke,

You don't mention if you have done any Scrum training or certification.  I'd have that on top of my list.

I support @Carlos Garcia Navarro in suggesting you look at ACP-300 Agile Development with Jira Software, I wouldn't worry too much about the differences in products.

But I would look at ACP-600 Project Administration in Jira Server as a first step. As this is lower in price (USD100) for course and exam.  You also gain access to a lab environment for 24 hours (that's 24hours from starting the environment, not 24 hours of use).  So you can go crazy trying things without impact to your work environment.  Also, you can check features against the lab version.

I wouldn't wait, I'd dive in.

Delivering agile at scale is a challenge, delivering anything at scale is! I support @Carlos Garcia Navarro' recommendation to look at scaled agile frameworks such as  SAFe.

Also look at JiraAlign (previously AgileCraft), Atlassian doesn't appear to have any publically available courses, I expect this to change, the purchase was relatively recent.

cheers 

Geoff

[Peter Bourke]

Carlos and Geoff,
Thanks much for your insights. I was thinking pretty much the same. I did get my Scrum Master cert a few years back and have been actively practicing it over the last 3 years. Also have my PMI-ACP. I've used Jira ver 7 and more recently new-tech for scrum and kanban boards.
Carlos, the link you provided is a really good discussion on contrasting exams, prep and what people learned and recommend.
As I know Agile practices I think ACP-600 is a good place to start (esp with Geoff's points in mind).

Thank you,
Pete