UPDATE May 2021: the following content will become increasingly out of date over time.
Note: ASB-616 Customizing Jira Workflows does not extend ACP-100/ACP-JA. Sorry I do not have access to the original table to replace the screenshot.
In 2019 I wrote a 3-part series on Atlassian training:
Since these articles were publish they have became out of date due to the fantastic improvements to the Atlassian Certification program outlined here. Earning and maintaining Atlassian Certifications also became cheaper and easier as announced here.
How do I extend my certifications?
Atlassian Certifications are now valid for 24 months! When this end of this time approaches you can keep your Atlassian Certifications active the following ways:
Atlassian Certified in Agile Development with Jira Software (ACP-JSW) can be extended using your active third party Scrum or Agile certification from the following list:
- Active Scrum Alliance,
- PMI-ACP,
- Scaled Agile,
- ICAgile,
- Scrum@Scale,
- Scrum.org, and
- IBM (IBM Agile Advocate and IBM Agile Achiever badges only)
Atlassian Certified in Jira Project Administration (AC-JPA) can be extended in the same way as the other certifications by earning badges or you can earn either Atlassian Certified Jira Administrator (ACP-JA) or Atlassian Certified in Agile Development with Jira Software which will not only extend your AC-JPA, it also removes the need to maintain AC-JPA certification separately as keeping ACP-JA/ACP-JSW active will also keep AC-JPA active!
Atlassian continue to add new badges and extension methods so you do not have to worry about reaching the maximum lifespan of your certifications.
What do I need to know before choosing what badge to earn?
Some badges can extend up to four Atlassian Certifications while others extend only one Atlassian Certification. If you have, or plan on having, more than one Atlassian Certification you need to keep this in mind. Atlassian provides the following advice:
Plan your Badge activities carefully with these considerations:
- After you take the free Skillbuilder course, you can take the assessment to earn the Badge immediately, or you can choose to wait, and earn the Badge only when you need it to extend a related Certification.
- Earning a Badge will extend any related Certifications by 24 months from the Badge earned date, providing you earn it before the Suspension Date of your Certifications.
- You can still earn a Badge during the 90-day Suspension period. If you earn a badge during the Suspension period, your Badge will extend your Certification by 24 months from the Certification Suspension Date.
- Your Badge will extend only Certifications you already hold. Earning a Badge before earning a Certification will have no effect on the Certification.
- Your Badge will initially be valid for 24 months from the date you earn it. To keep it active, simply earn any other Skills Badge or Pro Skills Badge
What are the differences between a Certification's suspension and expiry date?
Earning badges can be done at any time and will extend the suspension and expiry dates of any active Certifications by 24 months. If a Certification is suspended, the badge will only extend the suspension and expiry dates 24 months from the suspension date. Once a Certification has expired, you need to re-sit the Certification Exam to regain this qualification.
If you work for an Atlassian Solution Partner, the term inactive date is used instead of suspension date. Your Atlassian Certifications will no longer count towards your Atlassian Technical Sales Professional Accreditation requirement to have 2 active Atlassian Certifications once they are inactive/suspended or expired.
Decisions decisions ... a personal anecdote - updated
I wrote the original version of this article in September 2019 as the time to renew my first Certification was approaching.
At that time I had the following three options:
- Earn the badge ASB-616 Customizing Jira Workflows on or before 11 March 2020. This will extend AC-JPA's inactive date until 11 June 2021, and ACP-JSW's inactive date to 11 September 2021 or sooner depending on when I earn the badge,
- The challenging option
- Earn ACP-JA on or before 11 March 2020. This will extend AC-JPA's inactive date until 11 June 2021 and AC-JPA will remain active as long as I maintain ACP-JA, and
- Earn ACB-312 Jira Reporting and Dashboards on or before 4 April 2020. This will extend ACP-JSW's inactive date until 4 October 2021 or sooner depending on when I earn the badge, or
- The extremely challenging option
- Earn ACP-JA on or before 11 March 2020. This will extend AC-JPA's inactive date until 11 June 2021 and AC-JPA will remain active as long as I maintain ACP-JA, and
- Earn a third party Scrum or Agile certification on or before 4 April 2020. This will extend ACP-JSW's inactive date until 4 October 2021 or sooner depending on when I earn the submit the verification URL to the Certification Portal.
Option 1 was looking good to me at that time.
Over the next couple of months I found myself drifting towards the extremely challenging option 3 to meet larger company goals. I will sit my ACP-100 exam in February and last month I received my Professional Scrum Master certification from Scrum.org.
Over to you
- What Atlassian Certifications do you have now and how many do you plan to have?
- Did you benefit from the extended validity of Atlassian Certifications?
- What Skillbuilders are you keen to try?
