Agile Foundation
About the best practice
| IP owner: | Agile Consortium® |
| Accreditation institute: | Van Haren Certify |
| Examination institute: | certN |
In this new millennium, the world is not only changing at lightning speed; it’s still increasing. New technology streaming has already had a significant impact on the way we communicate with one another. It also affects how we look at new products or come up with new ones. Robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, the Internet of Things, and 3D printing are now irreplaceable in our daily lives. Customer expectations have changed completely. Traditional products and markets have become increasingly digitized.
Generations growing up in this world will look at loyalty towards employers and brands differently than previous generations. Companies are confronted in the market with new entrants with deeper pockets or start-ups with a considerable popularity factor. Organizations must be able to respond efficiently and quickly to new developments and needs should they wish to compete successfully in this world. Agility has rapidly become a core competence and competitive advantage in business.
Agile is still relatively young. Several methods with Agile characteristics emerged at the end of the last century - think of DSDM, XP (eXtreme Programming), RAD (Rapid Application Development), and Scrum, to name a few. Agile only became well-known after the Agile Manifesto was published in 2001. Scrum became particularly popular in fast-growing, successful companies such as Google, Apple, Amazon, and Spotify. Traditional organizations could not allow themselves to stay behind. Nowadays, Agile is widely represented. Basic knowledge of Agile has become a necessity for every employee.
Certification definition
The Agile Foundation Certificate is part of the Agile certification program. It verifies that a candidate thoroughly comprehends the Agile Manifesto, Agile culture, leadership style, SCRUM, and basic knowledge of the Agile framework landscape.
Vouchers for the certification exam are available through accredited trainers and Van Haren Group.
Certification requirements
Candidates can become certified by passing the Agile Foundation certification exam.
Certificate renewal
The Agile Foundation certificate is valid for life.
Exam format
The general exam regulations apply to this exam.| Attempts per voucher: | 1 |
| Number of questions: | 60 |
| Passing score: | 70% |
| Time: | 60 minutes |
| Open-book: | No |
| Language: | English Italian Dutch |
| Invigilation: | None |
| Question type: | Multiple choice |
Exam Syllabus
The following table is an overview of the topics examined in the certification exam.| #questions | Level(s) of Cognition | Category | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 10 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Agile Manifesto
|
| 8 | ✓ |
Agile culture and leadership
|
||
| 14 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Scrum
|
| 5 | ✓ |
Methods and frameworks
|
||
| 11 | ✓ |
Agile way of working
|
||
| 5 | ✓ |
Value and continuous delivery
|
||
| 7 | ✓ |
Empiricism and improvement
|
||
More information about the levels of cognition
- Level 1 - Knowledge: This level requires candidates to recall specific information or facts. They should demonstrate the ability to remember and recognize details, terms, or concepts from their learning materials.
- Level 2 - Comprehension: At this level, candidates are expected to show their understanding of the acquired information. They should be able to interpret, explain, and summarize. Candidates must go beyond mere memorization and demonstrate that they can grasp the meaning and implications of the information they have learned.
- Level 3 - Application: The focus at this level is on candidates’ ability to apply their acquired knowledge in practical situations. They should be able to use what they have learned to solve problems, apply principles, or implement strategies in real-world scenarios.
- Level 4 - Analysis: Analysis involves candidates breaking down complex concepts into smaller parts and comprehending the relationships between them. Candidates must display the ability to analyze information, identify components, and understand the underlying connections between them.
- Level 5 - Synthesis: At this level, candidates are expected to exhibit the ability to create something new by combining different ideas, concepts, or elements. Candidates must demonstrate their capacity to generate hypotheses, design experiments, or develop original solutions to problems. Synthesis involves creativity and the integration of different elements to form a novel whole.
- Level 6 - Evaluation: This level requires candidates to use judgments or assessments based on criteria and evidence. Candidates must critically analyze information, compare and contrast different perspectives, and make informed decisions. They should demonstrate the ability to evaluate the quality, validity, and reliability of information, arguments, or solutions.
Reference Material
The reference material for the ASL® 2 Foundation exam is:
Agile Manifesto
- Publisher: Website Agile Manifesto
Scrum guide
- Authors: Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland
- ISBN: /
- Publisher: ScrumGuides website, licensed CC-BY 4.0
The Scrum guide is available for free on the ScrumGuides website.
Candidates are also recommended to read the following material:
Agile - Pocketguide voor wendbare organisaties
- Authors: Theo Gerrits, Rik de Groot and Jeroen Venneman
- ISBN: 9789087537982
- Publisher: Van Haren Publishing
Scrum and XP from the trenches
- Author: Henrik Kniberg
- ISBN: 1430322640
- Publisher: InfoQ
Scaling Agile in organisaties
- Author: Henny Portman
- ISBN: 9789401806213
- Publisher: Van Haren Publishing
Trainer accreditation
Van Haren Learning Solutions organizes the trainer accreditation for this certification program. More information on the accreditation process can be found on their website.