Rally Software Supports PMI Certification Program for Agile Project Managers

DALLAS, Oct. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Rally®, an exhibitor at this week's Project Management Institute® Global Congress, introduces a new series of courses for Program, Portfolio and Project Managers to earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) toward becoming an Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP), the newest PMI certification. Rally, a PMI Registered Education Provider since February 2010, offers many ways for Agile Project Managers (http://www.rallydev.com/events/agile_webinar_series/agile_project_managers_details) to earn PDUs through its new Agile certification program:

• ACP Exam Learning Workshops:  Gain the 21 PDUs necessary to take the PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner exam through Rally's new ACP Exam Learning Workshop. Some sessions are delivered in partnership with Crosswind Project Management, Inc., a leading provider of Project Management Professional exam review classes and preparation.
• Agile Project Management Webinars: Join Rally experts and other industry thought leaders to discuss how project teams can increase customer satisfaction, cut project risk and lower costs by applying Agile practices. Project Managers earn one PDU for viewing each webinar, including "Calling Project Managers: Your Top 7 Agile Questions Answered" and many other archived webinars.
• Agile University Courses: Earn PDU credits by attending Rally's Agile University courses offered throughout the year to help project managers stay up-to-date on the latest Agile practices.

Comments on the news:

"IDC research indicates a significant increase in engagement and adoption of agile approaches for projects and programs across the board to support business innovation in a global economy that remains volatile," said Melinda Ballou, program director for the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) service at IDC, an international market research and advisory firm headquartered in Framingham, MA. "Yet successful, broad evolution to agile relies on cultural and organizational change, which can be best enabled through effective targeted, agile-specific mentoring, training and appropriate services."

"As Agile and Lean practices become pervasive, it's critical that project managers actively lead the transition to rapid delivery of small batches of features, right alongside their development teams," said Todd Olson, Vice President of Products at Rally. "By providing the most complete and actionable Agile training and certification programs, Rally enables project managers to embrace the positive changes Agile practices bring, and keep their skills current to advance their careers."

"Growth of Agile and Lean practices have exploded and are now mainstream in the management of large, successful projects," said Tony Johnson, founder of Crosswind Project Management, Inc. "We're excited to work with Rally to provide everything project management professionals need to meet the PMI's Agile project management education requirements and prepare for the PMI-ACP exam."

Contact Rally at pmi@rallydev.com to learn more about:

• Availability and schedule of ACP Learning Workshops beginning in the first half of 2012, as soon as the Agile Certification Program is officially opened up by the PMI
• Working with local PMI Chapters to provide Agile workshops and overviews

Learn more about becoming an PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP).

About Rally

Rally is the recognized leader in Agile application lifecycle management (ALM). We are dedicated to helping organizations embrace Agile and Lean development practices that increase the pace of innovation and improve product quality. According to a study by QSM Associates, software-driven companies that rely on Rally's Agile ALM products and services are 50% faster to market and 25% more productive than industry averages. The company's experienced services group, including training through Agile University, guides companies through the organizational change required to become innovative, Agile businesses. Together, Rally's Agile ALM platform and its leading Kanban-based project collaboration tool, AgileZen, support more than 115,000 users in 98 countries. For more information, visit www.rallydev.com.

Rally, the Rally logo, Rally Software Development, Agile University and AgileZen are trademarks of Rally Software Development Corp. Third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Rally Software