ACP-520 study plan
ACP-520 · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Agile frameworks and practices
Define the core Scrum roles, events, and artifacts from memory
Compare Scrum, Kanban, and XP on flow, iteration, and change tolerance
Explain how the Agile Manifesto's four values map to daily team behavior
Identify which framework fits a given team context in three short scenarios
Your checkpoint
One-page comparison table of Scrum, Kanban, and XP with five distinguishing criteria
Agile frameworks and practices & Agile values and principles
Sequence the five Scrum events and state the purpose and timebox of each
Describe three Lean/Kanban practices (WIP limits, flow, pull) with examples
Connect each of the twelve Agile principles to a concrete team practice
Draft a 10-question self-quiz on framework mechanics and score it
Your checkpoint
Annotated event timeline showing inputs, outputs, and timeboxes for a two-week sprint
Agile team roles and responsibilities
Differentiate the responsibilities of Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers
Explain servant-leadership and coaching behaviors a Scrum Master exhibits
Map three stakeholder types to appropriate communication channels and cadences
Resolve two role-conflict scenarios using responsibility boundaries
Your checkpoint
RACI-style responsibility matrix for a five-person agile team
Agile planning and estimation
Write user stories with clear acceptance criteria for three sample features
Apply story points and planning poker to size a backlog of eight items
Decompose a release goal into two sprints of estimated work
Explain velocity, capacity, and how each informs sprint commitment
Your checkpoint
Prioritized backlog of eight estimated user stories with acceptance criteria
Agile project delivery and execution & Agile planning and estimation
Describe how daily coordination, sprint review, and retrospective support delivery
Identify three risks to sprint delivery and propose a mitigation for each
Explain how to handle scope change mid-sprint using backlog refinement
Calculate team capacity from availability and historical velocity
Your checkpoint
Sprint execution plan including capacity calculation, risk log, and change-handling note
Stakeholder engagement and communication
Design a stakeholder communication plan with audience, channel, and frequency
Draft a sprint review invitation and agenda that invites feedback
Explain how to surface and respond to stakeholder concerns transparently
Differentiate information radiators from status reports in purpose and use
Your checkpoint
Stakeholder communication plan covering four stakeholder groups
Agile metrics and continuous improvement
Define three agile metrics (e.g., cycle time, throughput, escaped defects) and their limits
Interpret a sample burndown and identify two process issues it reveals
Explain how retrospective actions become tracked improvement experiments
Distinguish vanity metrics from actionable delivery metrics
Your checkpoint
Metrics dashboard sketch with three chosen metrics, definitions, and interpretation notes
Agile values and principles & Agile frameworks and practices & Agile team roles and responsibilities & Agile planning and estimation & Agile project delivery and execution & Stakeholder engagement and communication & Agile metrics and continuous improvement
Complete a timed 60-question practice exam across all seven domains
Review every missed item and record the underlying principle or practice
Re-explain the five most-missed concepts in your own words
Build a final one-page cheat sheet of frameworks, roles, and metrics
Your checkpoint
Scored practice exam with error log and one-page final review sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 80% on the self-made framework mechanics quiz without notes
Week 4: Produce a complete estimated backlog and correctly explain velocity versus capacity to a peer
Week 6: Present the stakeholder communication plan and defend each channel choice
Week 8: Score at least 85% on the timed practice exam and show a complete error log