F.A.Q.
FDD Certification FAQ
How do you achieve the Certifications?
Currently, you achieve FDD Aware status through either of the two Accredited FDD training workshops. What this says is that you are Certified as FDD Aware as you have successfully completed Accredited FDD training. If you successfully complete both Accredited workshops you achieve Certified FDD Associate status which is the foundation/essentials level. What this says is that you have the big picture and that you have received extensive "how to" knowledge. Currently, beyond the foundation/essentials level it is a "contact us" system. The Certification levels and structure are there for the future.
Are the Certification levels a hierarchy?
Yes, by design. You can only Consult if you are are a practitioner. You can only Practice if you have the foundation essentials plus you are proven-in-practice on projects. You can only have the foundation essentials if you are fully aware. You can only be Aware through Accredited training.
I've heard Jeff say Project Management Certification is hard. What's changed?
Nothing. It is hard. I don't see how to justly certify someone as a project manager simply through an exam or attending a 2-day class. That might work for project administration, but not project management.
Some of the names look familiar. How were these names determined?
There were many inputs to this. I'm very familiar with certification and saw it introduced during my latter years at IBM. I have received many, many inquiries and requests re: certification over the years, especially from our workshop attendees, and the details of those requests were used as well. I looked at many of the current industry certifications for structure and naming. In particular I looked at the two Agile certification schemes, Scrum and DSDM, to develop a scheme that would satisfy the requests I had received, but that resembled Scrum and DSDM as much as it made sense to do so.
I wanted something as simple as Ken's Scrum certification which gives attendees of accredited workshops some form of recognition. Plus his approach adds a personal touch that, being a people person, I really value. That is, there's a personal touch for the attendees and there's the personal touch of being Certified by the lead person of that method. I didn't however want to imply mastery for only a 2-day workshop. I liked DSDM's concept of the foundation/essentials level and also their concept of "aware," although I have used that in a very different way for FDD.
What's the point of the higher levels if they can't be obtained yet?
Planning. It's a structure for the future. The value of the certifications is one of the primary goals in doing this. To revisit the Certification structure in any fundamental way will devalue the existing Certification achievements and that would undermine the value proposition. Practicing level Certifications are currently possible through a "contact us" system.
Why aren't there more specific Certifications for roles? e.g. Chief Programmer, Chief Architect, etc.
Because it's overkill for the current needs. This scheme could get complex quickly and that complexity isn't justified given the anticipated scale of implementation. In one case only though I have split out a role and that is the Project Manager versus the generic Practitioner in the Practicing level. The ability to run a project is key information versus being able to play a role inside a project.
There appears to be only Individual Certification. What about Organization Certification?
That's correct. The structure is there to cater for this but there is no Organization Certification offered today.
It won't scale, will it?
It won't scale to the tens of thousands, no, but I don't anticipate that need. I don't think we're talking about something that will scale massively, so the personalized touch beyond the foundation/essentials level should cope with the scale and it adds a lot of value. I think there is much more value in being effectively personally certified by the method creator. Plus, I have strong opinions on certification and I don't currently see how to justly certify some of the higher levels simply through an exam body.
Why has this been done?
In response to demand. This is one of the top requests I get both in private correspondence and when I run workshops or do speaking engagements. The top three requests I get (by far) are (in no order): Certification (which we are now offering), when will you write a book? (which I am considering but have not committed to do so yet), and is there an FDD tool? (there are a number of tools out there now and I am looking at sharing some IP to help foster the FDD tools).
How do I contact you regarding Certification beyond the Foundation / Essentials level?
Send an e-mail to us at Nebulon. click here for the contact page.
How do I take an Accredited workshop?
Visit the Nebulon site for more details on the workshops. These are new and are also (for the first time) public workshops. We will run workshops, on demand, anywhere in the world if there are sufficient numbers.
Jeff De Luca
