PAQ is now part of the A4Q (Alliance for Qualification) portfolio of certifications! A4Q PAQ 2.0 placed even more emphasis on quality delivery at speed and the whole team responsibility for quality.The hands-on element has been further strengthened with the introduction of the new Ticketz in course application giving participants an opportunity to explore and experience the practices that PAQ helps stydents to master.A4Q PAQ 2.0 is suitable for developers, BA’s, Project Managers, Team Leaders, Testers, Scrum Masters and all other members of an Agile delivery team.

The A4Q PAQ is an accelerated learning Agile certification that has a very practical focus. It is designed to support people with current Agile knowledge to take their skills to a practitioner level in an intensive learning environment.

PAQ immerses participants in agile practices with an emphasis on the essential competencies needed within high performing agile teams focussed on enhancing value to the business and the customer. A Practitioner in Agile Quality can use agile as an effective pathway to accelerate the delivery of quality software. Agile quality is the collective and equal responsibility of the whole team. PAQ certification is not just for testers but anyone, and everyone, in the team who needs to continuously deliver better products, services and user experiences using agile.The course builds on existing testing, software quality management and agile theory. It is designed to inspire and instil confidence in participants through practical application, experiential and collaborative learning.The course supports participants to prepare for the PAQ practical assessment (certification exam) which is aligned to the PAQ Competency Framework.

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How do I obtain this certification?

To be certified you must attend a PAQ training course and pass the Practitioner in Agile Quality (PAQ) practical assessment (certification exam).

A4Q PAQ candidates are assessed under controlled exam conditions in order to be certified. The assessment may be taken either directly at the end of the A4Q PAQ training course, or separately scheduled. The exam has a duration of 120 minutes in total (25% extra time is available for non-native speakers of the exam language).The assessment is comprised of two parts (taken together within the 120 minutes):

The “Theoretical Assessment” (40%) This assesses the candidate’s understanding of the content of A4Q PAQ and includes both multiple choice style questions and a scenario based questions that require short written answers.

The “Practical Assessment” (60%)The ‘hands-on’ practical assessment includes User Stories, Associated Design Documentation plus a ‘multi-drop’ application seeded with defects.

Candidates are awarded the PAQ certificate if they score 60% total marks. Any candidate failing will have an opportunity to schedule a re-sit (a fee will apply).Candidates will be given instructions as to what is expected of them during the practical assessment and the opportunity to create the work products required.

Note: any in course soft skills assessment or feedback does not count towards the A4Q PAQ certification (no marks are given that count in the final assessment).

Soft skills will be evaluated during the course by the trainer.
The PAQ assessment is currently in English. Candidates may apply for an additional 25% extra time if English is not their native or usual business language.

What are the entry requirements?

This is a practitioner’s course. Candidates are expected to have met one of the agile knowledge pre-requisites which can be demonstrated by holding certifications such as iSQI® Certified Agile Essentials (CAE), iSQI® Certified Scrum Master Pro OR have 2 years of professional experience working in Agile. ISTQB® Foundation Level Agile Tester could be useful.

Due to the practical, experiential learning approach to this course, there is assumed knowledge which, if not met, will make it difficult for candidates to complete the course and assessments within the time-boxed course.

Candidates are expected to be able to already apply basic practices and techniques, such as:

• Agile Manifesto principles and Scrum events
• Basic test terminology
• Knowledge of the basic SDLC (Software or System Development Life Cycle)

How does this certification benefit me?

After taking the course and passing the assessment, you will have demonstrated you align with the PAQ Competency Framework:

• Agile Mindset - Prove that they can put into practice all the soft skills appropriate to the agile mindset aligned to the agile manifesto and principles
• Faster Delivery - Optimise delivery through implementing efficiencies and effective practices, maximising the work not done
• Build Quality In - Implement the team activities to ensure the product quality objectives for each persona are met from inception throughout the product lifecycle
• Engineering principles - Build the right product, right first time maximising Business value using repeatable, auditable and adaptable processes, whilst minimising technical debt
• Continuous testing - Support the integration of code by iterating through plan, build, test multiple times per day, in order to complete committed items aligned to acceptance criteria and the iteration definition of done
• Scalability - Identify additional risks and changes required to effectively scale processes based on team size and/or distribution

Who is this certification for?

This course is designed for anyone who wants to improve their Agile skills and who is committed to ensuring accelerated quality delivery of working software. This includes developers, BA’s, Project Managers, Team Leaders, Testers, Scrum Masters and all other members of an Agile delivery team.

What other certifications can you recommend?

Other certifications that may be of interest:

• ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level – Agile Tester
• iSQI® Certified Agile Essentials
• A4Q IQBBA Certified Agile Business Analysis
• iSQI® Scrum Master Pro