Tips & Resources for Passing a DevOps or Agile Service Management Exam

Learning the principles and practices of DevOps or Agile Service Management or learning how to become an Agile Process Owner are great, but having the credential that validates that you are certified could be a game changer for you in your career path. There are many certification courses available from the DevOps Campus so be sure to browse through to find those that are best suited for your or your teams career path or job role function. If you are just getting started there are a lot of free resources available to assist you on that journey. Two free whitepapers that I found helpful were:

What is DevOps? - This is an in-depth overview for DevOps with a lot of good information. It’s a great getting started and study guide.

What is Agile Service Management? – Agile Service Management (Agile SM) ensures that ITSM processes reflect Agile values and are designed with “just enough” control and structure in order to effectively and efficiently deliver services that facilitate customer outcomes. It’s a very Interesting and good pre-read before a certification class.

The exams are governed via the DevOps Institute and follow a Blooms Taxonomy method of testing. let’s talk about some very practical tips for passing the exam.

Study – In addition to your “In Class Materials” You will be provided with a lot of support information including a list of terms, Quick Reference Cards, Study Aids (these are the best because they focus on details needed to pass), sample exams and much much more. Plan to study at least 1 hour for every day you are in class. You will not need to surf the net for support material to study as they are provided.

Read – Read the question, Read the question slowly a second time and then … Read through the 4 multiple choice answers. You will need to select the BEST answer. Is it A, B, C, or D? Watch for and note keywords like NOT, BEST or PRIMARY. If the expected answer is not listed, then re-read the question. One word in the question can switch up the entire focus. Frequently the question will scope your answer for you.

EXAMPLE QUESTION for DEVOPS: In the context of DevOps Principles, which of the following applies?

The keywords in this example question are “DevOps Principles”. There are only three Principles and they are:

The First Way ßFocus on Flow of work
The Second Wayß- Shortened and Amplified Feedback Loops
The Third Way ß Experimentation and Learning

You will have learned about “DevOps Principles” in class. If you would have caught those words in the question, then you know that the answer is going to be tied to one of these three principles. Watch for keywords when you read. The key words are golden keys … they scope questions and unlock answers.

KNOW THE TERMS – Answer with the knowledge that you learned in class. Do NOT answer the question based on a subjective opinion or from the way that you do work today. This is not to say that what you are doing today is wrong, but remember you are being tested on the industry agreed upon definitions and they might be different from what you thought coming into the class. Getting your team level set on the industry agreed upon definitions is a real value-add.

There are many certification courses available from the DevOps Campus so be sure to browse through to find those that are best suited for your or your team's career path or job role function.

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People ask me why I think that many designs and projects often fail. The most common answer is from a lack of preparation and management. Many IT organizations just think about the technology (product) implementation and fail to understand the risks of not planning for the effective and efficient use of the four Ps: People, Process, Products (services, technology and tools) and Partners (suppliers, manufacturers and vendors). A holistic approach should be adopted for all Service Design aspects and areas to ensure consistency and integration within all activities and processes across the entire IT environment, providing end to end business-related functionality and quality. (SD 2.4.2) People: Have to have proper skills and possess the necessary competencies in order to get involved in the provision of IT services. The right skills, the right knowledge, the right level of experience must be kept current and aligned to the business needs. Products: These are the technology managem

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