You receive this first newsletter because you have either participated in our certification program or have displayed interest in following us. The Agile Consortium wants to thank you for either.

In a combined effort we have lifted certification to a new level. Even though the development of our new certificate has not been finished yet, it is going strong and we can see some light at the end of the tunnel. This light encompasses a series of certificates that hopefully will inspire people to take agile beyond where it is now and give it as a present to the world.

Thank you for your effort and interest in 2009. Please help us reach the end of the tunnel in 2010. We know it is only the first tunnel of a series, but that’s what agility is all about: continuous improvement in an ever changing world.

Only with your help we are able to get to the next level. So get on board and let us help you find the most comfortable seat in our program. Visit our website at http://agileconsortium.nl/ and send us an e-mail at certificering@agileconsortium.nl or call us at +31-(0)34-2475153

We certify to inspire. Please inspire us doing just that.

Certification in retrospect

Our journey started back in 2008 when the DSDM Consortium changed their mission: to bring agility back to the business. Not as one method, but as a belief system. The people that drive Agile Consortium believe in the agile way and want to take it beyond where it is now. This requires a holistic approach that steers away from dogmas.

As a consequence, the Agile Consortium started their certification program. The assignment was to create a certificate for individual agilists that would declare their agile abilities. Now, almost one year later, we shattered that ambition and took it beyond merely a document of proof for competence: our certificate would inspire people to think and act beyond the obvious. We believe we’re onto something and thank Machiel Groenewegen for pointing us towards this exciting path.

The Agile Master Certificate (working title) was created with agility in mind. It was Michael Franken who suggested an iterative way of developing the certificate. In March 2009 we organized the first concept exam and built upon that for the next months. A total of four iterations were implemented, each of which helped us improve the exam and the assets that facilitate it. Seven people took an exam and provided us with valuable feedback which we used to learn and improve.

Are we there yet? Are we able to deliver a quality exam that certifies to inspire?

The answer is no, though we think we are close. Let us know what you think.

Towards maturity

A couple of years ago, the DSDM Consortium UK launched two agile certificates, the Agile Foundation  and the Agile Project Leader Practitioner exams. The Agile Consortium is now teaming up with DSDM UK to make these certificates broadly available in the Netherlands and Belgium. Highly experienced UK trainers will help us build a team of professional examiners that will be able to certify people in the Dutch language. As an added bonus,  the team gains valuable experience that will help the Agile Consortium launch a high quality Master certificate in 2010.

The combined Agile Certification Roadmap will consist of three different certificates that will be accessible on every level without requiring each other.



The foundation exam is about displaying agile knowledge in a one hour, closed book, multiple choice test. The project leader practitioner exam is about showing experience and proving competence. This is done by means of an oral exam for which people will have to write a synopsis to enter. Finally, the master exam will be all about one’s ability to be a leader in an agile business. This goes beyond the project level and requires a holistic mind, eye and hand. The exam will be similar to the project leader practitioner.

Thank you

So far, many people helped us in our quest towards a series of valuable and trustworthy certificates. We’d like to thank them from the heart:

Robbrecht van Amerongen

Peter Baars

Mary Beijleveld

Nicole Belilos

Arie van Bennekum

Sander van den Berg

Laurens Bonnema

Remi-Armand Collaris

Dick Croes

Cecile Davis

Ilse Dierickx

Floor van Dissel

Marc Evers

Koen van Exem

Michael Franken

Jos Geurtsen

Machiel Groeneveld

Gregor Heidinger

Mary Henson

Frank Langeveld

Olav Maassen

Paulus Meijs

Simone Molenaar

Maike Popma

Barbara Roberts

Ralph van Roosmalen

Guido Schoonheim

Maarten Smeets

Joyce van Soest

Anko Tijman

Gertjan Timmerman

Dorothy Tudor

Lars Vonk

If your name is not in the list and you think it should be, please let us know and we’ll make it up to you. We thank everyone who has shown his or her interest in what we do and those who are ready to jump aboardor are still hesitating. We feel strengthened in our efforts to create an inspiring gift to the world and we'd like to welcome you in our team.

For now, we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy and inspiring new year!

On behalf of the Agile Consortium board and the certification team,


Patrick Verheij
Board member Agile Consortium NL & Program facilitator Agile Certificates