Certificate

The Agile Business Specialist – Aligning the Goals certificate is a recognised certificate for people who set and steer goals with Objectives & Key Results (OKR). It shows that you know the OKR method and can apply it. You can write an Objective that gives direction. You can formulate Key Results that measure an outcome instead of an activity. And you can keep the quarterly rhythm alive with regular check-ins.

Target group

The Agile Business Specialist – Aligning the Goals certificate is intended for professionals who set goals within an organisation, or who translate and track them. You need to know the theory well to pass, so study the course material carefully. Practical experience is not required, though it gives you a clear advantage.

The certificate is worth taking if you:

  • Are responsible for setting goals, whether for one team or for the organisation as a whole
  • Work in middle management and have to turn high-level goals into work a team can actually do. Research consistently identifies this as the point where OKR breaks down most often
  • Work as a Scrum Master, Product Owner or team lead and want to connect your team’s work to a wider direction
  • Want to steer on outcome instead of output
  • Are involved in introducing OKR, or in making an existing implementation work better
  • Want to know how an OKR differs from a KPI, and when to use which

Examination

  • The exam is taken online
  • The exam language is English
  • The exam has a time box (45 minutes) in which 60 questions have to be answered
  • 48 questions must be answered correctly in order to pass the exam
  • There are no entry requirements

Pricing

Certification costs €149 including taxes, per attempt. The certificate does not expire.

Preparation

Study the OKR Body of Knowledge thoroughly. It covers the definition and grammar of Objectives, Key Results and Initiatives, and the distinction between output, outcome and result. It traces the method back to Management by Objectives and to the goal-setting theory of Locke and Latham. It describes the quarterly cycle, the weekly check-in and the so-what test for writing Key Results. It also covers how OKR relates to Scrum and Kanban, and what empirical research reports about the challenges and pitfalls.

You do not have to take a course with an official IIABC partner. If you know the material and feel ready, you can sit the exam online at any moment. A relevant course does raise your chances of passing considerably. In the Netherlands our official partner is Agile Scrum Group, and their OKR training prepares you for the exam.

Do you have questions about this certification? Contact us via info@iiabc.org.