IPMA’s vision is “Promoting competence throughout society to enable a world in which all projects succeed”. Therefore, IPMA has defined a worldwide standard for competences in the areas of Project-, Programme- and Portfolio Management. For individuals, we have defined the IPMA Individual Competence Baseline®, ICB version 4 (for free download click here); We have defined the standard for excellent projects, the IPMA Project Excellence Baseline® or PEB (for free download click here), and we have defined the standard for organisations, the IPMA Organisational Competence Baseline® or OCB (for free download click here). Based on the ICB4, we have also defined the IPMA competence baseline for Coaches, Trainers and Consultants in the field of projects, programs and portfolios, the ICB4CCT.

When you’ve come to this page, you are probably a professional in the area of project-, programme- or portfolio management. Or perhaps you aspire to be one or looking what it takes to be a good one? But how do you know you are a professional and what makes a good professional really? How do you know what to develop?

The ICB4 is the international standard on competence for project, programme and portfolio managers. The competence needed for each of these domains is defined in the following competence areas:

• “People”: how do you interact with the people around you, and yourself;
• the “Practice” of our work: needed for Projects, Programmes and Portfolios.
• the “Perspective” of the intiatives you’re running: the context within which the initiative is run and the link to what needs to be achieved.

• If you’re a Trainer or Coach or Consultant, the ICB4 gives you an overview of competence elements that need to be developed or trained
• If you are an HR Manager or a Manager of professionals, the ICB4 gives a concise overview of competence elemnets that can be expected or developed
• If you’re looking for ways to improve individual competence elemnets, as basis for improving the success of your projects, programmes and portfolios, this is the one source you need.
• And of course, ICB4 is also the basis for the international certification of project, programme and portfolio professionals.

ICB4 does not prescribe a method, methodology, or specific process. You can use the competence model in any organisational context. The model is not related to a specific field (like ICT or investment or government or research). ICB4 gives a clear language, a basis for development and learning, suitable for all project managers, programme managers and portfolio managers

You can read the ICB4 online, download the pdf for free or order a book here. So YOU can become part of creating a society in which all projects succeed.

The periodic system in the picture shows all competence elements from ICB4.