IPMA CoD Communiqué

IPMA Council of Delegates Communiqué
Celebrating 60 Years of Project Management – Honoring Our Legacy, Building
a Sustainable Future

The Council of Delegates of the International Project Management Association (IPMA) convened in connection with the 34th IPMA World Congress in Berlin to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Association. This milestone is both a moment of celebration and reflection—honoring six decades of pioneering contributions to the project profession while charting the course for a sustainable future built on competence, collaboration, and global responsibility.

Founded before the age of the Internet, IPMA traces its roots back to the International Management Systems Association (IMSA), formally registered in politically neutral Switzerland in 1965—a symbolic choice during the Cold War. At the first International European INTERNET Congress in Vienna in 1967, IMSA was officially renamed INTERNET (INTERnational NETwork), becoming the first truly global body for the project profession. From the outset, IPMA has remained independent of national governments and standards, guided instead by voluntary leadership and global consensus—serving as a “United Nations of Project Management.”

From its earliest discussions on the Critical Path Method, IPMA has consistently introduced, nurtured, and disseminated the profession’s greatest discoveries:

• From the founding vision and the announcement of INTERNET at the 1st World Congress in Vienna in 1967…

• The Barnes Triple Constraint Model, which originated within the INTERNET network and later known simply as the Iron Triangle, symbolizing the universal balance of time, cost, and quality in projects.

• The Individual Competence Baseline (ICB) and the Four-Level Certification System (4-L-C), the first global competence-based standard, which revolutionized professional development in project management. These innovations paved the way for other IPMA standards, including the Organizational Competence Baseline (OCB), the ICB4CCT, and the Research Evaluation Baseline (REB).

• The creation of the Project Excellence Model and the IPMA Global Awards, setting benchmarks for excellence in both practice and research.

• The establishment of Young Crew—a unique, world-spanning community that empowers the next generation of project professionals and continues to be unmatched globally—as well as Special Interest Groups that give specialized communities a voice.

• The digitization of project management practices, from certification systems to event platforms, reducing environmental impact while enhancing global accessibility.

• … culminating in the 34th IPMA World Congress in Berlin, where the global community celebrates the 60th Anniversary and proudly introduces new developments within the IPMA Ecosystem, including the launch of the IPMA Guide on Sustainable Project Management.

Throughout its history, IPMA has built bridges across continents—even during times of political division—upholding inclusivity, diversity, and the exchange of knowledge as its defining values. Its legacy stands firmly on the shoulders of its founding fathers, visionary leaders, and countless contributors across generations.

As we enter the next chapter, the Council reaffirms IPMA’s mission: to orchestrate the project profession for a better world.

The challenges of our time—climate change, digital transformation, demographic shifts, and geopolitical complexity—demand more than technical skills. They require competent leaders who integrate sustainability, ethical conduct, and systems thinking into every project, program, and portfolio.

The ICB4 Reference Guide on Sustainable Project Management (2024) and the new IPMA Guide on Sustainable Project Management, launched at the 34th IPMA World Congress in Berlin, are cornerstones of this journey. They define how projects can align with ESG goals and embed sustainability, diversity, equity, inclusion, and societal value into practice.

Our ongoing Strategy 2030 reinforces IPMA’s leadership in embedding sustainability, digital skills, and diversity into the project profession. IPMA remains committed to advancing partnerships with global institutions, industry, and academia, ensuring that projects are recognized as the most powerful means of delivering sustainable value.

The Council calls on all IPMA Member Associations, partners, and project professionals worldwide to continue building competence as the foundation for a sustainable world. Projects shape societies, industries, and lives. By leading them competently and responsibly, we collectively create the conditions for a better future.

As Prof. Dr. Mladen Vukomanović, IPMA President, emphasized: 

“For 60 years, IPMA has stood as the sole global body of the project profession, guided not by politics or profit, but by competence, ethics, and service to society. The next 60 years must be defined by how we orchestrate projects to foster sustainability and regeneration—for the good of humanity and the planet itself.”

Mr. Joop Schefferlie, Chairman of the IPMA Council of Delegates, added: 

“In honoring our heritage and embracing our responsibility for the future, the Council of Delegates celebrates six decades of discovery and impact—and renews its commitment to empower project professionals everywhere to deliver a sustainable world, with competence.”

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