Standard development is a critical process for IPMA. IPMA issued a taskforce “IPMA Standard Technical Committee” to improve procedure, governance structures and product management of all IPMA standards and integrate lean development principles.

The standard management needs to ensure that each new standards meet specific quality and consistency criteria and is capable to keep IPMA as a leading innovator in the field of project management standards.

It involves a series of steps that bring together experts, stakeholders, and industry leaders to create guidelines that drive innovation and maintain high standards. In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, it is also essential to incorporate emerging trends such as sustainable project management, agility, and artificial intelligence (AI) and others into standard development.

Understanding Standard Development

Standard development is a systematic approach to updating and creating guidelines that define the quality, safety, and efficiency of IPMA standards and the related products and services. These standards are essential for ensuring interoperability, enhancing customer satisfaction, and fostering global trade. As industries evolve, so too must the standards that guide them, incorporating new methodologies and technologies to stay relevant and effective.

Key Steps in Standard Development

1. Needs Assessment: Identifying the need for a new standard or revising an existing one. This involves gathering input from stakeholders, industry experts, and consumers, and recognizing emerging trends that could impact the industry.
2. Research and Analysis: Conducting thorough research to understand the current state of the industry and the gaps that the standard aims to fill. This includes analyzing trends such as sustainability, agility, and AI to ensure the standard is forward-thinking.
3. Drafting: Collaborating with a team of experts to draft the standard. This includes defining technical specifications, performance criteria, and compliance requirements, while integrating modern practices and technologies.
4. Review and Consultation: Sharing the draft with stakeholders for feedback. This step ensures that the standard is practical, comprehensive, and meets the needs of all parties involved, including those advocating for new trends.
5. Approval and Publication: Finalizing the standard after incorporating feedback and obtaining approval from relevant authorities. The standard is then published and made available to the industry.
6. Implementation and Maintenance: Supporting the adoption of the standard through training, resources, and ongoing monitoring. Regular updates are made to keep the standard relevant and effective, especially as new trends emerge.

Current IPMA main standards

1. Individual Competence Baseline (ICB4): The ICB4 is the world’s only competence-driven project management standard and the heart of IPMA standards. It provides a comprehensive framework for assessing and developing individual competencies in project management, program management and project portfolio management.
2. Organizational Competence Baseline (OCB): Targeted at all types of organizations, including profit and non-profit entities, governments, and NGOs, the OCB helps organizations enhance their project management capabilities and achieve strategic objectives.
3. Project Excellence Baseline (PEB): The PEB offers guidance for evaluating projects and is used for all IPMA Awards. It focuses on achieving excellence in project outcomes and processes.
4. Research Excellence Baseline (REB): The REB is designed to promote excellence in project management-related research work. It provides a framework for conducting high-quality research that contributes to the advancement of the field.

In addition to these main standards IPMA has launched a set of innovative standards based on ICB4 to highlight IPMAs capabilities of reacting to the need of the project management community.

1. ICB4 in an Agile World: This supplement integrates agile methodologies and frameworks, especially agile leadership competences, enhancing flexibility and responsiveness in project management.
2. ICB for Consultants, Coaches and Trainers: Tailored for professionals who support project managers and organizations, this supplement provides guidelines for effective consulting, coaching, and training practices.
3. ICB for PMO: Focused on Project Management Offices, this supplement outlines competencies required to manage and support executives to align all project oriented work (project portfolios, programs, projects) with the strategic targets of the organization.
4. ICB for Project Planners: This supplement offers specific competencies for project planners, emphasizing detailed planning, scheduling, and resource management.
5. ICB for Sustainable Project Management: Integrating sustainability principles, this supplement guides project managers in implementing environmentally and socially responsible practices. Ensuring that projects and its output are aligned with the ESG strategy of the organization.

Challenges in Standard Development

Developing standards is not without its challenges. Balancing the diverse needs of stakeholders, keeping up with trends and needs of the project manager community, and ensuring global applicability are some of the hurdles that standard developers face. However, overcoming these challenges is crucial for creating robust and effective standards that incorporate the latest trends and technologies.

The standard development process has to consider managing the expectations and navigate complexity in the large IPMA family, especially the project professionals who want to get an advantage for their daily work and the IPMA Member Associations which are in direct regular contact with the local market players This process is impacted by expectations, politics, and diverse national contexts, as they bring forward unique market realities, maturity levels, culture, and certification priorities. Aligning these varied expectations during the development or update of a standard requires proactive engagement, transparency, and strong facilitation.

The COD represents a critical governance layer, and its involvement brings both strength and complexity to the process. Ensuring broad consensus without losing momentum can be challenging, especially when innovation demands bold moves that, and in some cases, the lack of them is due to that same pressure of these governance layers that prevent change at a large scale or in a small period of time.

Managing perception is just as important as managing content. Even when changes are technically sound, the perceived implications on certification systems, national adaptations, or strategic positioning of MAs can create friction. IPMA is a global community of project professionals which always aim to consider multi-cultural collaboration and solutions. That is why we need to focus on communication, trust-building, and expectation management and consider them to be integral components of the standard development journey. IPMA standard projects have to reflect that global work attitude across borders, cultures, gender, age and religions.

The Impact of Standards

Standards play a vital role in shaping industries and driving progress. They provide a common language for businesses, enhance product quality, and ensure safety. By adhering to standards, companies can improve their competitiveness and contribute to a sustainable future. Incorporating trends such as sustainability, agility, and AI into standards ensures that they remain relevant and drive innovation.

Standard development is a dynamic and collaborative process that requires dedication and expertise. It is the backbone of quality assurance and innovation, ensuring that products and services meet the highest standards. As we continue to advance, the importance of standards in fostering growth and maintaining excellence cannot be overstated. By embracing emerging trends and leveraging the current IPMA Standards, we can ensure that standards not only keep pace with change but also drive it, leading to a more sustainable, agile, and intelligent future.

Taskforce IPMA Technical Committee (ISTC)

In July 2024 IPMA has established a Taskforce focusing on the management of all IPMA standards and their updates and the development of new standards. Currently Emma-Ruth Arnaz-Pemberton (UK), Irina Bolognesi (Italy), Maria Socorro García Cascales (Spain), Jorge Karica (Panama), Lixiong Ou (China), Gholamreza Safakish (Iran) and Peter Pürckhauer (Germany, Chairman) are assigned to the ISTC team.

ICB 5 is coming

Now we’ve started the next big journey – the development of ICB 5! IPMA most recognized global standard will again show the leading role of IPMA in the project management community. The new ICB 5 will describe the competences a project professional should have to drive the future.

We are shaping the future!