Confirm your competence with an IPMA® project management certificate!
The IPMA® 4-L-C certification system is based on the IPMA® Individual Competence Baseline –
ICB standard, version 4.0, developed by the international organisation International Project
Management Association (IPMA®). ICB4 is the international competence standard for project,
programme and portfolio managers.
The ICB defines 29 elements of competence (CE, Competence Elements) required of the
modern project manager. CE form the Eye of Competence.
These competences are defined in the following areas:
Perspective
the initiatives you are leading: the context in which the initiative is taking place and the link to what needs to be achieved.
People
how to interact with the people around you and with yourself.
Practice
of our work: needed to manage projects, programmes and portfolios.
We present the standard of individual competences in the Polish version for Project
Management.
ICB4 sets the standard for three domains: the Project, the Programme and the Portfolio.
The IPMA® level definitions are defined according to the following key criteria:
There are 3 domains in the IPMA® 4-L-C system: project, programme and portfolio. In these 3
domains, projects have 4 levels (A, B, C and D); programme and portfolio have 2 levels (A and
B) respectively.
| Domain | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Project | Programme | Portfolio |
|
IPMA Level A® |
Certified Project Director | Certified Programme Director | Certified Portfolio Director |
|
IPMA Level B® |
Certified Senior Project Manager | Certified Senior Programme Manager | Certified Senior Portfolio Manager |
|
IPMA Level C® |
Certified Project Manager | ||
|
IPMA Level D® |
Certified Project Management Associate | ||
| Certification Process | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Criteria | Application | Assessment | |||
| IPMA Level A® | Knowledge, Skills and Abilities | Application form, CV, Summary report, Self-assessment, Persons providing references | Report | Workshop/ Role-play and/or individual interview | Final assessment | |
| IPMA Level B® | Exam | Report | ||||
| IPMA Level C® | Exam | |||||
| IPMA Level D® | Knowledge | Application form, Self-assessment | Exam | |||
IPMA® A/B/C/D certificates are valid for 5 years.
No membership or training is required to take the IPMA® 4-L-C certification.
The IPMA Polska Certification Office ensures equal treatment of all candidates and does not discriminate in any way on the basis of skin colour, origin, sexual orientation, disability or other personal characteristics. Individuals with special needs that may affect the examination and/or certification process (e.g. due to a mobility or other disability) have the opportunity to apply for an adaptation of the examination conditions by contacting the Certification Office by email at cert@ipma.pl.
- Any participant in the certification process has the right to make a complaint for
non-performance or inadequate performance of the service, in particular:
- carrying out the certification process in a substantive, methodical or organisational manner that does not comply with the IPMA® -4-L-C certification rules.
- A complaint should be sent to the Director of the IPMA Polska CERT Office by e-mail to: cert@ipma.pl within 30 days of the examination date.
- The complaint must contain a detailed description of the extent of the non-compliance or other circumstances justifying it.
- The Office of CERT IPMA Polska shall consider the complaint within 30 working days from the date of its receipt. If the complaint cannot be handled within this time. The Office of CERT IPMA Polska shall notify the person filing a complaint of the reasons for the delay and the expected time frame for handling the complaint.
- If the lodged complaint is found to be reasonable, the Candidate is entitled to:
- partial or full reimbursement of certification costs,
- the possibility of retaking an exam of the same scope on a pre-arranged date.
- Violation of the terms and conditions of the complaint procedure shall result in the invalidity of the complaint lodged.
The Strategic Management of CERT IPMA Polska (KS CERT for short) focuses on the definition and development of the certification system within the Certification Body. It also oversees the quality management and continuous improvement of the Certification Body. The Strategic Management ensures independent consideration of the case in the event of appeals by applicants, candidates and certificate holders. The Strategic Management appoints an appeals committee to decide on appeals and oversee the complaint and grievance management process.
The Strategic Management of CERT IPMA Polska has overarching responsibility for:
Supervision and evaluation of the certification and the system in accordance with the principles set out in the IPMA® guidelines, relevant competence standards and other relevant documents; Formulation of rules (including economic and financial policies) related to the activities of the Certification Body in relation to the 4-L-C system and its marketing; Appointment of committees (e.g. Programme Committee) and delegating authority to any committees and persons taking certain actions on behalf of the Certification Body.
The KS CERT for the 2020-2024 term consists of:
- Ewa Zawadzka – Chair of KS CERT IPMA Polska
- Joanna Rzempała – Member of KS CERT
- Łukasz Sienkiewicz – Member of KS CERT
- Mirosław Miśkiewicz – Member of KS CERT
- Magdalena Pieńkos – Member of KS CERT
- Leszek Staśto – Member of KS CERT
- Krzysztof Witkowski – Member of KS CERT
The Programme Committee makes recommendations on the development and maintenance of
the certification programme for each type of certification considered. Programme Committee:
- It identifies stakeholders and determines who can represent their positions and interests on the Programme Committee, and collects, collates and prioritises stakeholders’ strategic requirements for current and any future certification programmes;
- It reviews the National Competency Guidelines with appropriate frequency, prepares analyses and proposals for job/practice requirements (Annex A of ISO/IEC 17024) and forwards them to the management for decision-making;
- It supports the management in activities related to updating and revising the IPMA Competency Guidelines (ICB);
- It reviews key certification documents with appropriate frequency and communicates changes to the management for decision-making;
- It communicates further suggestions for improving the certification programme to the management;
- It communicates the programme committee’s annual action plan to the management and implements this plan;
- It communicates proposals in response to suggestions received from the management.
The Programme Committee of CERT IPMA Polska consists of:
Chairman: Wojciech Jarosz
Committee members:
- Andrzej Gajewski
- Prof. Jerzy Kisielnicki, PhD
- Zygmunt Krasiński
- Artur Marsy
- Miroslaw Miśkiewicz
- Prof. of Economics Seweryn Spałek, Eng.
- Prof. Jacek Strojny
- Prof. Michał Trocki, PhD
- Mateusz Trzeciak, PhD, Eng.
- Prof. Piotr Wachowiak
- Piotr Zinkiewicz
The Appeals Board deals with application submitted by applicants, candidates or certified persons to reconsider any unfavourable decisions made by the Certification Body and related to their desired certification outcome. Appeals shall be considered in an independent and impartial manner. The members of the appeal committee must not be persons who were involved in the contested decision.
The Appeals Board consists of:
- Andrzej Irzycki – Asesor CERT IPMA Polska
- Janusz Jemioła – Asesor CERT IPMA Polska
The CERT IPMA Polska office focuses on the responsible, ongoing application of the IPMA certification system to applicants, candidates and certificate holders.
The management of CERT IPMA Polska has overarching responsibility for:
- Certification decisions (granting, renewal and revocation of certificates, appointment of assessors, appointment of candidate assessors, etc.).
- Implementation of policies and procedures and making suggestions for improvement.
- Ensuring accurate and timely responses to the annual CVMB questionnaire needed to prepare the Certification Yearbook.
- Payment of 4-L-C contract dues to IPMA.
- Contracting, invoicing, handling other payments and accounting for CERT IPMA Polska.
CERT IPMA Polska periodically reviews its quality management system to improve and further develop the certification through the use of annual internal and management audits. Certification programme development processes include a periodic analysis of PM job/practice requirements by the programme committee, which occurs at least once every five years, preceding the validation or revalidation process as outlined in ISO 17024:2003.
The CERT IPMA Polska assessors are high-level project management practitioners who, in
addition to their professionalism in project, programme and portfolio management, have
demonstrated that:
- They are perfectly familiar with the 4-L-C IPMA® certification system;
- They have a thorough knowledge of the documents required for the certification process and the
methods used to assess candidates; - Hold an IPMA® certificate at the time of appointment (does not apply to First Assessors)
- They received a recommendation from their own assessors
- They are characterised by continuous professional development
- They regularly participate in training courses organised by the IPMA Polska CERT Office
CERT IPMA
Polska assessors are appointed to this role by the Management of CERT IPMA Polska.
The assessors of CERT IPMA Polska are obliged to:
- Comply with all rules, procedures and regulations for carrying out the certification needed to maintain its impartiality and confidentiality
- Actively avoid any conflicts of interest
- Evaluate all applicants and candidates objectively and impartially
Assessors assess the candidate’s competences on the basis of one or more assessment
methods, such as: the candidate’s application documents, oral statements and presentations, the candidate’s use of skills in practice, their own observations of the candidate’s behaviour. They request that the certificate be granted/not granted or that the certificate be re-granted/refused.
The following Assessors are currently working with CERT IPMA Polska:
- Andrzej Irzycki
- Wojciech Jarosz
- Janusz Jemioła
- Henryk Majchrzak
- Miroslaw Miśkiewicz
- Joanna Rzempała
- Łukasz Sienkiewicz
- Leszek Staśto
- Rafał Szymański
- Jerzy Szpila
- Krzysztof Witkowski
NOTE: The CERT IPMA Polska office is continuously recruiting Certification Assessors and is looking for people who are project management practitioners, but who are also willing and able to share their knowledge and impartially assess the competence of others. Participation in IPMA® certification sessions gives Assessors the opportunity to establish extensive contacts in various industries, get to know high-profile project managers, interesting projects and learn about and contribute to a certification system of international importance. If you are interested in working with IPMA Polska and entering on this career path, please contact the CERT Office.