IPMA A - Certificate

IPMA level A is intended for professionals with extensive experience. With the IPMA level A certificate, you can prove that you can independently manage very complex projects, programs, or portfolios.

Requirements

Yes, consult the documents below.

• Project management
• Programme management
• Portfolio management

The entire process (including any repeat steps) must be completed within 18 months of notification. Certification at IPMA level B level is possible in three domains: project, program, and portfolio. 

Exam
Oral exam

Validity certificate
5 years

Costs
Consult our list of rates

Cancel and/or reschedule
Consult our conditions

 

Sign up

Phase 0: Sign up

You apply for an IPMA level A certificate via our portal. Sign up with your personal credentials or create an account if you do not have an account yet.

We do not provide exam training. Training and exam take place separately to guarantee trustworthiness and independence. If you are interested in training with the goal of obtaining an IPMA certificate, you will find a summary of project management training centers on the website of IPMA Nederland (in Dutch). You can also take a look at the validation (in Dutch) of our former applicants of educators.

Phase 1: Intake interview

After registration, there will be an intake interview with two assessors. On the basis of this interview, the assessors will decide whether IPMA level A is the right course for the applicant

Phase 2: Submission of 3 documents

You start by submitting the Experience document, Executive summary report, and Self-assessment. Two reviews are taking place. After submitting, the IPMA backoffice will check your submitted documents on the eligibility criteria. Once the three documents have been submitted and approved, a final decision will be made by two assessors.

A final decision will be made by two assesssors. After approval, you have completed phase 1 and you can proceed to phase 2: The theoretical exam.

Explanation of documents

Experience document   

Executive summary report   

 

Phase 2: Report

In the report, you give a description of a project in which you demonstrate that you have all IPMA level B-competencies. In the report, you broach the subject of the background of the project (cause, aimed result, stakeholders, duties), as well as the challenges of the project and a retrospect on your performance. The report needs to be drafted according to a special template. In the explanation entry instruction, you will read exactly what information to submit. Both documents are available upon request via the form below.

Phase 3: Assessment interview

The assessment is an interview of 2 hours with two assessors. Your competencies will be tested by means of the documents submitted. Please bring the following items to the assessment:

• A document describing the project/program portfolio, project plan, project management plan, plan of approach, project initiation document (PID), or quotation.
• A document demonstrating your approach of the risks and uncertainties; a risk register, a risk and opportunities list, a risk log, an issue log, a risk database, etcetera.
• A document demonstrating how you handle changes; a change list, VtW-database, a changelog, change proposal file, etcetera
• Documentation demonstrating the process of decision-making in and about your project/program portfolio, reports of the steering committee meeting, project management meeting, meetings with the project executive, managerial meetings etcetera.
• Documentation which states how you concluded the project/program portfolio, completion report, project assessment, discharge statement, lessons learned report, close-out report, etcetera.
• The assessors may request additional documentation, depending on the content of your Executive summary. All information is kept confidential by IPMA Certification and assessors. All assessors have signed a confidentiality agreement. If, despite our security measures, you still have reservations please contact us.

The inclusion of documentation is not a requirement but will help you substantiate your project management experience. Inability to hand over documentation does not lead to rejection. The lack of any kind of evidence can, however, lead to rejection. You can bring your documentation in hardcopy or digital format.