IPMA introduces a scheme for determining continuing professional development hours (CPDs)

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a personal commitment made by a project professional to:

  • keep up to date with trends
  • expand professional capabilities
  • improve job performance by learning new information, skills, attitudes and behaviours using various sources and approaches and applying them in their
  • professional career
  • prepare for professional IPMA certification/re-certification (according to ICR4.1, min. 35 CPD hours/year through 5 years)

IPMA asks from certified project professionals at least 35 hours’ evidence of CPD per annum
To facilitate monitoring and assessing progress for both individuals and member associations and their certification bodies, IPMA has developed a scheme with a set of activities and recommended values for determining hours of continuing professional development.

The scheme is endorsed by the IPMA Executive Board and the Certification and Validation Management Board and can be additionally tailored according to the needs of the national Certification Bodies.

This is how IPMA sees your CPD journey in project management:

a/ non-formal CPD activities – requires separate elaboration and self-reflection

Recommended values
Discussion panels, self-learning (TV, Internet etc.), book reading, interaction with PM special interest groups, simulations, games etc. up to 15 CPDs
(detailed elaboration and clarification for the MA needed)
Professional work such as: working in the field of Project Management, Management etc.
Registering for IPMA/MA newsletters 5
Membership in the MA/IPMA 5

b/ formal CPD activities

non-IPMA IPMA (incl. Member Associations)
Conferences and Events
Conference Attendance:
One-day workshops & seminars, forums, etc. 0.7/h 1/h
PM conference (min. 2 days) 8 10
Annual PM conference (min. 2 days) 12 15
IPMA Events and Regional Conferences (Diversity, NORDNET, SENET, LATNET, ASIANET etc.)* n/a 15
Global Conferences (IPMA World Congress and Research Conference, IPMA SIG Conferences, other congresses)* 15 20
Active attendance in events:
Poster 1 2
Presentation 2 4
Plenary/Panel 4 7
Keynote 7 10
Moderator/facilitator 5 8
non-IPMA IPMA
Education & Training (non-formal): CPD – non-REG partners CPD – IPMA REG partners
Attending 1/h 1.5/h
Delivering 2/h/ per competence 3/h/ per competence
Formal qualifications from Education: CPD – non-REG partners CPD – IPMA REG partners
Bachelor Diploma in PM area 12 15
Master diploma in PM area 17 20
PhD in PM area 22 25
Volunteering (hours per year): non-IPMA IPMA
Local PM Associations, Local SIGs 3 5
Global PM Associations, International SIGs etc. 5 7
Publications:
Journal paper, blog post, case study etc. 5
Research journal paper in international journals or proceedings, book chapter etc. 7
Book in the PM field (authored or edited) 10 15
You can read more about IPMA Continuing Professional Development here
You can read more about IPMA CPD register & Proof of Participation and digital badges here

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