IPMA Level C study plan
IPMA Level C · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Perspective (ICB4 competence area: context, governance, strategy, compliance, power and interest, culture) & Competence-based assessment (IPMA 4-L-C assessment of demonstrated competences)
Map each of the six Perspective competences (context, governance, strategy, compliance, power and interest, culture) to at least two concrete project situations from your own experience
Draft a one-page summary of how the IPMA 4-L-C assessment judges demonstrated competences versus recalled knowledge
Define a personal evidence log template with columns for competence indicator, situation, action, result, and reflection
List the ten highest-weight indicators you expect to be probed on at Level C and rank them by your current confidence
Your checkpoint
A completed competence-to-evidence map covering all six Perspective competences, each with two example situations
Perspective (ICB4 competence area: context, governance, strategy, compliance, power and interest, culture)
Analyse how organisational strategy and governance structures constrain and enable project decisions in three case scenarios you write yourself
Differentiate compliance obligations (legal, regulatory, internal policy) and describe the escalation path for each in a sample project
Assess stakeholder power and interest for a project of your choice and derive an engagement strategy per quadrant
Explain how organisational and national culture shapes communication, risk tolerance, and decision speed, citing two contrasting examples
Your checkpoint
A 1,500-word written Perspective case analysis with a stakeholder power/interest matrix and an engagement plan
People (ICB4 competence area: personal and social competences)
Self-assess against the People competence indicators and record a confidence rating with justification for each
Write five behavioural examples (situation, action, result) demonstrating leadership, teamwork, and conflict resolution
Practise giving and receiving structured feedback in two role-play conversations and note what changed in your approach
Identify three personal strengths and three development gaps, each paired with a specific improvement action
Your checkpoint
A People evidence portfolio containing at least five written behavioural examples with self-ratings
People (ICB4 competence area: personal and social competences) & Competence-based assessment (IPMA 4-L-C assessment of demonstrated competences)
Rehearse answering behavioural interview questions aloud, timing each response to 90-120 seconds
Refine your weakest three People examples using a STAR structure and remove any topic-only statements
Cross-check each People example against the assessment criteria and mark where evidence is thin
Draft a personal development plan with measurable 6-month objectives for the identified gaps
Your checkpoint
A recorded mock interview of at least six behavioural questions with a written self-critique and revised answers
Practice (ICB4 competence area: technical project management competences)
Build a full project plan for a small realistic case, including scope baseline, WBS, schedule, cost estimate, and resource plan
Design a risk register with at least ten risks scored by probability and impact, each with a response owner
Construct a stakeholder communication plan and a change control procedure for the same case
Produce a progress report with earned value metrics and interpret the variances in plain language
Your checkpoint
A complete Practice case pack: plan, WBS, schedule, risk register, communication plan, and one earned-value progress report
Practice (ICB4 competence area: technical project management competences) & Competence-based assessment (IPMA 4-L-C assessment of demonstrated competences)
Explain how each Practice deliverable from week 5 would be evidenced and questioned in a competence assessment
Practise justifying planning decisions under challenge, giving the rationale and the trade-offs considered
Review quality, procurement, and benefits-realisation elements and add the missing artefacts to your case pack
Summarise lessons learned from the case and state what you would do differently
Your checkpoint
A revised case pack with a written defence document answering ten likely assessor challenge questions
Perspective (ICB4 competence area: context, governance, strategy, compliance, power and interest, culture) & People (ICB4 competence area: personal and social competences) & Practice (ICB4 competence area: technical project management competences)
Integrate evidence across all three competence domains into a single coherent portfolio narrative
Complete two timed full-length mock exams and score each domain separately
Diagnose the two lowest-scoring indicator clusters and rewrite the related evidence entries
Rehearse a 10-minute self-presentation of your project experience for an assessor panel
Your checkpoint
Two scored mock exam results with a written gap analysis and targeted remediation list
Competence-based assessment (IPMA 4-L-C assessment of demonstrated competences)
Consolidate the full evidence portfolio and verify every entry has situation, action, result, and reflection
Run a final mock assessment session covering all four domains and record the outcome against each criterion
Close remaining gaps from the week 7 analysis and confirm each remediation action is complete
Prepare logistics, identification, and a personal summary sheet for assessment day
Your checkpoint
A submission-ready evidence portfolio plus a completed final mock assessment scorecard across all four domains
Milestones
Week 2: All six Perspective competences have at least two written evidence entries and you can explain each in under two minutes without notes
Week 4: People portfolio holds five or more STAR-structured examples, and a recorded mock interview shows responses within 90-120 seconds with no topic-only answers
Week 6: Practice case pack is complete with all required artefacts and you can defend planning decisions against ten challenge questions
Week 8: Two mock exams scored by domain, all identified gaps closed, and the evidence portfolio passes a full self-audit against the assessment criteria