IPMA PMO study guide
IPMA PMO · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The IPMA PMO credential sits inside the IPMA ecosystem of awards and standards rather than being a conventional multiple-choice exam. IPMA describes itself as having led the discipline of project management since 1965 and as a federation of leading national project management associations, present in over 70 countries. Its competence architecture is published as the IPMA ICB® for individuals, IPMA PEB® for projects, IPMA OCB® for organisations, ICB4CCT® for coaches, consultants and trainers, and ICB4 in an Agile World® for agile leaders. The IPMA Global Individual Awards celebrate professionals demonstrating outstanding leadership, competence and impact in project management, agile leadership, sustainability and PMO leadership, across six award categories. Topics on this exam: PMO leadership, Project, programme and portfolio management competences (IPMA ICB®), Organisational competences (IPMA OCB®), and Project excellence (IPMA PEB®). The IPMA PMO study guide has 4 sections and about 1,299 words.
01PMO Leadership
The PMO leadership domain tests whether you can position a PMO as a value-creating organisational function rather than an administrative service. Questions probe mandate, operating model, service design, influence without authority, governance interfaces and evidence of outcomes.
346 words, about 2 min02Project, Programme and Portfolio Management Competences (IPMA ICB4)
This domain tests the IPMA Individual Competence Baseline (ICB4) view of project, programme and portfolio management competence. You need to apply the 29 competences across Perspective, People and Practice, and distinguish competence from knowledge.
319 words, about 2 min03Organisational Competences (IPMA OCB)
Organisational competences (IPMA OCB) shift the lens from the individual to the enterprise. The exam tests how an organisation governs projects, programmes and portfolios, how its management systems align, and how the PMO helps build durable organisational capability.
324 words, about 2 min04Project Excellence (IPMA PEB)
Project excellence (IPMA PEB) tests whether you can assess project excellence systematically. PEB is an EFQM-derived model with enabler criteria and results criteria, used for self-assessment and improvement, not just award submissions.
310 words, about 2 min