IICTI Certified Programme Manager

Holders demonstrate that they can apply and evaluate programme vision, blueprint and strategic alignment, programme governance, tranches and decision rights, benefits realisation management at programme scale and interdependency and integrated programme planning, plus 7 further areas, in realistic professional scenarios, as defined in the AQSCERT scheme for Programme Manager.

Who it is for: Professionals working, or preparing to work, in project management roles.

1. 01Programme vision, blueprint and strategic alignment10% of the exam

   • Design a programme vision and target operating model blueprint that is traceable to organisational strategy.
   • Scope: MSP 5th edition vision and target operating model, capability-based planning, strategy-to-execution traceability, ISO 21503 programme management guidance.
2. 02Programme governance, tranches and decision rights10% of the exam

   • Architect programme governance structures, tranches and decision rights that balance control with delivery agility.
   • Scope: Tranche design and end-of-tranche reviews, programme boards and SRO accountability, delegated tolerances, integrated assurance and approval plans, three lines model.
3. 03Benefits realisation management at programme scale13% of the exam

   • Evaluate benefits realisation across projects and operational change, and hold owners accountable for measurable outcomes.
   • Scope: Benefits maps and profiles, measurement baselines, attribution and double-counting avoidance, benefits realisation plans, post-programme benefits ownership and HM Treasury Green Book principles.
4. 04Interdependency and integrated programme planning11% of the exam

   • Analyse and manage interdependencies between component projects to protect programme-level outcomes.
   • Scope: Cross-project dependency mapping, integrated master schedules, critical path across workstreams, resource contention, design authority and change control across components.
5. 05Programme risk, issue and complexity management10% of the exam

   • Evaluate aggregated programme risk and complexity, and design proportionate responses and contingency strategies.
   • Scope: Aggregated and systemic risk, risk interdependency, quantitative programme risk analysis, Cynefin and complexity-aware approaches, contingency pooling and escalation.
6. 06Business change and transition management9% of the exam

   • Lead the transition of new capabilities into business operations so that change is embedded and sustained.
   • Scope: Business change managers, readiness assessments, transition planning and cutover, capability embedding, organisational design impacts, resistance and adoption metrics.
7. 07Programme financial management and funding models8% of the exam

   • Design programme funding and financial control mechanisms that support staged investment decisions.
   • Scope: Programme business case, staged funding, capex/opex treatment, cost aggregation, lean and participatory budgeting, value-stream funding, financial controls and reporting.
8. 08Multi-supplier and partner ecosystem management7% of the exam

   • Lead a multi-supplier delivery ecosystem with clear accountability, integration and commercial control.
   • Scope: Service integration (SIAM), multi-vendor contract strategy, partner governance, commercial risk allocation, performance regimes and supplier exit planning.
9. 09Scaled agile and hybrid programme delivery7% of the exam

   • Evaluate and design scaled agile or hybrid delivery models suited to a programme's context and constraints.
   • Scope: SAFe 6 Agile Release Trains and PI planning, LeSS, portfolio Kanban, integrating agile teams with stage-gated components, OKRs and flow metrics.
10. 10Programme stakeholder leadership and communications8% of the exam

    • Lead stakeholder engagement and communications across a complex, multi-organisation programme environment.
    • Scope: Stakeholder ecosystem mapping, senior executive and political engagement, narrative and change communications, public sector accountability and transparency.
11. 11Programme assurance, health checks and recovery7% of the exam

    • Diagnose programme health using independent assurance and lead reset, recovery or closure decisions.
    • Scope: Gateway reviews (e.g. IPA Gateway), delivery confidence assessment, independent assurance, programme reset and recovery, closure and lessons learned.

Question types

Single choice 100%

Delivery

Online (remote proctored), Test centre, On-site (corporate)

Retakes

Up to three attempts within any 12-month period. A 14-day waiting period applies after a first unsuccessful attempt and 30 days after a second. Each retake requires a new booking and fee. Retakes draw a different randomised form from the question bank.

Provisional cut score — psychometric validation is required before live delivery. Blueprint v1.0.

1. 1

   Register

   Create a free account and start the programme.

2. 2

   Practice

   Online practice test (coming soon).

3. 3

   Training

   Optional

   Online course or classroom — or skip it.

4. 4

   Certification

   Independent exam and certification decision.

Training is optional and does not by itself confer certification. Find a training partner