IICTP MarkIICTP

Program leadership

Program Technical
Practitioner.

For leaders who steer several teams toward one outcome. It proves you can govern scope, dependencies, technical debt and budget across a whole program.

Check your eligibility See the examRSS Feed
  • Case-based exam
  • Timed online exam
  • Valid for 3 years
Sample case briefNot from the exam bank
The situation

Four squads depend on one shared platform team. The release train has slipped twice, the technical debt backlog keeps growing, and next quarter’s budget is fixed.

  • 01What do you protect?
  • 02What do you defer?
  • 03What do you tell the steering group, and why?
Case analysis170 items
170Scenario and case items
210 minExam time
3 yearsValidity
60TDUs per cycle

Who it is for

People accountable for more than one team.

The ATP® and CTP® test how you work inside a team. The PgTP® tests how you run the system of teams.

01

Technical program managers

Hold the plan, the dependencies and the technical judgement across several teams at once.

02

Multi-squad leads

Keep squads aligned on one architecture, one release rhythm and one set of priorities.

03

Principal architects

Carry architecture decisions across system boundaries, and answer for what they cost.

Eligibility

Two requirements, counted in months.

You need both. Not sure where you stand? Check your experience and it counts for you.

48months

Project leadership

Leading the technical delivery of projects. Leading without the title, and regular mentoring or code review, count.

48months

Program-level engineering management

Steering more than one team toward a shared goal, such as a program, a release train or a platform.

The exam

170 cases. 210 minutes.

Scenario and case-analysis items. Each asks for a decision that spans teams, systems and money. It is a timed online exam with an integrity attestation.

Plate 03 · Survey

Exam

Program Technical Practitioner exam

Case analysis across systems, teams and budgets. Judgement at program scale.

Items
170
Time
210 min
Type
Cases
Mode
Timed online exam
  1. 01
    Cross-system scalingHow a design holds up as more systems and teams depend on it.
  2. 02
    Multi-squad governanceDecision rights, cadence and standards across teams.
  3. 03
    Technical debtWhat to carry, what to pay down, and when.
  4. 04
    Budget orchestrationAllocating people and money across a program.
See the path

Path to certification

Five steps, in order.

Each step has one job, and you can see all five before you begin.

  1. 01
    Confirm eligibility48 months of project leadership and 48 months of program-level engineering management.
  2. 02
    PrepareStudy the syllabus with an IICTP Authorized Training Partner, whose instructors hold the credential.
  3. 03
    Sit the exam170 scenario and case-analysis items in 210 minutes, timed online with an integrity attestation.
  4. 04
    Earn the insigniaYour PgTP® is added to the public registry with a verifiable digital badge.
  5. 05
    MaintainEarn 60 TDUs in each three-year cycle, then renew.

Cost

Priced in the open.

Shown in US dollars and rupees. Training fees are set by each Authorized Training Partner and are not included.

FeeMemberNon-member
Exam fee$499₹24,000$649₹32,000
Renewal, every three years$99₹5,500$179₹9,900

Members save $150 on the exam. See membership.

Maintain

Sixty units, every three years.

At least 35 come from education and up to 25 from giving back. The insignia means active competence, not a pass from years ago.

MinimumMaximum

Plate 04 · Signal

Every 3 years

3

Year cycle

Renew by earning 60 TDUs

  • Logged and reviewed
  • Keeps your registry status active
How renewal works

Peers

You do not lead a program alone.

IICTP’s regional chapters are volunteer-led and bring practitioners together. Speaking at a chapter counts towards your TDUs, under giving back.

The team behind the chaptersThe board

Plate 05 · Network

4Chapter cities

Find your chapter

Volunteer-led regional chapters where practitioners meet.

  • Bangalore
  • London
  • Berlin
  • San Francisco
See the chapters

The credentials

Where the PgTP® sits.

Each credential fits a different stage of a career.

ATP®

Foundations

Junior developers, associate PMs and QA leads.

CTP®

Practitioner

Tech leads, engineering managers and senior IT PMs.

You are here

PgTP®

Program

Program managers, multi-squad leads and principal architects.

PfTP®

Portfolio

VPs of engineering, chief architects, CTOs and portfolio directors.

Trust

Checked in public.

Every PgTP® is recorded in the public registry with a signed record that an employer can check without asking you. The exam is written against the TPBOK™ by practising experts, and the standard is set apart from the organizations that sell preparation.

Open a sample recordThe TPBOK™ GuideThe board

PGTP-2023-11928

Sample record · Program

Marcus Chen

Program Technical Practitioner (PgTP®)

Issued
2023
Expires
2026
Focus
Multi-squad alignment
Open this record in the registry

Questions

What people ask before they apply.

Every requirement here is published in the TPBOK™ Guide and on the credential pages.

Do I need the CTP® first?

The published prerequisites for the PgTP® do not list it. What they ask for is experience: 48 months of project leadership and 48 months of program-level engineering management. See the CTP®.

What counts towards those months?

Employed or self-employed technical work counts: jobs, freelance and consulting, open-source maintaining, research software and military or government technical service. Leading without the title, and regular mentoring, count as leadership. Check your experience to see where you stand, month by month.

What if I am just short of a requirement?

You can ask for an equivalency review. The Check your experience page shows how far you are, and has the request link when you are close.

How is the exam different from the CTP®?

It is longer and wider: 170 scenario and case-analysis items in 210 minutes, against 150 and 180 for the CTP®. The questions ask for decisions that span teams, budgets and systems, not one team’s delivery.

How long does the PgTP® last, and how do I renew?

Three years. In each cycle you earn 60 Technical Development Units, log them and submit them for audit. Renewal costs $99 for members and $179 for non-members.

Who can teach the preparation course?

Only licensed Authorized Training Partners. Every instructor must hold the credential and pass an annual Certified IICTP Instructor evaluation. Become a Training Partner.

Lead programs with a standard behind you.

Check where your experience stands, then prepare with an Authorized Training Partner when you are ready.

Check your eligibility See the CTP®

Program Technical Practitioner (PgTP®)