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Coming 2027 · The IICTP standard
The TPBOK™
Guide Standard
Competence is terrain, and this is the map: one vendor-neutral reference for what technology professionals should know and be able to do, across five domains and four levels.
About the Guide
A shared language for technical competence.
The Guide defines the knowledge, skills and evidence that mark each level of practice, so that people, teams and employers mean the same thing by “senior”.
Purpose
Sets out what competent practice looks like in each domain, in plain, testable statements, independent of any vendor or tool.
Audience
Engineers who want a path, managers who need a yardstick, and educators and employers who need a common scale.
Basis for certification
Every IICTP credential is assessed against the Guide. Studying the Guide is studying for the exam, and the reverse.
Inside the Guide
Nine parts, one map.
Part titles and order are provisional. Each part opens with the same template, so every domain reads the same way.
The map, in your hands- IFoundationsPrinciples, scope and how to read the Guide.
- IIThe competence modelThe four levels and how progression is judged.
- IIIArchitecture & systems designStructure, trade-offs and long-lived design.
- IVEngineering governance & agile deliveryBuilding, testing, governing and shipping reliably.
- VApplied AI & emerging techIntegrating new technology into real systems, safely.
- VIInfrastructure & securityRunning platforms, and the threats and controls around them.
- VIIPeople leadership in engineeringLeading teams, growing people and owning outcomes.
- VIIIEvidence and assessmentHow competence is shown, scored and renewed.
- IXEthics and conductThe professional code every holder agrees to.
The competence model
Four levels, one map.
The same terrain, read at four altitudes. Every statement is written at all four levels, so progress in any domain is measured the same way.
How it reads
Every competency, written the same way.
- 1A clear statement. One outcome, in one sentence, with no tool names.
- 2Four level descriptors. What changes in scope, autonomy and judgement from L1 to L4.
- 3Evidence. What an assessor accepts as proof at each level.
ARC-3.2Design for failure
Systems are designed so that expected faults degrade service gracefully instead of stopping it.
| L1 | Recognises common failure modes in a given design. |
|---|---|
| L2 | Applies established patterns such as retries and timeouts to a component. |
| L3 | Designs failure handling across services and justifies the trade-offs. |
| L4 | Sets failure-handling standards for an organisation or platform. |
Road to release
Four stages to the first edition.
Dates are announced once each stage closes.
- 01
Framework
Agree the domains, levels and structure.
- 02
Drafting
Write the nine parts with working groups.
- 03
Public review
Open the draft for comment from the community.
- 04
Publication
Release the first edition, with exams aligned to it.
Take part
Help shape the first edition.
The Guide is written with practitioners. Two ways to contribute before it is published.
Review the open draft
Read the draft when it opens and comment on any statement.
Register to reviewWrite a domain
Experienced practitioners can join a domain group and help draft and test the statements.
Apply to joinWhen will the Guide be published?
The first edition is planned for 2027. The date will be announced here once public review closes.
Will the Guide be free to read?
Professional members get free digital access to the complete Guide. Access for everyone else will be announced before publication. See membership.
How does it relate to the exams?
Each IICTP exam is written against the Guide, and exams are updated whenever a new edition is published. See the ATP® exam.
Is it tied to any vendor or tool?
No. Statements describe outcomes, not products, so they stay valid as tools change.
How often will it be revised?
The Board of Global Standards reviews the TPBOK™ every year and validates the exam question banks. Meet the board.
Find your place on the map.
Leave your email and we will send you the Guide the day it is published.