IICTP Standards & TPBOKhttps://iictp.org/The Technical Practitioner Body of Knowledge. Each item is the full content of one page of the International Insignia of Certified Technical Practitioners website.en© IICTP. All rights reserved. Use is governed by https://iictp.org/termsIICTP site build (scripts/feeds.mjs)https://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification1440Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:57:41 GMThttps://iictp.org/favicon.svgIICTP Standards & TPBOKhttps://iictp.org/TPBOK™: Technical Practitioner Body of Knowledge Guidehttps://iictp.org/standards/tpbokhttps://iictp.org/standards/tpbokMon, 19 Oct 2026 19:57:41 GMTStandardsIICTPCompetence 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.

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.

We will write once, when the Guide is published. This opens your email app to send the request.
IICTP Standard
TPBOK™
The Guide to the Technical Practitioner Body of Knowledge
First edition2027
Coming soon
5Domains
4Levels
1stEdition
2027Planned release

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”.

01

Purpose

Sets out what competent practice looks like in each domain, in plain, testable statements, independent of any vendor or tool.

02

Audience

Engineers who want a path, managers who need a yardstick, and educators and employers who need a common scale.

03

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.

IICTP Standard
TPBOK™
The Guide to the Technical Practitioner Body of Knowledge
First edition2027
The map, in your hands
  1. I
    FoundationsPrinciples, scope and how to read the Guide.
  2. II
    The competence modelThe four levels and how progression is judged.
  3. III
    Architecture & systems designStructure, trade-offs and long-lived design.
  4. IV
    Engineering governance & agile deliveryBuilding, testing, governing and shipping reliably.
  5. V
    Applied AI & emerging techIntegrating new technology into real systems, safely.
  6. VI
    Infrastructure & securityRunning platforms, and the threats and controls around them.
  7. VII
    People leadership in engineeringLeading teams, growing people and owning outcomes.
  8. VIII
    Evidence and assessmentHow competence is shown, scored and renewed.
  9. IX
    Ethics 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.
Part III · Architecture & systems designSample

ARC-3.2Design for failure

Systems are designed so that expected faults degrade service gracefully instead of stopping it.

L1Recognises common failure modes in a given design.
L2Applies established patterns such as retries and timeouts to a component.
L3Designs failure handling across services and justifies the trade-offs.
L4Sets failure-handling standards for an organisation or platform.
Evidence: design review, incident recordTPBOK™ · sample page

Road to release

Four stages to the first edition.

Dates are announced once each stage closes.

  1. 01

    Framework

    Agree the domains, levels and structure.

  2. 02

    Drafting

    Write the nine parts with working groups.

  3. 03

    Public review

    Open the draft for comment from the community.

  4. 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.

Public review

Review the open draft

Read the draft when it opens and comment on any statement.

Register to review
Working groups

Write a domain

Experienced practitioners can join a domain group and help draft and test the statements.

Apply to join

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Something else? Write to the standards team.

Contact the team
When 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.

We will write once, when the Guide is published. This opens your email app to send the request.
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