Standards
Standards developed by ADP
ADP is a multi-standard professional body. SIPC is the first standard; further bodies of knowledge are being co-created with practitioner working groups.
Introduction
ADP develops open professional standards for the international development sector — the bodies of knowledge that underpin certifications, accreditations, and curricula. Standards are co-created with global networks of practitioners and subject-matter experts, examined independently, and published under permissive licences so the field can use, translate, and build on them freely.
This page is the canonical catalogue. It lists the standards ADP currently maintains, the standards under active development, and how new standards are proposed.
Available standards
Social Innovation Practitioner Certification (SIPC)
The flagship credential. SIPC certifies that the holder can analyse social challenges, design and test innovative solutions, and contribute to sustainable social impact through a structured, practice-oriented methodology — the Social Innovation Practice Guide.
- Body of knowledge: The Social Innovation Practice Guide (CC BY 4.0)
- Examination: Administered independently by certN
- Validity: Lifetime
- Status: Live · accepting candidates
Standards in development
The next bodies of knowledge are being scoped by ADP working groups, drawing on practitioner contributions and consultation with educators, funders, and field organisations. Working groups are practitioner-led and open to expressions of interest — see Get involved.
Specific standards in scoping are not announced until a working group has reached a publishable charter. Premature announcement creates expectations that constrain genuine consultation; we’d rather publish a small list of real commitments than a long list of intentions.
If you would like to be notified when a new standard moves to public consultation, email info@adp-international.org with a short note about your area of practice.
How standards are developed
Every ADP standard follows the same five-stage path:
- Charter — a working group of practitioners and subject-matter experts agrees the scope, competencies, and audience for the standard.
- Drafting — the body of knowledge is written, reviewed iteratively, and aligned with adjacent standards in the field.
- Public consultation — the draft is published under an open licence with an explicit feedback window.
- Examination design — assessment items are built and blind-reviewed by an independent panel before being handed to certN.
- Publication and release — the final body of knowledge is published, the credential becomes available, and the changelog opens for the next edition.
For the detail of how these stages map to ADP’s governance — working group composition, conflict-of-interest policy, public consultation periods, sign-off — see Governance.
Propose a standard
If you believe a body of practice in the development sector needs an open standard — and you are willing to contribute to a working group, not just request that one be formed — write to info@adp-international.org. Tell us the audience, the gap you see, and the practitioners and institutions who would benefit. ADP’s standards committee reviews proposals on a rolling basis.