Possibilities of Applying International Project Management Standards PMBOK and IPMA ICB4 in a Remote Team Environment

The growing number of remote workers worldwide gives rise to new issues and challenges. This article examines the potential of applying the international project management standards PMBOK 8th edition and IPMA ICB4 to address the challenges arising in organizing the remote work of project teams. The objective of the study is to comprehensively analyze the feasibility of applying international project management standards, in particular PMBOK and ICB4, to adapt project management to the conditions of remote project teams. The research methodology includes an analysis of scientific literature, a comparative analysis of standards, and a synthesis of the obtained results. The study identified such key challenges of the remote work format as a lack of self-organization and ineffective planning in managing personal work processes; decrease in motivation and engagement; lack of emotional connection with the team and control over the team's state; emotional burnout due to blurred boundaries between work and personal life; misunderstandings and conflicts in communication; management distrust of remote employees; threats to cybersecurity and privacy. Based on an analysis of the international standards PMBOK and ICB4, principles, areas of activity, and competencies that can be used to adapt a project team to remote work were identified. The comparative analysis revealed that the standards are not mutually exclusive or duplicative, but rather have the potential to complement each other in addressing project management challenges in a remote team environment. The presence of overlapping points (stakeholder management, focus on results, leadership, and risk management) indicates conceptual unity and creates a basis for the combined use of the standards. The results demonstrate that PMBOK and IPMA ICB4 can complement each other in addressing the challenges of remote work.