Rebles Guide to PM

1. What’s The Future of Project Management in 2025 and beyond?

   

   What is the future of project management? Let’s look ahead and see what the next 10 years will bring for project management software, jobs, and the role itself.

   Does project management have a future?

   If you're asking yourself if project management has a future, then I think you might be asking the wrong question! The question is: what kind of future is it going to be for project professionals?

   The project management role isn't going anywhere. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs report 2023 predicts a growth in project management jobs. It's a key role for business transformation, and there's no signs of that stopping any time soon. If you're in Indonesia or Malaysia, the outlook's even better!

   More and more knowledge work being run in a projectized way, which means more and more people doing project management as part of their day job.

   So will we need ‘professional’ project managers in the future? People who just do managing projects?

   We will. There will always be complex and complicated projects that need a steady hand and a particular set of skills to bring to a successful delivery.

   As the business environment gets more and more global, digitalized, uncertain and fast, companies need to quickly adapt and bring services and products to market. Project managers are the people who can make that happen.

   

   Future of project management: Jobs

   PMI says that by 2027 employers will need nearly 88 million people in project-related roles. The global demand for project managers is increasing.

   That's a stat widely used in the past few years, but job ads and the market, and my mentoring clients, and other research... it's all pointing in the same direction.

   The role of the project manager has long been shifting away from someone who can tick off tasks as complete on a Gantt chart and towards a strategic leadership position for effecting change in an organization.

   Project managers still provide an irreplaceably human combination of leadership, integration of specialists, and ethical behaviour.

   ~ Arup, Future of Project Management report

   We are a long way from the death of project management.

   Hybrid project management (or how we always did it)

   One of the project management trends we are seeing is the acceptance that a tailored approach is the way forward. In other words, we don't need to label it as hybrid project management, 'wagile' or 'agifall' or flexible project management or anything else.

   Tailoring the approach that you use is professional judgement and is what project managers have done for ages. It’s certainly something I’ve used: for example ongoing iterations for development with significant customer involvement in the deliverables at all stages, but managed within a waterfall governance structure and life cycle.

   Frankly, hybrid isn’t new. We don't need to call it anything specific to know that tailoring an approach to best fit the needs of the project is good thing.

   Having said that, the perceived rise of hybrid project management is good news because:

   • Projects are more complex than ever
   • They involve many more individuals: more than could comfortably fit in a multi-skilled Scrum team
   • Most large organizations aren’t geared up to run their whole operation in an agile way.

   The future of project management needs to be more agile. According to research by IPMA, only 47% of organizations are using agile approaches for delivery.

   And we wonder why we can’t respond to change fast enough.

   The future is flexible

   The way we run projects has been evolving since we started out formalizing how work gets done in a project setting.

   As our environment gets more complex, uncertain and – dare I say it, political – we’ll need more and more tools to help deliver projects in that kind of environment.

   For example, project managers need to respond to:

   • Stakeholders with shorter attention spans
   • Stakeholders with competing demands on their time
   • Complex and unknown technical situations
   • Complex and unknown geopolitical and socio-political situations
   • Higher staff turnover (no such thing as a job for life any more)
   • Greater demands being put on management teams
   • Collaborative contracting and partnering with suppliers
   • Increasingly complex regulation and governance.

   Project managers need options that will help them deliver. And that means being able to choose from predictive, iterative and hybrid ways of delivering the work and blending what works to get the best results.

   The future of project management relies on more professional judgement and fewer textbook answers.

   Project management software: The next generation

   The future of project management software is interesting. I review a lot of PM software tools and there are companies now making massive leaps into integrating big data, automations, machine learning, AI and more into the way they collate, present and make it possible to use large data sets.

   [lasso id="22755" link_id="300126" ref="crozdesk"]

   Here are some considerations for future technology – project management style.

   4 themes for the future of project management software

   • Artificial intelligence
   • Mobile working
   • Anti-workaholism

   AI

   AI is already a feature in some project management tools and robotic processing will help automate routine PMO tasks. According to Deloitte, 70% of organizations are exploring or using AI.

   Current statistics on AI in project management show that this is a growing area and the challenge for us as project leaders is that it's important to know how to work effectively with the tools that we have available.

   Tools like Tom's Planner, RAIDLOG, Nimble and enterprise software are integrating generative AI and your own project data sets to surface useful insights and save you time.

   While I still remain positive about the role of the project manager, I think other jobs you routinely interact with, like system testers, could be more at risk of being automated.

   The use of AI in project management tools means the human’s role is elevated into a knowledge leadership position and is freed up from doing the grunt work of tasks like system testing, taking minutes or updating logs – taking the tools already in use to a whole new level.

   Project management jobs aren't going to be lost to AI, but they will change, and employers are potentially going to be choosing people who have AI skills over those who do not.

   Mobile working

   Devices will become more powerful, but currently we still don’t have all the functions of PM software available in most of the equivalent mobile apps. That will have to change.

   We need to have access to our project management software while we're working remotely from smaller devices.

   Anti-workaholism

   Tools are getting smarter at helping us balance the needs of work and life, and to stop us falling into the trap of working more, just because we can.

   You know those pop ups in Outlook that invite us to NOT send an email at the weekend and to schedule it for the recipient's working hours? That's what I mean.

   Resource management: The Continuous Challenge

   For all the talk about the future of work and how project management is going to evolve, I still think we have some challenges with how we work now.

   For example, resource management and capacity planning are not things that are easy to do. I have been talking about this for years.

   Project managers lack the tools to effectively manage workload across teams because the solution required relies on enterprise adoption of software. And many organizations won't/can't do that.

   Make everyone do timesheets and resource planning just so project teams know who’s available to work? No thanks.

   Unfortunately, unless we get strategic buy in for managing projects in a professional way, the resource planning challenge isn’t going anywhere soon.

   Projects on the Board: The next professionals

   Arup’s collaborative thought leadership piece into the Future of Project Management talks about every top 100 firm has a project management professional in at least one C-suite role by 2030.

   Maybe this role will be a Chartered Project Manager.

   If we are serious about improving project delivery and delivering strategically-aligned projects that generate business value, we need organizations to take project delivery seriously. And that means elevating the discussion beyond senior managers to the board of directors.

   The Chief Project Officer role is (in my opinion) long overdue already. With executive oversight from people who actually get it, projects would have more chance of completing successfully – and fewer vanity projects would get started.

   Digital skills: The next competency for project managers

   Digital skills are important for the project managers of the future (and – in all honest, those of us working as PMs today).

   CBI’s report into what’s required to create a world-leading innovation economy says that upskilling people with digital skills is essential. The digital skills pipeline isn’t that great at the moment and they suggest more needs to be done to encourage greater ambition in that arena.

   The digital skills important to project managers are:

   • Data analysis, analytics and management
   • Harnessing generative AI and being a 'prompt engineer' for your own work
   • Security and data protection
   • Legal and regulatory compliance
   • Online collaboration and leadership
   • Knowledge management          
   • Data-driven decision making.

   Add into all of that a very non-digital skill of resilience. With all this change, disruption and digital-ness, the ability to cope with the ups and downs of the job is going to be essential.

   

   The role of project managers in the future

   The future of project management is bright. There remains strong demand for people delivering change.

   I believe much of the mundane stuff of being a project manager will go away eventually, as our tools tap into the advances in technology that are already out there.

   PM will move from being seen by some execs as an administrative function and towards the strategic partnership that it has the potential to be in every business – not just in those enlightened firms with high levels of program management maturity.

   Skills for project managers have been shifting towards the ‘soft’ stuff for years. That’s going to be even more important with the way the future of work is going.

   Project managers will need to be the humans on the team. We’ll need to connect with others with the skills that you can’t get from your robot colleague:

   • Empathy
   • Strategic thinking
   • Fun
   • Creativity
   • Motivation and persuasion
   • Thoughtful customer service
   • Listening.

   Looking forward: Summary

   Project management evolves to meet the needs of today’s workplace problems. We’re facing the kinds of evolution we’re seeing at work because the nature of the work itself demands it.

   Efficiency is more than having the right process. It’s also having the capacity as a team – not simply as a project manager because the role is getting too big for one person to do everything – to lead increasingly complex work and solve difficult problems almost daily.

   We can do it. We are doing it. And the best project managers are improving how they do it every day. Are you?

   

   This article first appeared on Rebel's Guide to Project Management and can be read here: What’s The Future of Project Management in 2025 and beyond?

2. Managing Multiple Projects: Statistics

   

   What are the key challenges when working on multiple projects simultaneously? How do you prioritize work when everything is important?

   I asked 570 project managers these questions (and more) to find out what life is like in 2024 for project managers leading multiple projects, to follow on from my research on the same topic in 2022.

   In this article, we’ll dive into my 2024 research results and you’ll learn:

   • The 3 challenges that project managers struggle with
   • The key skills required for managing multiple projects
   • How many project managers are overwhelmed with work
   • The scale of AI tools in use by project managers.

   View the raw data

   Scroll down to interrogate the data set which is embedded at the end of this article.

   This wasn’t a survey about project portfolio management at the PMO level. Instead, I wanted to know what it’s like as someone who has a workload made up of several projects – because that’s the world I live in too.

   Interested in how these managing multiple projects statistics differ from other research I've done? Check out these:

   • Project management statistics and survey results (2023 study)
   • Managing multiple projects research (2022, this informed my book, Managing Multiple Projects -- first edition)
   • Project management report (2021, this research is where the much-quoted "most project managers lead 2-5 projects" statistic comes from)
   • Stakeholder management original research (2017)
   • Collaboration tools for project managers survey (2015)
   • Social media in a project environment (2011)
   • Blog reader survey

   

   Most project managers work on related projects

   Most project managers reported managing 2 to 5 projects, which is consistent with my other research and past surveys. So no change there.

   This time I asked about how those projects are managed, and 73% of the time it’s with an individual plan.

   What is strange is that 50% of respondents said that their projects are related in some way, for example by client, so they absolutely could consolidate plans. Only 14% consolidate plans by sponsor or client/customer. 

   Leaders are not making use of the opportunity to consolidate plans – although we should also acknowledge that sometimes the portfolio of work you get means you can’t easily consolidate anyway.

   

   19% of project managers are overwhelmed

   Nearly 1 in 5 project managers is overwhelmed. And a further 55% say they manage, but they aren’t loving the job. In fact, only 26% said they thrive on the challenge of managing multiple projects.

   I’m not sure what we can take from this because everyone is different, and if I had done the survey, I would have answered differently depending on what day it was. Where do you fall on the spectrum?

   

   65% of project managers say they struggle with perfectionism

   Project managers are busy people, but one personality trait is common in my mentees and also in project managers I meet: perfectionism. I wanted to ask about this, as it can hold you back from managing your time effectively when you juggle multiple projects.

   65% of project managers report struggling with being a perfectionist.

   Nearly 50% said that being indecisive was a problem. That can lead to not being able to move forward without more data or more consultation – and while that could be a good thing in certain situations, sometimes you just need to move on.

   

   35% of survey respondents said that putting additional time into preparing was a struggle for their time management.

   Yes, we have to do a good job, but when you’ve got several projects on the go, it’s impossible to give every task the gold-plated standard. Some tasks have to be done well and some tasks simply need to be done.

   A project manager says...

   I have found that getting to know my weaknesses has helped, for example, if I procrastinate why?
   If I over prepare or am a perfectionist why is this and how can I address those fears?
   If I struggle to adopt new ways of working and to change then how can I help myself effectively?
   Also, to recognize my organization's culture and what can and cannot be changed has helped me to let some things go as beyond my control to change.

   Most project managers prioritize their own workload

   Half of project managers prioritize their own workload because there is no one else to do it for them.

   • 16% have workloads prioritized by the PMO
   • 17% have workloads prioritized by their manager

   And if you don’t have those in place, or another way, then the only option is to try to work out what is the most important work yourself. That’s not easy, and it’s an extra burden for project professionals.

   

   A project manager says...

   It's chaos, but the cat-herding can be incredibly rewarding when it's successful. I try to focus less on how many projects I have and more on clearing the path for the implementers. They don't need me to do their job, they need me to enable their job. Getting the red tape out of their way builds an incredible sense of shared focus and camaraderie.

   Communication is the most important skill for managing multiple projects

   Unsurprisingly, and in line with last time’s survey results, communication was ranked the most important skill for managing projects by 90% of project managers.

   

   Communication was closely followed by:

   • Planning/scheduling (84%)
   • Stakeholder engagement (62%)
   • Team management (53%)
   • Resource management (50%) and more on that below
   • Leadership (49%)
   • Risk management (39%)

   Governance came in last at only 31%. My own experience bears this out – when you’re busy, you lose a lot of the governance and attention to detail because you just don’t have time to fill in yet another document that no one will read. Focus on doing the governance documents and processes that make a difference.

   A project manager says...

   I don't enjoy managing multiple projects, especially as the majority of my projects do not interlink, they are separate work areas with separate teams. Day to day, things are always a rush, and I don't have the time to really understand the topics of work, the projects themselves and get to know the teams well enough. It always feels like you are at the surface level. There is no time to plan properly in order to get ahead of situations, and feels like it's a constant battle of issues arising.

   Most project managers curate their own templates

   I thought that most project managers would have access to a standard document repository in all but the smallest of organizations. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case. 63% of project leaders say they have their own library of past documents that they use to build out their project documentation.

   Only 35% have access to a PMO library of standard templates.

   People were able to select more than one answer here, so it’s possible that some survey respondents have their own template library and a PMO standard document repository.

   

   A project manager says...

   I think the biggest thing I would like to know is how I can create my own checklists. We did have a PMO, but it's been dissolved and I've been largely left on my own.

   Managing resources on multiple projects

   90% of projects use shared resources. In other words, the subject matter experts working on your project are also working on other projects. Having a dedicated, full-time team is rare.

   The most common way to get people to work on projects is to talk to team leaders. That’s been part of the PMI resource management processes for as long as I can remember, but in reality, project managers often don’t have the seniority or authority to simply secure resources just by asking.

   Nearly 40% of project managers already have known resources by the time the project gets to them which I think is good.

   

   A project manager says...

   It is incredibly challenging. Through this role, I’ve learned more than ever that common sense is not common, resources cannot always be relied upon to do the work they’re assigned to do and/or by the deadline they’ve agreed to do it. Vendor management has also gotten significantly tougher over the years - requiring SOWs and business requirements to be more explicit and detailed than they’ve ever been in the event it is identified that there are issues with deliverables (quality, gaps in requirements, timeliness) - I’ve personally experienced all 3 this year with at least 2 projects. Meetings are more often than not recorded (us and vendor). RfPs and POCs are also increasing because there is a lack of trust that vendors can deliver what they’re selling. It’s an aspect of project management that I don’t particularly love.

   A project manager says...

   Across the projects I work on I often encounter accountability issues when leading projects. Although the projects are given the green light to progress and are closely aligned to strategies and there are defined stakeholders the organizational culture tends to operate on the side of over consultation. This results in lack of decision making as no one person takes ownership even if this maybe their responsibility. This leads to circling around different stakeholders to try and secure a decision. This in turn creates delays in progressing the work or in some cases the project become shelved and no longer seen as a priority.

   Do AI tools help manage projects?

   In a word, no. AI tools do not (yet) help the majority of project managers do their daily work. Only 19% of respondents reported having access to and using AI tools. Everyone else either doesn’t have access to the tools or does not use them.

   The barriers to access flagged in the verbatim comments were mostly around security concerns and AI tools not being ‘within policy’ to use. I think policies need to catch up, otherwise more and more employees will start using AI tools outside of the officially-sanctioned products. Shadow IT has always been a problem but it may be more of a concern as individuals try to tap into the tools that are out there but that aren’t officially in use.

   

   Tracking time (or not)

   Most project managers (54%) don’t track time on their projects, but it’s very close. The survey did not ask people to say what industry they worked in, so I would assume that people who do track time work in professional services, agencies or other client-facing roles.

   They could also work in in-house roles on projects where activity can be capitalized for accounting reasons if they are creating an asset (like we can do here in the UK) and that would require them to track time at least at a high level.

   

   A project manager says...

   I love the fast pace and no two days are rarely the same. You have to be super organized and it helps if you have the same sponsor or stakeholders for some projects. Working on multiple projects is a great way to get to know a vast range of stakeholders across your organization across, both business and technology, as well as external vendors. It really helps me to leverage governance materials and documents from previous projects so I’m not starting from scratch each time.

   My projects would often in at various stages of the lifecycle so I had to prioritize my time based on which was at a most critical point or which had the most critical issues - but balance it so that I was still on top of all milestones and kept up good communications with stakeholders / sponsors.

   I often found I had to work late or at weekends as I had little time during the work day as would be in back to back meetings due to the volume of projects I was managing in parallel - this was the only time I had a chance to catch up on actions from meetings, emails, write documentation. I tried to keep my Fridays as meeting free as possible or block out time in my calendar if I needed to prepare a document and was struggling to find the time.

   What can we learn from these results

   So what does this survey tell us? Here are my key takeaways.

   • With nearly 20% of project managers reporting overwhelm, we run a serious risk of losing talent.
   • Most project managers are perfectionists! We want to do an amazing job and don’t like it when organizational culture or workload means we can’t.
   • Managers need to play a much greater role in setting priorities.
   • Organizations need to up their game by creating standardized documents and processes for project management to alleviate the burden of having to create new materials on every project.
   • Consolidate your project plans to save yourself time! Learn how in my book, Managing Multiple Projects.

   View the data

   
   
   

   Survey notes

   This survey ran from end of June to early August 2024. It was promoted to my community on email and social media, so respondents self-selected to take part. There were 732 participants, resulting in 570 completed surveys. Around 6% of 680 respondents to the screening question answered by saying they were only managing one project, and they were excluded from continuing with the survey.

   This article first appeared on Rebel's Guide to Project Management and can be read here: Managing Multiple Projects: Statistics

3. Black Friday Training Bundle 2024

   

   Happy Black Friday! Years ago, BF wasn't a thing in the UK and now we have BF weeks... so to get in on the action I have a promotion for you.

   I'm often asked when I'm teaching so-and-so course again, and the truth is that I now have so many classes that at one a month, you could be waiting a while before I get inspired to deliver that training again.

   But the good news is that they are all recorded and available as virtual, self-paced training, and this year you can catch up on anything you've missed!

   I've reviewed all of my past workshops and training sessions, and I've put them together as a bundle at substantial savings from buying them all individually.

   The training bundle includes:

   • Project Prioritization
   • Lessons Learned Made Easy
   • Managing Money on Projects
   • Confident Meetings Management
   • Visual Communications for Project Managers
   • Smarter Time Management

   It also includes two bonus trainings:

   • 5 Ways to AI Proof Your Career
   • Stakeholder Engagification

   

   Why learn with me?

   I'm the author of several project management books and I've been leading business and tech projects for over 20 years. I'm an APM Fellow and a mentor, and I still work as a practitioner alongside my writing and training.

   In these training sessions, you will learn:

   • How to set up a simple process to prioritize projects once and for all!
   • How to set up a simple plan for capturing and acting on lessons learned.
   • How to confidently go into your meetings and get to a good resolution.
   • Why you need to think visually (even if that is not your style), and easy tips to make your presentations look more professional.
   • How to make the most of your time and supercharge your productivity.
   • How to improve your critical thinking and build your emotional intelligence.
   • How merging engagement and gamification creates engagification, a methodology to help people take action on projects.

   And I guide you through understanding the fundamental principles and best practices for your project's finances - this is the session not to miss as so often job ads require budget confidence in a role!

   Plus you will receive all of the templates and other resources that were offered with each workshop!

   ---

   Buy now

   Purchased separately, all of these training sessions come to a value of $127. You can get them all for $109.

   
   

   What past students say

   

   

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   FAQ

   Here are some FAQs to help you decide if this is the right training for you.

   What’s the time commitment?

   Overall, the time commitment is about eight hours, although you can do the training at your own pace as they are recorded sessions.

   What’s the background of the participants?

   Generally, in my courses, we get a good mix of people at various stages in their careers and from different industries. These training sessions attracted beginners and mid-career professionals when they were taught live.

   Can I claim PDUs?

   Yes. I will give you attendance certificates to use as evidence for your portfolio. However, I am not a registered PMI-authorized trainer.

   Can I claim the cost through my company?

   Yes. Get in touch, and I will send you an invoice.

   What’s the cancellation/refund policy?

   I want you to be happy with the training. There is a 14-day refund policy.

   This article first appeared on Rebel's Guide to Project Management and can be read here: Black Friday Training Bundle 2024

4. How to be Awesome at Getting Things Done

   

   Whether you’re planning an event or taking responsibility for getting tasks done, you’ll definitely have projects as part of your work – and you may even be leading some.

   In this introduction to managing projects training session, I will help you understand what a project is and how to balance the competing demands of time, cost and doing a good job in getting your work successfully over the line.

   We’ll look at ways to stay organized, break down the work and how to prioritize your growing To Do list. And we’ll talk about managing expectations of the rest of the team and keeping them involved throughout.

   You’ll leave with plenty of practical tips for managing your work, and a template you can use to get any project off to a fantastic start.

   

   Why learn with me?

   I'm the author of several project management books and I've been leading business and tech projects for over 20 years. I'm an APM Fellow and a mentor, and I still work as a practitioner alongside my writing and training.

   In this training you'll learn:

   • How to identify what success looks like
   • The challenge of balancing time, cost, and quality and how to do it the right way
   • Practical tips for prioritizing work and managing your time
   • How to manage expectations so that satisfaction levels stay high -- even if you hit delays or problems.

   This training was taught live on 13 November 2024. You will get access to the recording, slides, templates, and bonus resources.

   ---

   Buy now

   
   

   What past students say

   

   

   ---

   FAQ

   Here are some FAQ to help you decide if it's the right training for you.

   What’s the time commitment?

   The time commitment is about an hour, plus time to go through the bonus resources.

   What’s the background of the participants?

   I expect most of the people who will be on the course with you will be early career professionals or those who want to get into project management.

   Normally at my courses we get a good mix of people at various stages in their careers and from different industries.

   Can I claim PDUs?

   Yes. I will give you an attendance certificate that you can use as evidence for your portfolio. However, I am not a registered PMI authorized trainer.

   Can I claim the cost through my company?

   Yes. Get in touch and I can send you an invoice.

   What’s the cancellation/refund policy?

   I want you to be happy with the training. There is a 14-day refund policy.

   This article first appeared on Rebel's Guide to Project Management and can be read here: How to be Awesome at Getting Things Done

5. RAID Log Practitioner Course Review

   

   As a project manager, we’re constantly tracking actions, risks, issues, and more – these are the bread-and-butter activities for project managers to keep the project on track. But have you ever learned how to use a RAID log properly?

   I hadn’t. It was something touched on in various training courses I’d done over the year, but I’d never had training on the ‘how’ of RAID logs. Until now. I took the RAID Log Practitioner training and it was surprisingly worth it!

   In this RAID Log Practitioner course review, I’ll share:

   • Why it’s worth doing a course specifically about RAID logs
   • Why it’s especially good for early career project managers
   • How to get the certificate.

   I’ve used RAID logs in my project management practice for over 20 years, and I learned things on this course – the stack rank constraint priorities exercise was a real eye-opener and something I can definitely use with my stakeholders.

   

   How I did this review

   I joined a live, instructor-led online training course in October 2024 and took the certification test.

   What is a RAID log?

   I have a super-detailed article on what is a RAID log (the short answer is that RAID is an acronym of Risks, Actions/Assumptions, Issues, Decisions/Dependencies, and it’s a tool that project managers use to keep on top of their project work).

   RAIDLOG is the company that runs the Practitioner course.

   Why do a course on RAID?

   I know, I had the same thought: is it really worth spending 4 hours learning what to put into a spreadsheet? What really do you have to learn about that? Especially as there are lots of good articles and videos about it online already.

   However, I was surprised at how deep the course went. We dove deep into risk management and other areas, as well as the value of historical logging – and how this can save you!

   I was skeptical about whether it was worth doing a whole course on this. But it turned out to be a good use of my time, more than just a refresher. So many nuggets of information!

   

   Who is the RAID Log Practitioner course for?

   As a result of doing the course, I can say that it’s aimed at project managers who want to, or who do, use RAID logs for the daily work management. It will help to have some knowledge of what they are and how you want to use them, but the training started with the basics so you don’t need any prior knowledge.

   I thought the course was good for people who have had ‘general’ project management training, but who haven’t had any ‘how do I actually do this’ training.

   This course is great for:

   • People who want to work as a project/PMO analyst who would have responsibility for updating logs in their day job.
   • Early career project managers who want the confidence that they are focusing on the right things that will keep the project moving forward.
   • Project managers who want to ensure they are tracking work and staying as organized as they can.
   • Project managers who need to get PDUs and want to do an interesting course! This training will offer you 4 PDUs and a certification.

   66% of people surveyed (data shared in the training) said that RAID logs help keep them organized, and I certainly feel that is the case for me.

   Other benefits shared in the training were communicating with stakeholders (51%), keeping the project Green and being a useful vehicle for covering your backside and keeping a record of what has happened.

   About the course and structure

   The training is made up of 4 parts. These are:

   1. Introduction to RAID logs
   2. RAID fundamentals
   3. Using your RAID log
   4. Beyond RAID

   Intro to RAID logs

   This was a very short overview section, followed by a quick break. It looked at what RAID is, why we should use it, the history of this tool and the trainer shared experiences of what happened in a project that didn’t have a log.

   RAID fundamentals

   The bulk of the training time, I’d say about 50%, was spent on reviewing the different types of items stored in a RAID log.

   This part of the training looked at risk management, issue management, decision making and tracking, change requests, dependencies, lessons learned, action tracking and some of the other things you can include in log tabs.

   We went into a lot of detail such as probability and impact scales, different types of lessons, action planning to manage items, trust bricks and a lot more.

   

   Using your RAID log

   This section covered how to use the list for communication and management, sharing it with stakeholders. We learned about using the log instead of meeting minutes and how to consolidate risks etc at portfolio level, how to use it for project recovery.

   Beyond RAID

   This was the section I was most looking forward to as it covered the use of AI, integrations and the future of the RAIDLOG software. It was the shortest part of the training overall.

   Meet your trainer

   My trainer was Kim Essendrup, PMP. He is a coach and trainer, as well as being the co-host of the PM Happy Hour podcast. More relevant, he’s the CEO and co-founder of RAIDLOG.com and the author of The Ultimate Guide to RAID Log.

   His style was easy, the slides were good, he got the audience to interact with the material. Kim clearly knows his stufff and included examples, quotes, stories etc to make it an engaging course.

   How long does the RAID log training take?

   It’s a live training course that takes 4 hours. There are (very short) breaks.

   How the assessment works

   There is a graded quiz at the end of the training. There are 10 questions. I didn’t find it very hard and there is the opportunity to retake if you need it.

   

   What certificate do you get?

   You get a downloadable PDF certificate, and a shareable LinkedIn badge. The certificate is 'published' in that you can share a link so that others can verify your achievement. You can see mine here.

   

   You can submit your PDUs whether you pass the test or not. If you do pass, the system will automatically submit the PDUs for you – just make sure your PMI ID is on the record.

   Pros

   The benefits of doing this training are:

   • It’s a great way to get into detail of a practical tool that will really help keep your project on track and moving forward in the right way.
   • You are encouraged to create risks, issues etc during the training so you can get practical experience of how best to phrase and document items.
   • It’s a live training, so you can ask questions.

   The training is not tool-specific, so while you could use RAIDLOG to start tracking your activities (and you get 6 months professional license included in the cost of the training), you could simply use a spreadsheet or whatever your PMO mandates for project management software.

   Cons

   The disadvantages that I found are as follows.

   • Four hours on Zoom is a long time. We did have breaks, but it made me realize that I have to struggle to stay engaged.
   • Sometimes using the software to discuss the feature felt a bit long, like entering trigger dates and showing how to sort by those.
   • I am jealous that I don’t have the software – heat maps and the sliders are really good, and you just can’t get that easily in Excel.

   Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the company delivering the training also sells a project management software tool designed to manage your RAID log. The training was NOT a subtle pitch for the tool, but they did use the tool for exercises during the training. If you think your delegates would be very sensitive to anything that might feel like ‘sales’ then you might want to let them know that is how the course is going to be.

   

   Recommendation: Should you buy this course?

   If you are worried about work running away from you, then it’s worth investing in this training because it will help you in a very practical way.

   It covers topics like risk appetite, risk tolerance and risk thresholds, plus deep dives into decision making, issue management processes and more. These might be new for you, and even if you think they are going to be a recap it's worth it.

   I learned things on this training, despite having done the job for many years. It’s only going to take you an afternoon and you'll come away feeling like you have a renewed interest in making your RAID log work for you.

   I was given the opportunity to take the RAID Log Practitioner Certification course in October 2024 by the training company – thank you!

   This article first appeared on Rebel's Guide to Project Management and can be read here: RAID Log Practitioner Course Review