The PM² Mindsets: Making Decisions Without Turning the Methodology into Bureaucracy

Third article in the “Learning PM² Through a Project” series

A methodology can describe roles, phases, activities and documents, but it cannot anticipate every situation. Real projects face urgent requests, incomplete information, conflicting priorities and decisions for which the plan provides no automatic answer.

This is where the PM² Mindsets come in: a shared set of beliefs and behaviours that guides the team in applying the methodology.

They are not decorative statements and they do not constitute a fifth pillar. They are the glue that holds the four pillars together and prevents PM² from being applied mechanically.

From “Following the Method” to “Governing the Project”

Let us return to Annotatio’s Smart Bookings project. During the Executing Phase, several gyms ask for online payments to be added immediately. The feature is outside the approved scope, but it could increase the value of the product.

Simply following the plan would lead to rejecting the request. Accepting it without analysis would instead put schedule, cost and quality at risk.

A mature PM² response requires the team to:

1. clarify which problem the request solves;
2. assess its value and urgency;
3. analyse its impact on the project;
4. involve the roles with the necessary authority;
5. record and communicate the decision;
6. update the plans if the change is approved.

The change management process provides the structure. The Mindsets guide the judgement with which that structure is used.

The Eleven PM² Mindsets

Teams that apply PM²:

1. apply PM² best practices to manage their projects;
2. remember that the methodology must serve the project, not the other way around;
3. maintain an outcomes orientation in all project and management activities;
4. seek to deliver maximum value, rather than merely follow the plan;
5. foster collaboration, clear communication and accountability;
6. assign roles to the people best suited to the needs of the project;
7. balance the different project management dimensions, such as purpose, politics and plan, productively;
8. invest in developing the personal competences needed to contribute more effectively;
9. involve stakeholders in planning and carrying out business implementation;
10. share knowledge, actively manage Lessons Learned and contribute to organisational improvement;
11. draw inspiration from the PM² guidelines on ethics and professional virtues.

To make them easier to remember, we can organise them into five logical groups.

1. The Method Is a Tool, Not the Result

This group covers Mindsets 1 and 2.

PM² provides best practices, but it does not require every project to produce the same amount of documentation. The method should be tailored to size, risk, complexity and context.

For Smart Bookings, a concise Project Handbook supported by the team’s existing operational tools may be sufficient. Producing lengthy documents that nobody consults does not increase control; it merely creates work.

Common mistake: removing documents without assessing their purpose and calling the decision “tailoring”. Tailoring does not mean ignoring the method. It means preserving its purpose with an appropriate degree of formality.

2. Outputs, Outcomes and Value

This group covers Mindsets 3 and 4.

The team should not limit itself to delivering features. It must ask whether those features will create the intended change and benefits.

For Smart Bookings:

• output: a booking feature is available;
• outcome: gyms and customers use it;
• benefit: less manual administration, fewer empty places and a better user experience;
• value: the benefit achieved in relation to cost, risk and organisational priorities.

Being value-oriented does not mean accepting every “useful” new request. It means comparing its expected value with its impact on the project as a whole.

3. One Team with Clear Responsibilities

This group covers Mindsets 5, 6 and 7.

The requesting and provider organisations should not behave like opponents exchanging documents and blame. They should work as one team while keeping responsibilities and authority clear.

If the technical team discovers that push notifications are unreliable on certain devices, it should not hide the issue to protect a deadline. It should communicate the problem, assess its impact and enable an informed decision.

Likewise, roles should not be assigned on the basis of seniority, proximity or political convenience, but according to the needs of the project. Balancing purpose, politics and plan means acknowledging the organisational context without losing sight of objectives and value.

4. Competence, Engagement and Adoption

This group covers Mindsets 8 and 9.

A digital project is not successful merely because the software works. People must be able to use it and the organisation must be ready to adopt it.

In our case, gyms should be involved not only in the initial collection of requirements, but also in testing, training, communications and preparation for the transition to the new system.

If an important competence is missing, the team should not improvise indefinitely. It should develop that competence, acquire it or obtain support.

5. Learning and Acting Professionally

This group covers Mindsets 10 and 11.

Lessons Learned are not a document to be completed hastily during Closing. They should be captured throughout the project and converted into reusable improvements.

If a pilot test shows that notifications sent too early increase cancellations, this knowledge should change the Smart Bookings configuration and become reusable in future projects.

The ethical orientation completes the picture: achieving the objective does not justify every cost or risk. Transparency, respect for people’s work, responsible use of resources and sound decision-making are part of project quality.

The Infrequently Asked Questions

PM² proposes a number of IAQs—Infrequently Asked Questions that translate the Mindsets into concrete questions. They are particularly useful when a project appears to be progressing automatically and nobody is challenging its initial assumptions.

The IAQs do not replace processes or artefacts. They act as checks on the quality of decisions.

Practical Case: A High-Value Request Outside Scope

Let us return to the online payments request. Which response would be consistent with the Mindsets?

Weak Response 1: “It Is Not in the Plan”

This formally protects the scope but ignores potential value. It mistakes the plan for the objective.

Weak Response 2: “It Is Useful, Let’s Do It Immediately”

This shows openness to value but ignores governance, impacts and previously approved priorities.

The PM² Response

The request is recorded and analysed. The team clarifies its benefits, urgency, costs, risks and impact on the release. The appropriate roles decide whether to:

• include it in the project and modify the baselines;
• replace a less important feature;
• schedule it for a later release;
• reject it and document the reason.

The methodology protects the decision; the Mindsets protect the value.

Do Not Confuse

Test What You Remember

1. What is the purpose of the PM² Mindsets?
2. Why is following the plan not sufficient to create value?
3. What does it mean to say that the methodology should serve the project?
4. When should Lessons Learned be captured?
5. What does the question “Is there life after the project?” remind us?

Answers

1. To guide attitudes, behaviours and judgement when applying the four pillars.
2. Because the plan is a means; the project must create outcomes, benefits and value while adapting to new information.
3. Processes and artefacts should be tailored to the project’s needs without losing their purpose.
4. Throughout the project, not only during Closing.
5. That deliverables, transition, adoption and benefits continue beyond formal project closure.

Flashcards

Q: Do the Mindsets constitute a fifth pillar?
A: No. They are the glue that guides the application of the four pillars.

Q: Does PM² prioritise the plan or value?
A: Maximum value, using and adapting the plan responsibly.

Q: What is tailoring?
A: Consciously adapting the method to the characteristics of the project while preserving its control and governance objectives.

Q: When are Lessons Learned managed?
A: Continuously throughout the project and then in the Project-End Report.

Q: What are IAQs?
A: Questions that are not asked often enough and help test the purpose, quality and sustainability of decisions.

Exam-Style Question

A Project Manager decides not to produce an optional artefact because its content is already managed adequately in a shared tool. The decision is documented in the Project Handbook, and the Project Manager verifies that the control needs remain satisfied. Which principle is being applied?

A. The methodology must be applied in full without tailoring.
B. The project should serve the methodology.
C. The methodology should serve the needs of the project.
D. Artefacts are unnecessary in small projects.

Correct answer: C. This is conscious tailoring: the form is adapted without eliminating the management purpose of the artefact.

In the Next Article

In the next article, we will explore the PM² governance model. We will examine its layers, from the Governing Layer to the Implementation Layer, and begin distinguishing the Project Owner, Business Manager, Solution Provider and Project Manager.

Essential Sources

• European Commission, PM² Project Management Methodology – Highlights, 2025 Edition.
• PM² Alliance, PM² Essentials Certification: PM² Mindsets exam area.