Project Management Masterclass

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Project managers are often accountable for outcomes delivered by people who do not report to them. Team members may come from different functions, answer to different leaders, balance competing priorities, and bring different skills and ways of working to the project.

So what does it really mean to lead when positional authority is not enough?

In this episode of Project Management Masterclass, we continue the Project Management Trends 2026 series with Managing With People. Host Brittany Wilkins shares her personal experience of struggling to manage with people early in her career and what it took to grow into a more effective leader.

Through lessons learned along the way, this episode explores the importance of creating clarity, developing capability, building ownership, adapting your communication, and bringing people together around a shared mission.

Because successful project leadership is not about making yourself necessary for every task or decision.

It is about creating the conditions for people to contribute, take ownership, and deliver together.

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Plans are necessary. But every project manager knows that the assumptions behind a plan don't always survive contact with reality.

Requirements change. Stakeholder expectations shift. Resources move. Market conditions evolve. The challenge isn't simply knowing how to update a project plan. It's knowing when change actually warrants a response without constantly disrupting execution.

In this episode of Project Management Masterclass, Brittany Wilkins continues the Project Management Trends 2026 series with a closer look at adaptive planning.

Drawing on familiar project management fundamentals, we explore how techniques such as rolling-wave planning, iterative development, stakeholder engagement, impact analysis, and reprioritization help teams navigate uncertainty. But the conversation goes further: adaptive planning also depends on decision rights, governance, and an organization's ability to distinguish meaningful change from noise.

Because too little adaptation can leave teams executing against outdated assumptions. Too much can create rework, budget overruns, shifting priorities, and teams that stop trusting the plan altogether.

The goal isn't constant change. It's intentional adaptation.

Be rigid on the outcome. Stay flexible on the approach that gets you there.

Episode Keywords:

adaptive planning, adaptive planning project management, project management trends 2026, project planning, project management planning, project management trends, rolling wave planning, progressive elaboration, iterative project management, project decision rights

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Artificial intelligence has become one of the biggest conversations in project management. Much of that conversation has focused on productivity: summarizing meetings, drafting communications, identifying risks, analyzing data, and automating routine tasks.

But the value of AI extends beyond productivity.

In this episode of Project Management Masterclass, we begin our Project Management Trends 2026 series by examining the strategic value of artificial intelligence and what it means for project leaders.

We explore how AI connects to corporate strategy and business value, what the changing demand for AI skills signals about the future of work, and why governance must become part of the conversation as organizations expand their use of AI.

Because adopting AI is only part of the challenge. Organizations must also understand where AI is being used, what risks it introduces, who owns the decisions, and whether those investments are actually delivering value.

For project managers, the opportunity is bigger than learning another tool. It's understanding how AI, strategy, governance, risk, and execution come together to deliver successful outcomes.

The technology may be changing, but the fundamentals of strong project leadership still matter.

If you are ready to strengthen the skills that separate project managers from project leaders, explore the Power Skills Accelerator, a course designed to help professionals master the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in complex project environments.

Enroll in the Power Skills Accelerator
https://www.developpowerskills.com/sales-page

If you want to assess where execution may be breaking down in your current projects, take the Execution Intelligence Diagnostic to identify gaps across leadership, decision making, and team alignment.

Start the diagnostic
https://executionintelligence.scoreapp.com/

Join the waitlist for Brittany Wilkins’ upcoming book, Execution Intelligence, focused on the mindset, systems, and discipline required to turn strategy into measurable results.

Join the book waitlist
https://makowayconsulting.scoreapp.com

To learn more about how organizations eliminate execution friction and turn strategy into measurable results, visit Makoway Consulting.

https://www.makowayconsulting.com

Support the show

Deepen Your Project Leadership

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Have you noticed that sustainability reporting is becoming more precise?

One of the biggest proposed changes to greenhouse gas accounting is happening right now, and while it may sound like a topic reserved for sustainability professionals, it has real implications for project leaders.

In this episode, Brittany Wilkins explains the proposed updates to Scope 2 greenhouse gas accounting, why annual renewable electricity matching may no longer be enough, and how changes like hourly matching could reshape projects across operations, IT, procurement, finance, and sustainability.

More importantly, this episode explores the leadership lesson behind the technical guidance.

As organizations face increasing pressure to provide better data, stronger transparency, and measurable results, projects become the mechanism for turning new requirements into reality.

You'll learn:

• What Scope 2 emissions are and why the accounting guidance is changing

• What hourly matching means in practical terms

• Why these proposed changes extend far beyond sustainability teams

• How project leaders can prepare for increasing business complexity

If you want to lead projects that matter, understanding the business environment around your projects is no longer optional.

If you are ready to strengthen the skills that separate project managers from project leaders, explore the Power Skills Accelerator, a course designed to help professionals master the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in complex project environments.

Enroll in the Power Skills Accelerator
https://www.developpowerskills.com/sales-page

If you want to assess where execution may be breaking down in your current projects, take the Execution Intelligence Diagnostic to identify gaps across leadership, decision making, and team alignment.

Start the diagnostic
https://executionintelligence.scoreapp.com/

Join the waitlist for Brittany Wilkins’ upcoming book, Execution Intelligence, focused on the mindset, systems, and discipline required to turn strategy into measurable results.

Join the book waitlist
https://makowayconsulting.scoreapp.com

To learn more about how organizations eliminate execution friction and turn strategy into measurable results, visit Makoway Consulting.

https://www.makowayconsulting.com

Support the show

Deepen Your Project Leadership

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Send us Fan Mail

Business transformation is often discussed through the lens of technology, AI, automation, and digital initiatives. But after attending the CLM Summit, one theme surfaced repeatedly beneath the technology conversations: maintaining visibility and coordination is becoming increasingly difficult as complexity grows.

In this episode, host Brittany Wilkins shares key observations from the summit and explore why connected systems, trusted data, lifecycle alignment, and cross-functional coordination matter more than ever. We discuss the role AI plays as an amplifier, the risks of disconnected systems and tribal knowledge, and why organizations must think beyond technology implementation when navigating transformation.

Topics include:

• AI and operational foundations

• Product complexity and customization

• Connected systems and data visibility

• Lifecycle alignment across business functions

• Human barriers to transformation

• Why coordination is becoming a competitive advantage

Whether you work in project management, operations, manufacturing, digital transformation, or organizational leadership, this episode offers practical insights into what it takes to maintain clarity and control in an increasingly interconnected business environment.

The promise does not come without the process.

If you are ready to strengthen the skills that separate project managers from project leaders, explore the Power Skills Accelerator, a course designed to help professionals master the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in complex project environments.

Enroll in the Power Skills Accelerator
https://www.developpowerskills.com/sales-page

If you want to assess where execution may be breaking down in your current projects, take the Execution Intelligence Diagnostic to identify gaps across leadership, decision making, and team alignment.

Start the diagnostic
https://executionintelligence.scoreapp.com/

Join the waitlist for Brittany Wilkins’ upcoming book, Execution Intelligence, focused on the mindset, systems, and discipline required to turn strategy into measurable results.

Join the book waitlist
https://makowayconsulting.scoreapp.com

To learn more about how organizations eliminate execution friction and turn strategy into measurable results, visit Makoway Consulting.

https://www.makowayconsulting.com

Support the show

Deepen Your Project Leadership

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2308468/subscribe

Send us Fan Mail

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. But awareness alone won’t fix what’s breaking project leaders.

In this episode, Brittany Wilkins challenges the conversation around mental health in high-pressure environments and reveals the real issue: unmanaged pressure.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, delayed decisions, avoided difficult conversations, or questioned your ability to lead under pressure—this episode is for you.

Because the truth is simple:

Your projects don’t break first.

You do.

And until you learn how to manage pressure in real time, you will continue to hit the same wall—no matter how skilled or experienced you are.

If you are ready to strengthen the skills that separate project managers from project leaders, explore the Power Skills Accelerator, a course designed to help professionals master the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in complex project environments.

Enroll in the Power Skills Accelerator
https://www.developpowerskills.com/sales-page

If you want to assess where execution may be breaking down in your current projects, take the Execution Intelligence Diagnostic to identify gaps across leadership, decision making, and team alignment.

Start the diagnostic
https://executionintelligence.scoreapp.com/

Join the waitlist for Brittany Wilkins’ upcoming book, Execution Intelligence, focused on the mindset, systems, and discipline required to turn strategy into measurable results.

Join the book waitlist
https://makowayconsulting.scoreapp.com

To learn more about how organizations eliminate execution friction and turn strategy into measurable results, visit Makoway Consulting.

https://www.makowayconsulting.com

Support the show

Deepen Your Project Leadership

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2308468/subscribe

Send us Fan Mail

Every business is measured by its financial performance.

Revenue. Profit. The bottom line.

That’s what people look at when something collapses.

But by the time the numbers reflect the problem, it’s already been there.

There are other indicators that get overlooked.

Decision speed starts to slow.
Pressure builds in places no one is tracking.
Options begin to narrow long before anyone calls it a risk.

I didn’t look at Spirit Airlines and think this was sudden.

I thought about how long it had probably been building.

In this episode, I walk through what most people miss when they look at business failure.

Not the outcome. The pattern behind it.

Because collapse doesn’t start with financial results.

It starts inside the system.

And if you’re not paying attention to those signals early, you don’t get time to react. You get forced to respond.

If you are ready to strengthen the skills that separate project managers from project leaders, explore the Power Skills Accelerator, a course designed to help professionals master the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in complex project environments.

Enroll in the Power Skills Accelerator
https://www.developpowerskills.com/sales-page

If you want to assess where execution may be breaking down in your current projects, take the Execution Intelligence Diagnostic to identify gaps across leadership, decision making, and team alignment.

Start the diagnostic
https://executionintelligence.scoreapp.com/

Join the waitlist for Brittany Wilkins’ upcoming book, Execution Intelligence, focused on the mindset, systems, and discipline required to turn strategy into measurable results.

Join the book waitlist
https://makowayconsulting.scoreapp.com

To learn more about how organizations eliminate execution friction and turn strategy into measurable results, visit Makoway Consulting.

https://www.makowayconsulting.com

Support the show

Deepen Your Project Leadership

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2308468/subscribe

Send us Fan Mail

You’re working hard. Delivering results. Doing everything right.

So why are you still not moving forward?

In this episode, host Brittany Wilkins  break down the real reason so many professionals and project leaders feel stuck despite their effort.

It’s not about working harder.

It’s about developing the right power skills.

You’ll learn:

• Why hard work alone is not enough to advance your career
• The hidden gap that keeps high performers stuck
• The 4 power skills every project leader needs to succeed
• How to position yourself for growth, recognition, and leadership

If you’ve ever felt overlooked, undervalued, or stuck in execution mode… This episode will challenge how you think about success.

And more importantly—it will show you what to do next.

If you are ready to strengthen the skills that separate project managers from project leaders, explore the Power Skills Accelerator, a course designed to help professionals master the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in complex project environments.

Enroll in the Power Skills Accelerator
https://www.developpowerskills.com/sales-page

If you want to assess where execution may be breaking down in your current projects, take the Execution Intelligence Diagnostic to identify gaps across leadership, decision making, and team alignment.

Start the diagnostic
https://executionintelligence.scoreapp.com/

Join the waitlist for Brittany Wilkins’ upcoming book, Execution Intelligence, focused on the mindset, systems, and discipline required to turn strategy into measurable results.

Join the book waitlist
https://makowayconsulting.scoreapp.com

To learn more about how organizations eliminate execution friction and turn strategy into measurable results, visit Makoway Consulting.

https://www.makowayconsulting.com

Support the show

Deepen Your Project Leadership

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2308468/subscribe

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Project Management Masterclass, we break down one of the most widely used change management frameworks, the ADKAR model.

More importantly, we look at how change actually happens in real-world environments and why it often fails.

If organizations don’t change and people do, then understanding how individual change happens is critical to delivering successful projects and real business outcomes.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What the ADKAR model is and how it works
Why awareness alone is not enough to drive change
The difference between understanding change and wanting it
How gaps in desire create execution friction
Why training and knowledge do not guarantee adoption
The difference between knowing and doing
How to better align the people side and business side of change

This episode also includes a real example from an ERP implementation to show how change can break down when desire is not established.

If you are leading projects, managing change, or trying to improve execution within your organization, this episode will give you a framework you can apply immediately.

But understanding change is only one part of it.

Leading change requires strong power skills. How you communicate, influence, align teams, and drive execution under pressure.

If you are ready to strengthen the skills that separate project managers from project leaders, explore the Power Skills Accelerator, a course designed to help professionals master the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in complex project environments.

Enroll in the Power Skills Accelerator
https://www.developpowerskills.com/sales-page

If you want to assess where execution may be breaking down in your current projects, take the Execution Intelligence Diagnostic to identify gaps across leadership, decision making, and team alignment.

Start the diagnostic
https://executionintelligence.scoreapp.com/

Join the waitlist for Brittany Wilkins’ upcoming book, Execution Intelligence, focused on the mindset, systems, and discipline required to turn strategy into measurable results.

Join the book waitlist
https://makowayconsulting.scoreapp.com

To learn more about how organizations eliminate execution friction and turn strategy into measurable results, visit Makoway Consulting.

https://www.makowayconsulting.com

Support the show

Deepen Your Project Leadership

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2308468/subscribe

Send us Fan Mail

Change is inevitable in organizations — but successful change is intentional.

In this episode of Project Management Masterclass, we explore five reasons change management is necessary for successful projects. Too often organizations focus on timelines, deliverables, and systems while overlooking the most important factor behind transformation: people.

Project outcomes are ultimately determined by whether individuals adopt new behaviors.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why every organizational change begins with a clear purpose
• Why organizational change requires individual behavior change
• How project outcomes depend on adoption, not just execution
• Why change management frameworks help guide the people side of change
• How leaders ensure change initiatives deliver measurable business value

Whether you're implementing a new system, launching a strategic initiative, or leading an organizational transformation, understanding the people side of change is essential for long-term success.

If you're a project professional looking to strengthen your leadership influence and guide teams through change more effectively, this episode will give you a practical foundation.

If you are ready to strengthen the skills that separate project managers from project leaders, explore the Power Skills Accelerator, a course designed to help professionals master the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in complex project environments.

Enroll in the Power Skills Accelerator
https://www.developpowerskills.com/sales-page

If you want to assess where execution may be breaking down in your current projects, take the Execution Intelligence Diagnostic to identify gaps across leadership, decision making, and team alignment.

Start the diagnostic
https://executionintelligence.scoreapp.com/

Join the waitlist for Brittany Wilkins’ upcoming book, Execution Intelligence, focused on the mindset, systems, and discipline required to turn strategy into measurable results.

Join the book waitlist
https://makowayconsulting.scoreapp.com

To learn more about how organizations eliminate execution friction and turn strategy into measurable results, visit Makoway Consulting.

https://www.makowayconsulting.com

Support the show

Deepen Your Project Leadership

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2308468/subscribe