The Evolving PMI Talent Triangle®

The evolution of The PMI Talent Triangle® should be of interest to all current Project Management Institute (PMI) credential holders. Since it’s introduction in 2015, The PMI Talent Triangle® has been continuously evolving to reflect changes in the project management landscape. In an effort to provide the most comprehensive and up-to date training available for modern project managers, PMI created The Talent Triangle®, which utilizes a three domain approach based on current business needs. All Professional Development Units (PDUs) earned are aligned with one of the 3 domain areas present in The Talent Triangle®.

Updates to The PMI Talent Triangle®

The New PMI Talent Triangle® reflects the realities of the current market. Project managers will often:

• assess the needs of the project
• the culture of the organization
• the skills of their project team

After those areas have been met, project managers can then determine the right approach to most effectively deliver the project. Once the project manager decides on the project approach, they are still faced with various tools and techniques.   

Project managers are expected to master all approaches to project governance. A predictive or waterfall project requires a deep understanding of the knowledge areas outlined in the PMBOK® Guide – Seventh Edition and allows the project manager to manage scope, cost, and schedule closely. An agile or iterative project requires project managers to shift to the values and principles presented in the “Agile Manifesto”. Along with this shift, project managers must adopt a servant leadership approach. All while adhering to the rituals commonly practiced in adaptive approaches like Scrum, Extreme Programming, and Lean/Scrum.

The updated PMI Talent Triangle® addresses this! The updated domains are as follows:

Business Acumen

Business Acumen will replace the Strategic and Business Management standard, which PMI had previously included as a required skill area. This prioritizes the needs of the business by focusing on benefits, regulatory compliance, market awareness, and competitive analysis. These skills help the project manager understand how internal and external forces impact their project. This will prepare them to keep the project strategically aligned with the program’s or portfolio’s strategic goals.

Ways of Working

Ways of Working is a new domain area that focuses on the technical skills required to deliver today’s project. Project managers should analyze the project’s unique needs to determine which tools would be most effective to drive organizational results. Furthermore, they should proactively seek to expand their knowledge of project tools and techniques. Ways of Working is a new skill area, which will replace Technical Project Management on the talent triangle.

Power Skills

The Power Skills domain has replaced the Leadership area on the talent triangle. This area is all about personal leadership!  It includes servant leadership concepts, communication, conflict management, coaching and mentoring, interpersonal skills, and problem-solving tools and techniques. The ability to create a compelling vision and motivate a skilled group of professionals to deliver on that vision is a strategic competency for leaders at all levels of the organization.

Certification and Education Minimum PDUs	Ways of Working PDUs Required	Power Skills PDUs Required	Business Acumen PDUs Required	Remaining PDUs In Any Area of Talent Triangle
PMP → 35	8	8	8	11
PgMP → 35	8	8	8	11
PfMP → 35	8	8	8	11
PMI-PBA → 35	8	8	8	11
PMI-ACP → 18	4	4	4	6
PMI-RMP → 18	4	4	4	6
PMI-SP → 18	4	4	4	6
CAPM → 9	2	2	2	3

Project Managers and The New PMI Talent Triangle®

Today’s project manager needs to have a deep understanding of all governance approaches and apply that knowledge in a wide variety of settings. Furthermore, project managers need to be able to assess the organization’s culture, the nature of the project, and the skill levels of the project team to assist in making the correct governance choice.

Learn more about the updated PMI Talent Triangle® while earning PDUs by taking advantage of Project Management Academy’s course offerings. Sign up for a Talent Triangle class today!

---