Manage This - The Project Management Podcast

<p>In this episode, Velociteach instructor Frank Polack shares lessons from projects that went off the rails, exploring the warning signs, leadership missteps, and risk blind spots that often lead to failure. Discover why project failures can be valuable learning experiences.</p>

<p>AI is making teams faster, but is it helping them deliver more value? In this episode, Galen Low explores why organizations must move beyond productivity and focus on outcomes. We discuss how AI is reshaping project management, the importance of questioning whether work should be done at all, and the evolving role of project leaders in orchestrating people, technology, and results in a rapidly changing world.</p>

<p>AI is rapidly reshaping project management, pushing routine tasks to automation and elevating the need for human judgment. Peter Taylor warns that this shift may create The Invisible Project Manager, a role focused less on administration and more on strategic leadership, influence, and ethical decision-making as PMs learn to guide AI driven work.</p>

<p>Yadi Caro shares insights from her book Hardcore Soft Skills: A Guide to Work With Humans. We discuss empathy, leadership, communication, team motivation, and strategies for building more effective project teams.</p>

<p>Even the most complex challenges can be overcome when teams stay aligned, adaptable, and focused on a shared mission. Tammy Ashraf shares lessons from NASA Earth Science missions on leading complex, high-stakes projects. She discusses aligning diverse teams, spotting early warning signs, breaking down silos, and managing uncertainty, along with the evolving role of AI and the human skills still essential for project success.</p>

<p>Trevor Smith shares about advanced composite materials designed to protect satellites and astronauts from hypervelocity impacts. He discusses building for impact with rapid prototyping, phased project delivery, and team culture in innovation. We also learn about space-based data centers and Atomic-6’s Light Wing™ deployable space structure platform.</p>

<p>Practical strategies for leading meetings that improve decision-making, strengthen team participation, and drive better project outcomes. In this conversation Evan Unger explores tools like the POPRA model, techniques for managing conflict and encouraging diverse perspectives, and how humble, curious leadership can create healthier and more productive team dynamics.</p>

The PMP® certification is evolving in 2026 with a major exam update. Bill Yates and Ren Love break down what these changes mean for project managers, from shifting success metrics toward value and outcomes to a stronger emphasis on strategy, AI, and sustainability. Hear about updated exam domains, new question formats, and practical exam tips.

New Zealand’s Predator Free 2050 manager Brent Beaven explains what it takes to run a nationwide effort to eliminate invasive predators and protect native wildlife. He describes the scale of the challenge and the long‑term coordination across communities, scientists, and government.

In this episode, we look ahead at what’s next for the profession and what it means for your career. With insights from PMI’s latest Salary Survey and Global Talent Gap Report, along with expert perspective from Dr. Kelly Heuer, this episode highlights where the greatest opportunities are emerging, how AI is reshaping the role, and the steps you can take now to stay competitive and grow with confidence.

Landing a job today isn’t just about qualifications. The hiring process is more competitive and complex than ever, and even strong candidates can get filtered out before a human ever sees their résumé. In this episode, we talk with HR leaders about how to stand out, avoid common interview mistakes, and position yourself for success.

Quantum computing is speeding up, and organizations are racing to protect long‑lived data. Security expert Chris Basener joins us to talk about post‑quantum cryptography, the rising “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” threat, and how PQC is already being tested. We ask what project managers can do now to assess risk, strengthen governance, and prepare their careers for a quantum future.

Turning strategy into action isn’t accidental—it’s project-driven. This conversation looks at how strategy gets delivered inside the project-driven organization. Hear guidance on prioritization, navigating stakeholders, and moving beyond incremental work to spark real innovation. Challenging how leaders think about focus, impact, and the future of project work.

Lean-Agile is easy to talk about but hard to pull off in a “chunky” corporate. Hear practical strategies for navigating layers, budgets, and oversight, keeping teams moving, communicating vision, handling legacy data, fostering experimentation, and leveraging AI—actionable advice for project managers making Agile work at scale.

What if a corporate headquarters could generate, store, and manage its own power—independently, reliably, and sustainably? Cobb EMC has done exactly that. Tim Jarrell, Vice President at Cobb Electric Membership Corporation (EMC), talks about the creation of a self-contained microgrid that powers their campus using solar energy, battery storage, and natural gas. Hear how this innovative project was conceived, planned, and executed, along with the project management lessons learned along the way.

In this special 10th anniversary episode, we have a scenario-driven conversation that puts real-world project challenges front and center. Since 2016, the podcast has grown into a global community of project managers, made possible by loyal listeners and expert guests. Join us as we celebrate 10 years of learning, growth, and leadership in project management.

Has hybrid project management become the new sweet spot? As organizations balance structure, speed, and emerging technology, hybrid methodologies are rapidly becoming the go-to approach. Olivia Montgomery joins us to talk about why hybrid project management is rising so quickly, what “hybrid” really means in practice, and how AI is accelerating this shift. Project management isn’t “one size fits all” anymore, and today’s teams are proving it.

Crisis management expert Edward Segal shares why every project leader must be ready for the unexpected. In this episode, he shares guidance on preparation, response, and resilience—while warning against the “hero mindset” that often derails leaders in high-pressure moments. His message is clear: structured strategies, not spontaneous heroics, are what protect careers, reputations, and teams when crises inevitably arrive.

What happens when strategy, delivery, and client success all rest on one person’s shoulders? Daniel McCaulley talks about the unique challenges of being both project lead and business owner, as he shares lessons from building his company from the ground up, highlighting how leadership, technical expertise, and human connection intersect. He explains why true project success is rooted not just in skill, but in communication, trust, and a relentless drive to improve.

Dr. Colin M. Fisher, author of The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups, reveals the hidden forces that make some teams thrive while others falter. He shares research-based insights on team dynamics, challenging common assumptions about collaboration, group size, and the causes, and cures, of social loafing. Colin offers a new perspective on team development, and the best predictors of team success.