Shouldn't PM Training Walk the Talk?

April 16, 2010 | by

This blog was updated July 2025.

Lately, I've noticed something ironic about project management and project management training.

Successful projects are so specific to the needs of the sponsors and business, requiring detailed project plans to ensure that scope, schedule, budget and deliverables hit the target.  This target is oftentimes moving one; slight requirements changes cause further alterations to the project.  In the world of agile project management, these changes can be even more frequent.

Yet, when it comes to training people to pull off those very company-specific results, many companies use standard, off-the-shelf training sessions that do not accurately reflect the realities of the business and employees they support.

Why do so many companies accept a merely transactional relationship with their project management training providers when they should be demanding a collaborative relationship?

Don't get me wrong: off-the-shelf courses with pre-established case studies and exercises are a great start, and sometimes the right fit for some companies, but most companies that I work with have their own methodology and templates, their own project portfolio management and governance practices, different audiences, specific learning objectives and desired behavior changes, and schedule/budget constraints.  Isn’t it the responsibility of the service provider to act in a trusted advisor capacity to help its clients create the best possible learning experience and learning outcomes?

Isn’t it time for the purchasers of project management training services to “have it their way”?  To proactively recommend alterations and customizations to course content based on their expertise in building efficient and effective learning experiences?  Wouldn’t a more perfect world include:

• Component-based learning content to create blended and spaced learning strategies that target specific learning
• Objectives and desired behavior changes where performance improvement can be measured and used to fuel additional investments
• Openness to including client-specific terminology, processes and templates to allow students to immediately apply what they are learning in “their world”
• Understanding and appreciation of schedule and budget constraints
• Openness to managing the ongoing program, taking ownership of the results, through the use of SaaS-based LMS and behavior change assessment tools
• PM consulting backbone to support individual and group mentoring as well as process, organization and technology enhancements.

That would be a world where PM training and PM practice would be speaking the same language and walking the same talk.

FAQ

Why isn’t off-the-shelf PM training enough?

Every organization has its own processes, tools, and project types. Generic training can’t address those nuances—making it harder for learners to apply what they’ve learned.

What does customized PM training look like?

It may include company-specific case studies, templates, terminology, and goals. It’s often built around blended learning (virtual, in-person, self-paced) and tailored to business objectives.

How does customized training impact performance?

Tailored programs improve engagement and retention, support faster application on the job, and offer measurable behavior change—often with better ROI.

Can training programs include mentoring or coaching?

Yes. Many companies combine classroom or online instruction with mentoring or project-based coaching to reinforce skills and embed change.

How do I get leadership buy-in for custom training?

Make the case in terms of business impact: faster project delivery, improved alignment, reduced rework, and better use of internal tools/processes.