PMP lesson · Exam Strategy · The PMI mindset · lesson 2 of 3 · about 8 minutes
The PMI mindset, part 2: rules 5–8
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Goal: After this lesson you can apply rules 5–8: honesty, safety and ethics, value over plan, and stakeholder understanding.
1The situation
Pressure from above
Many difficult PMP questions put the project manager under pressure from someone powerful: a sponsor who wants better-looking numbers, a customer who wants free extras, an executive who wants to ignore market data, a director who won't engage.
The correct answer almost never gives in to the pressure, and almost never fights it head-on. It stays honest, legal, value-focused and respectful.
2Rules 5–8
These rules decide most ethics, Business Environment and stakeholder questions:
5
Honesty
Report truthfully and early.
6
Safety, law, ethics
Non-negotiable.
7
Value
Outcomes over following a plan.
Rule 8: understand stakeholders and communicate early, directly and in a way they understand.
If an answer involves hiding, bending rules or ignoring evidence, it is almost certainly wrong, however reasonable it sounds.
3Rules 5–8
Rule 5 · Be honest and transparent
Report the truth, early: delays, overruns, mistakes, failed criteria. Never hide or “present positively”. Clue words: “present the data positively”, “don't alarm”, “rebaseline monthly”
Rule 6 · Safety, law and ethics come first
Immediate danger → stop. Never trade compliance or ethics for time, money or relationships. Disclose conflicts of interest. Clue words: “only ten minutes”, “gift”, “relative's company”, “by mistake”
Rule 7 · Value over the plan
Projects exist to deliver value. Adapt when evidence changes; raise business-case problems with the sponsor. Clue words: “demand halved”, “used by 2%”, “on time but no savings”
Rule 8 · Understand stakeholders, communicate early
Find what people really need; engage resistant stakeholders directly; tailor communication; bad news early, interactively. Clue words: “stopped attending”, “resistant”, “misunderstood”
Honest, legal, valuable, respectful.
4How it looks on the exam
Exam-style question 1. The project is running three weeks late. The sponsor suggests rebaselining every month so reports stop showing red. No changes have been approved. What should the project manager do?
A. Rebaseline monthly as suggested
B. Explain that baselines change only through approved changes, keep reporting variance honestly, and present a recovery plan or a formal change request
C. Stop reporting schedule performance
D. Report only forecasts
Show the answer and the decode
Answer: B.
In simple English
Pressure to hide variance.
What is the question really asking?
The honest response.
Key words / trigger
“so reports stop showing red”
PMP logic
Rule 5 (honesty) + rule 2 (change control).
Why the wrong answer looks attractive
Following the sponsor feels loyal, but it hides the truth.
5Remember this
Your memory card
5 Honest and transparent, early
6 Safety, law and ethics first
7 Value over the plan
8 Understand stakeholders; communicate early and directly