PMI Certified: “I had to rethink everything” — Mansoor Wahdat on Going Agile, Helping Refugees, and Leading with Empathy

When Mansoor Wahdat, PMP, PMI-ACP, talks about project management, he doesn't just reference frameworks and deliverables. He speaks with the clarity and conviction of someone who has lived through the very crises he now works to resolve. Born and raised in Afghanistan, Mansoor has transformed personal adversity into a career built on purpose.

His journey—from teaching English and managing infrastructure projects to resettling refugees across Texas, USA—is not just a story of resilience; it’s one of lasting impact.

Today, as City Director with Cherokee Federal, Mansoor draws on his PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)^® certification to drive adaptable, people-centered programs that support refugee resettlement statewide.

We sat down with Mansoor to learn how agile project management fuels his work, empowers his teams, and helps him lead with empathy in ever-changing environments.

Why agile? Elevating humanitarian impact with the PMI-ACP

You had experience with predictive project management before humanitarian work. What led you to adopt agile methods—and pursue the PMI-ACP?

I was working on very structured and traditional projects before moving into humanitarian support and human services. When I transitioned, I found myself in a very volatile environment where things change rapidly. Applying traditional project management skills didn’t always fit.

I had to be very adaptable and flexible, constantly altering my plans. Seeing the nature of the work, I realized it was necessary to become more skilled at handling flexible and ever-changing environments—that’s what led me to pursue the PMI-ACP.

The second reason was the overall shift in project management globally. Projects today are becoming more unique and flexible. While many people still follow traditional approaches, I knew that to stand out, I needed unique skills. I believed the PMI-ACP would give me the tools required for modern project management.

What specific practices from the PMI-ACP certification do you find most effective in your humanitarian work now, and why?

Using Kanban boards has been incredibly helpful. Honestly, they’ve been the key to keeping me from feeling overwhelmed or stressed by the workload and constant changes.

I’m not worried about bulk planning anymore. Instead, I focus on monthly planning—setting goals for the month and working toward them. That approach has been very effective for me.

I also rely heavily on iterative planning. In my environment, things change so quickly that plans made at the beginning of the month might not make sense by the end. If I planned five months ahead, I’d waste time constantly revising. So now, I set overall goals but focus on short-term, adaptive planning.

Another important practice is empowering my team. When I focus on team empowerment, I see a much higher level of commitment, which directly boosts productivity.

Can you share an example where something you learned through your certification, or an agile principle or practice, that helped streamline or improve one of your projects?

When I got my Project Management Professional (PMP)^® certification, it changed the way I was managing projects. But still, I was very much a traditional, waterfall-type project manager. I focused heavily on goals, plans, structure, and results. That’s how I was—and I think, that’s typically how it is in Eastern and Middle Eastern countries. The evolution of project management there is still focused mainly on plans and results, with very little adaptability, agility, or employee-centered project management. That’s the environment I was born and raised in, and that’s the mentality I had.

When I learned about agile and PMI-ACP, even before getting certified, I loved it. I realized that my natural talents aligned more with agile thinking, but my environment had made me very strict and traditional. So, I learned more and eventually earned my PMI-ACP certification.

Once I got that, the first big change was that I became more of a servant leader. Instead of focusing only on goals, I shifted my focus to my team—their well-being and empowerment. That was the first major benefit.

The second change was how I planned. I used to plan everything in bulk, but a lot of those plans would become idle or unused. After learning agile practices, I switched to iterative planning, which I still use today. For example, in my current program, I have yearly goals, but I break them down into monthly goals. At the end of each month, I review what worked and what didn’t.

These two practices—servant leadership and iterative planning—have made a significant difference in my project management journey.

Navigating cultures: Leading diverse teams with clarity and empathy

How do you lead cross-cultural teams, and how have your certifications shaped your approach?

Working cross-culturally is, on the one hand, very amazing, but on the other hand, very challenging if it’s not handled correctly.

My certifications give me a good understanding of how to handle it, but my experience shaped how I do it—how to implement that knowledge from certification the correct way.

I’m more of a servant leader. I empower teams. With cross-cultural teams, I always set an environment of clear roles. I use the RACI matrix—responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed—so everyone is aware of who is who and who is doing what. When we have that clarity—clear responsibilities and clear missions—everyone recognizes their part, and that really eases the process of working with diverse teams.

With diverse teams, it’s always a good idea to set up events outside of work. That way, team members build trust and understanding, which leads to more collaboration and commitment at work. I encourage team members from different cultures to spend time together, which helps them understand each other’s backgrounds.

When I see I have team members from ten different cultures, the first thing I do is learn about those cultures—what’s going on, what the norms are, and what might be considered good in one culture but not in another.

I also inform and educate the whole team about those cultural norms and differences, so everyone is aware.

The third thing is setting up ground rules where every team member feels valued, included, and heard—encouraging open dialogue and inclusive decision-making. Collaboratively working, they all come together.

How do you keep your team aligned with agile principles in high-pressure, fast-changing environments?

I always make sure that I have buy-in from my team for any decisions we make. They’re very included in the process—we collaborate on decisions while keeping agile principles in mind.

Once I have their buy-in on an agile practice or decision, I gain their commitment. And when there’s commitment, those principles—like flexibility and adaptability—are actively maintained.

So, the core method I apply is collaboration. By involving my team and securing their buy-in on best practices, we’re able to consistently uphold agile principles in everything we do.

How do you manage stakeholder expectations while balancing the immediate needs of the people you serve with long-term project objectives?

Stakeholder management is one of my preferred areas in project management. With stakeholders, it's always best to establish clear communication channels and clear expectations.

First, I spend a good amount of time identifying the relevant stakeholders I need to communicate with—those who need to be informed about things. Based on that identification, I plan differently for each group of stakeholders.

Overall, I always establish their preferred communication channels and provide clear updates based on their preferences and the project requirements. I also make sure to include them in some of the decision-making processes with my team to ensure alignment with their expectations.

Sometimes, I have to work with stakeholders to adjust expectations that aren’t very relevant to the project we’re working on.

To make it simple—I focus on establishing clear communication, providing updates, building respect and trust, aligning their expectations with the project goals, and including them in goal setting and purpose-identification sessions.

Driving community impact with project management

How has your project management experience and certifications helped you better serve community stakeholders?

The community is a very direct and key stakeholder for us. My project management knowledge has first provided me with the ability to better understand their needs and see things from their perspective. And my experience has also helped me meet their expectations efficiently, keeping the project on track in terms of quality, cost, and time.

For example, before I had my certifications, I focused solely on stakeholder expectations. I tried to meet all of them—and I did meet most—but I ended up short on budget by the end of the project. It was a nightmare to deal with.

After getting my certification and gaining more experience, I learned how to balance stakeholder expectations with the reality of the project. I can now manage community expectations more efficiently. I understand their perspective much better, and I can communicate and negotiate expectations to ensure everything is well-balanced—for both the project and my team.

How do you balance the emotional side of humanitarian work with the structured, goal-driven nature of project management?

The first thing I do is make sure I separate my personal life from my professional life. Thinking that way helps me avoid bringing emotions into my work. I approach everything in a strategic way rather than an emotional way.

But still, sometimes emotions come in and overlap with work. When that happens, I remind myself that I’m here for a reason—I’m here for a purpose. I think about how my current actions align with that purpose. I focus on aligning every single action toward that purpose. I continuously practice this, and once you do something consistently, it becomes a habit.

I always ask myself—"Is this action coming from emotion, or is it coming from the actual plan or goal?" That’s my simple policy, though it can depend on the situation sometimes.

How has your work in refugee resettlement shaped your approach to project management?

It did kind of change—or rather, advance—my approach to project management. Refugee resettlement added a few important skills and practices to how I manage projects. One of them is empathy. And then adaptability. And flexibility. Those three have been key.

Working in this space taught me to lead with empathy first, then become very flexible and adaptable. It also made me realize the importance of proactive planning rather than reacting after things happen.

The power to change lives

What advice would you give to those interested in entering the project management field?

Be very active in looking for the opportunities that exist in the world. Start seeking them. Use your knowledge and education to make an impact and create change. I see hundreds, even thousands of people who have a lot of knowledge, but they’re not using it—they’re neither benefiting from it themselves nor helping others with it.

So, my advice is: use your knowledge, your talent, and your experience to make a positive impact in the community—to benefit others and yourself. Don’t just keep it to yourself.

Also, make sure to advance your soft skills in addition to your technical skills. Your soft skills will make you a truly valuable person. They will help communicate and apply your technical skills in the way they’re meant to be used. You can develop those through certification, education, and working in diverse environments.

What lights you up about the work you do?

The change in people’s lives. It’s the impact we make in people’s lives.

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