PMI Talent Triangle^® Update

The PMI Talent Triangle represents the ideal sets of skills project professionals must develop and hone to be successful and work smarter in today’s evolving world of project management.

We are changing the PMI Talent Triangle to help project professionals navigate the changing world of work and the evolving project management profession. The new sides of the PMI Talent Triangle reflect the skills project professionals, and those who use project management skills - who we call “changemakers” - need to be successful. Everything you need to know about how the PMI Talent Triangle will be posted on our website soon.

The thinking behind the PMI Talent Triangle change was informed by research PMI has done over the last several years, which clearly shows how the world of work has changed. This research was shared with and, at times, completed by external stakeholder groups. The most recent support can be found in a PMI thought leadership report completed in partnership with PWC, entitled “Narrowing the Talent Gap: How to Be a Front-Runner in the Race for Talent”

The current version of the PMI Talent Triangle has three sides - Technical Project Management, Strategic and Business Management, and Leadership - representing the expertise professionals need. Additionally, it has an “overlay” for digital skills, emphasizing how digital transformation is impacting every aspect of our work.

With the new PMI Talent Triangle:

• Technical Project Management will be replaced with “Ways of Working”
• Strategic and Business Management will be replaced with “Business Acumen”
• Leadership will be replaced with “Power Skills”

“Ways of Working” means learning different ways to get the job done. Whether it is predictive, agile, design thinking, or new practices still to be developed, it is clear that there is more than one way that work gets done today. We encourage professionals to master as many ways of working as they can so they can apply the right technique at the right time, delivering winning results.

• The term “ways of working” has become common language in recent years and was not created by PMI, nor is it specific to the Disciplined Agile^® suite of products.
• We chose this language for the PMI Talent Triangle because as the pace of change increases and problems become more complex, businesses and practitioners must master diverse and creative ways to get any job done. PMI encourages individuals to understand and adopt many ways of working - including predictive, agile, design thinking, or other new practices to quickly adapt to new challenges. This enables our stakeholders to thrive and succeed by applying the right solutions, at the right moment in time. 
• Topics such as risk management, business analysis, and portfolio management, which would have formerly fallen under the Technical Project Management category, are now captured under the “Ways of Working” category.

“Business Acumen” means understanding the macro and micro influences across an organization and industry and have the function or domain-specific knowledge to make good decisions. We encourage professionals at all levels to develop business acumen because it gives them what they need to cultivate effective decision-making and understand how their projects align with the big picture of broader organizational strategy and global trends.

“Business Acumen” is the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, while understanding the many factors of influence across an organization or industry. Historically this has been developed through experience, but more is being demanded of our practitioners, and thus, trainings, courses, certifications, and self-guided learning opportunities are becoming more important. Business Acumen enables deeper knowledge of how any project aligns with broader strategy and global trends, enabling efficient and effective decision-making whether you are an entrepreneur, or work in a commercial industry, government, or nonprofit.

“Power Skills” are interpersonal skills, including collaborative leadership, communication, an innovative mindset, for-purpose orientation, and empathy. We encourage professionals to develop power skills so they can maintain influence with a variety of stakeholders - a critical component for making change happen.

Beyond traditional top-down leadership skills, “power skills” - formerly known as “soft skills" - are the critical interpersonal skills that enable professionals at every level to apply influence, inspire change, and build relationships. However, referring to these associated skills (e.g. leadership, empathy, critical thinking, creative problem solving, etc.) as “soft skills” discredits and undermines their importance. There is power in servant leadership and empathy. Mastering these various skills help to differentiate our stakeholders and empower them to become influential stakeholders at any level in an organization.

We are sharing news of the change now so our stakeholders are informed. Changes to the Continuing Certification Requirements System (CCRS), Course Catalog, and the Authorized Training Partner Education Provider Portal will be completed in phases throughout 2022.

The new PMI Talent Triangle is aligned to the Education PDUs certification holders can earn. It will not have an impact on the Giving Back PDUs. You can still earn PDUs for activities that give back to the profession, including creating new project management knowledge, volunteering, and working as a professional in project management. Volunteer activities should reflect your use of practitioner knowledge and skills (i.e., planning the project for a charity).

There is no action required for you. Certification holders will see the changes in their PDU recording in their myPMI account soon. This will not impact the number of PDUs you have earned nor how many you need to earn in each category, but solely the names of the categories. You will not lose any PDUs and the PDU requirements remain the same.

• PDUs in the Technical Project Management category be replaced with “Ways of Working.”
• PDUs in the Strategic and Business Management category will be replaced with “Business Acumen.”
• PDUs in the Leadership category will be replaced with “Power Skills."

And when pursuing PDU opportunities going forward, you will start to see the PDU category names (Ways of Working, Business Acumen, and Power Skills) listed. If you are still seeing the former PDU category names, there is no need for concern. You will still be able to claim those PDUs.

This change does not impact individuals working toward earning a PMI certification. Once you pass your exam, the PDU requirements for each certification remain the same. The only change will be in the category name for the PDU opportunity. 

• PDUs in the Technical Project Management category be replaced with “Ways of Working.”
• PDUs in the Strategic and Business Management category will be replaced with “Business Acumen.”
• PDUs in the Leadership category will be replaced with “Power Skills.”

If you offer PDU opportunities to stakeholders, you will need to update your promotional materials (websites, advertisements, brochures, etc.) to reflect the new sides of the PMI Talent Triangle.

• PDUs in the Technical Project Management category be replaced with “Ways of Working.”
• PDUs in the Strategic and Business Management category will be replaced with “Business Acumen.”
• PDUs in the Leadership category will be replaced with “Power Skills.”

Additionally, you will need to replace the PMI Talent Triangle image with the new one that will be featured on our website soon.

If your lessons refer to the PMI Talent Triangle, you will need to update your instructional materials to reflect the new sides of the PMI Talent Triangle.

• PDUs in the Technical Project Management category be replaced with “Ways of Working.”
• PDUs in the Strategic and Business Management category will be replaced with “Business Acumen.”
• PDUs in the Leadership category will be replaced with “Power Skills.”

Additionally, you will need to replace the PMI Talent Triangle image with the new one that will be featured on our website soon.

For all inquiries related to the PMI Talent Triangle update, please contact us here and we will be happy to help you.