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POSTER 02
Section 2 · PMBOK 7 — The "Why / Ought"

The 12 Project Management Principles

Principles are guides for behaviour & decisions, not steps. They are outcome-oriented and apply to any approach. The 12 sit beneath the 8 Performance Domains (Poster 3) and tell you how to act when the playbook runs out.

Visual Map & Key Concepts — All 12, clustered

People Outcome & Value System & Uncertainty Adaptation & Change
01StewardshipBe diligent, respectful & caring — for the organisation and society/environment.
Cue: accountable to all affected, not just the sponsor.
02TeamBuild a collaborative, safe, shared-ownership team culture.
Cue: optimise the team, not the hero.
03StakeholdersEngage proactively, to the depth needed to deliver value.
Cue: engage early, often, at the right depth.
06LeadershipShow leadership behaviours — influence & direction beyond authority.
Cue: lead the behaviour you want to see.
04ValueContinually evaluate & adjust to maximise benefits & worth.
Cue: ask "so what's the value?" at every gate.
08QualityBuild quality into processes & deliverables — fitness for purpose.
Cue: prevent defects, don't just detect.
12ChangeEnable people to adopt the change & reach the future state.
Cue: no adoption = no benefits.
11Adaptability & ResiliencyBuild capacity to flex and to recover from setbacks.
Cue: plan to flex; design to bounce back.
05Systems ThinkingSee interacting wholes; anticipate ripple effects.
Cue: trace the ripple before you change.
09ComplexityRecognise complexity (systems, behaviour, ambiguity) & adapt.
Cue: probe–sense–respond when cause/effect is unclear.
10RiskAddress uncertainty — chase opportunity, limit threat — cost-effectively.
Cue: spend on response only where it pays.
07TailoringDesign the approach to fit the unique context; maximise value, minimise waste.
Cue: fit the method to the work, never the reverse.

Relationships

  • Principles rest on the PMI Code of Ethics: Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, Honesty.
  • The 12 enable the 8 Performance Domains — principles = mindset, domains = activity.
  • Uncertainty cluster: Risk + Complexity + Adaptability work together.
  • People cluster (Stewardship, Team, Stakeholders, Leadership) underpins all the rest.

Exam Concepts

  • Principles are not prescriptive and are not processes.
  • Stewardship covers internal + external (society, environment).
  • Leadership ≠ positional authority — anyone can lead.
  • Tailoring appears as both a principle and a recurring theme.

Executive View

  • The 12 are a leadership operating system for delivery culture.
  • Stewardship + Value map directly to board & ESG conversations.
  • Promote leadership at all levels, not just at the top.
  • Use as decision tie-breakers when rules conflict.

Industry Example — Manufacturing line upgrade

Manufacturing
  • Systems thinking: a faster cell starves the next station — model the whole line first.
  • Quality built-in: poka-yoke & in-process checks beat end-of-line inspection.
  • Optimise risk: spend on a pilot cell before committing the full retrofit.
  • Change: operator training & buy-in decide whether throughput actually rises.

Memory Hooks

Sentence mnemonic (in order 1–12):

Stewards Tend Stakeholders' Value · Systems Lead Tailored Quality · Complexity, Risk, Adaptability, Change

  • 4 People, 2 Outcome, 3 System, 3 Adaptation — recite by colour.
60-sec Review Recite all 12 by cluster colour Run the sentence mnemonic Name the 4 ethics values Principle vs process — the difference Pick one cue to use today
PMI Visual Wall · Poster 02 · PMBOK 7 Principles · original instructional design · A3 landscape