8.1 Executing Project Work

Execution is where project leaders coordinate human talent and physical resources to create the deliverables. It requires balancing formal control with the need for high-speed collaboration.

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🏗️ Leading the Flow

The way you "Direct and Manage Work" shifts based on the project's stability.

Predictive Execution

Control-Oriented

Using a Work Authorization System to ensure tasks start strictly according to the schedule and budget baselines.

Agile Execution

Flow-Oriented

Using Daily Standups and Kanban Boards to visualize progress and remove impediments in real-time.

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🧠 Knowledge Management

Projects produce two distinct types of value: Deliverables and Knowledge.

Explicit Knowledge

Facts, blueprints, and data that can be written down and easily shared (e.g., Code, Manuals).

Tacit Knowledge

Experience, "know-how," and intuition. Shared through Social Interaction and Collaboration.

💡 2026 Shift: Continuous Learning

Do not wait for the "End of Project" party to capture lessons. Update the Lessons Learned Register at every sprint retrospective or phase gate to avoid repeating mistakes in the very next work cycle.

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📈 Data to Intelligence

A core PM skill is translating raw noise into actionable project communication.

1. Work Performance Data: Raw observations (e.g., "300 lines of code written").
2. Work Performance Information: Analyzed context (e.g., "300 lines written, which is 50 fewer than the sprint goal").
3. Work Performance Reports: The final output (e.g., a Status Dashboard for Stakeholders).

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🛠️ Execution Toolbox

• Issue Log: Your #1 tool for tracking current problems. Always update this as soon as a risk occurs.
• Change Requests: The formal "Gear Shift." Used when execution deviates from the plan.
• Servant Leadership: The most important "tool." Your job is to clear the path for the team.

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📝 Exam Insight: If a team member is blocked by a technical issue or an overbearing functional manager, the PM acting as a Servant Leader must prioritize removing that impediment. If you can't fix it yourself, escalate it.