Project Management Masterclass

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As artificial intelligence transforms how we work, are we becoming better project professionals or simply more efficient at producing deliverables?
In recognition of International Project Management Day 2026, Brittany Wilkins, host of Project Management Masterclass, reflects on a simple experience with cursive handwriting that sparked a bigger question: What happens to our professional skills when we stop practicing them?
From project planning and risk management to strategic thinking and decision-making, AI is changing how professionals execute their work. But greater efficiency should not come at the expense of critical thinking, professional judgment, and leadership capabilities.
In this episode, explore the risks of over-reliance on AI, the importance of developing the next generation of project managers, and practical ways to use AI to strengthen NOT replace your professional expertise.
The message is simple: Use AI to extend the craft, not to avoid practicing it.
Happy International Project Management Day!
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Knowing project management and successfully leading projects are two different things.
Project Success Playbook is the premium series from Project Management Masterclass, exploring the decisions, behaviors, systems, and leadership practices that shape successful projects.
Subscribe to access episodes including:
• The Two Types of Decisions That Expedite Project Outcomes
• Designing for Execution Success
• How High Performers Stay C.L.E.A.R. Under Pressure
• The Project Flywheel: How to Build Momentum That Compounds
• How Intelligent Organizations Fail Without Collapsing
Each episode turns ideas from books, research, and real-world project experience into practical lessons to help you think differently, lead better, and execute with greater clarity.
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Deepen your project leadership with Project Success Playbook.
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Project managers are often accountable for outcomes delivered by people who do not report to them. Team members may come from different functions, answer to different leaders, balance competing priorities, and bring different skills and ways of working to the project.
So what does it really mean to lead when positional authority is not enough?
In this episode of Project Management Masterclass, we continue the Project Management Trends 2026 series with Managing With People. Host Brittany Wilkins shares her personal experience of struggling to manage with people early in her career and what it took to grow into a more effective leader.
Through lessons learned along the way, this episode explores the importance of creating clarity, developing capability, building ownership, adapting your communication, and bringing people together around a shared mission.
Because successful project leadership is not about making yourself necessary for every task or decision.
It is about creating the conditions for people to contribute, take ownership, and deliver together.

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Plans are necessary. But every project manager knows that the assumptions behind a plan don't always survive contact with reality.
Requirements change. Stakeholder expectations shift. Resources move. Market conditions evolve. The challenge isn't simply knowing how to update a project plan. It's knowing when change actually warrants a response without constantly disrupting execution.
In this episode of Project Management Masterclass, Brittany Wilkins continues the Project Management Trends 2026 series with a closer look at adaptive planning.
Drawing on familiar project management fundamentals, we explore how techniques such as rolling-wave planning, iterative development, stakeholder engagement, impact analysis, and reprioritization help teams navigate uncertainty. But the conversation goes further: adaptive planning also depends on decision rights, governance, and an organization's ability to distinguish meaningful change from noise.
Because too little adaptation can leave teams executing against outdated assumptions. Too much can create rework, budget overruns, shifting priorities, and teams that stop trusting the plan altogether.
The goal isn't constant change. It's intentional adaptation.
Be rigid on the outcome. Stay flexible on the approach that gets you there.

Episode Keywords:
adaptive planning, adaptive planning project management, project management trends 2026, project planning, project management planning, project management trends, rolling wave planning, progressive elaboration, iterative project management, project decision rights
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Artificial intelligence has become one of the biggest conversations in project management. Much of that conversation has focused on productivity: summarizing meetings, drafting communications, identifying risks, analyzing data, and automating routine tasks.
But the value of AI extends beyond productivity.
In this episode of Project Management Masterclass, we begin our Project Management Trends 2026 series by examining the strategic value of artificial intelligence and what it means for project leaders.
We explore how AI connects to corporate strategy and business value, what the changing demand for AI skills signals about the future of work, and why governance must become part of the conversation as organizations expand their use of AI.
Because adopting AI is only part of the challenge. Organizations must also understand where AI is being used, what risks it introduces, who owns the decisions, and whether those investments are actually delivering value.
For project managers, the opportunity is bigger than learning another tool. It's understanding how AI, strategy, governance, risk, and execution come together to deliver successful outcomes.
The technology may be changing, but the fundamentals of strong project leadership still matter.

If you are ready to strengthen the skills that separate project managers from project leaders, explore the Power Skills Accelerator, a course designed to help professionals master the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in complex project environments.
Enroll in the Power Skills Accelerator
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If you want to assess where execution may be breaking down in your current projects, take the Execution Intelligence Diagnostic to identify gaps across leadership, decision making, and team alignment.
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Join the waitlist for Brittany Wilkins’ upcoming book, Execution Intelligence, focused on the mindset, systems, and discipline required to turn strategy into measurable results.
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To learn more about how organizations eliminate execution friction and turn strategy into measurable results, visit Makoway Consulting.
https://www.makowayconsulting.com

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