The Project Management Podcast

Cornelius Fichtner, PMP

Become the project manager everyone wants on their team. Tune in to The Project Management Podcast™ and join Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, CSM, as he interviews global PM experts to uncover what drives their project success. Subscribe at https://www.pm-podcast.com and get actionable advice you can apply today. Each episode is packed with hands-on tips for beginners and experts to help you integrate good practices and the latest insights to lead your projects more effectively. Copyright © 2005 - 2025 Cornelius Fichtner. All rights reserved.

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15 episodes
Updated July 24

Episodes15

Newest first

July 24
Episode 556: Rethinking the PMO: Identity, Design & What's Next
Play audio-only episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary Sara Gallagher, President of The Persimmon Group and author of the LinkedIn newsletter Big Dumb Questions, joins Cornelius Fichtner to answer the uncomfortable questions most PMO leaders avoid. The conversation follows four threads: PMO identity, design, accountability, and the future. It opens with the biggest question of all: are PMOs dying? Sara takes an optimistic view, with caveats. She explains that traditional PMO
July 16
Personal Pause Update
Play audio-only episode Your browser does not support the audio element. Download the episode. A brief personal update from your host. My wife recently had a serious fall that required hip surgery and rehabilitation, so my time is fully devoted to her recovery right now. One recorded interview is on its way to your feed shortly, but the schedule will stay quiet for the next few weeks while I reschedule cancelled interviews and we get through this together.
July 2
Episode 555: Master All 7 PMBOK 8 Performance Domains for the PMP Exam (With Sample Exam Questions)
Play audio-only episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary The seven performance domains from the PMBOK Guide 8th edition form the backbone of how project work actually happens, and they are woven into nearly every situational question on the PMP exam. The catch is that the exam never labels them. Cornelius Fichtner, PMP, takes you through all seven domains: Governance, Scope, Schedule, Finance, Stakeholders, Resources, and Risk. For each domain, he presents a sample question fr
June 20
Episode 554: PMBOK Guide 8th Edition, All Six Principles for the PMP Exam
Play audio-only episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary Preparing for the PMP exam means developing the ability to make sound decisions under pressure, not simply recalling definitions from a textbook. In this lesson, drawn directly from the PM PrepCast PMP exam prep course and PrepCast PMP Exam Simulator, Cornelius Fichtner walks through all six project management principles from the PMBOK Guide 8th Edition and shows exactly how to recognize and apply them when facing the ki
May 29
Episode 553: Revenge of the Risk Register (Premium Preview)
Premium This is a preview of our premium episode. Full access is available only to premium subscribers. Click here and learn about the Premium Podcast to access this interview... Play audio-only preview episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary We welcome back Dawn Mahan and Jerry Manas for a project risk management conversation that connects movie moments with practical project leadership. Dawn and Jerry, co-editors of Projectland Goes to the Movies: 22 Blockbuster Strategies
May 17
Episode 552: PMP Exam Content Outline
Play audio-only episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary The PMP Exam Content Outline, often called the ECO, drives everything about the PMP exam, yet many students still focus almost entirely on the PMBOK Guide. In this episode, Cornelius Fichtner explains why the PMP exam is not a test of the PMBOK Guide and why the ECO serves as the real syllabus behind the certification exam. He walks through how PMI develops exam questions, how volunteers create and review questions based
May 15
Episode 551: What Movies Teach Project Managers
Play audio-only episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary Project managers often joke that their projects feel like a movie. In this conversation, that idea becomes the central theme as Cornelius Fichtner welcomes Dawn Mahan and Jerry Manas to discuss their book Projectland Goes to the Movies. Together, they examine how famous films reflect real project management challenges involving leadership, teamwork, risk, stakeholder management, planning, and adaptation under pressure. F
April 30
Episode 550: How to Turn Chaos Into Project Clarity (Premium Preview)
Premium This is a preview of our premium episode. Full access is available only to premium subscribers. Click here and learn about the Premium Podcast to access this interview... Play audio-only preview episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary Projects rarely fall apart because people lack effort. More often, they struggle because teams move forward without a shared understanding of what they are actually trying to achieve. In this conversation, Cornelius Fichtner continues hi
April 4
Episode 549: How to Bring Clarity to Chaotic Projects
Play audio-only episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary Danielle Naomi McCier joins the discussion to explain how project managers can create clarity in environments where priorities shift, feedback comes from multiple directions, and teams struggle to stay aligned. The conversation highlights how projects rarely begin in chaos but gradually lose clarity as expectations evolve and communication becomes fragmented. Danielle explains that what many teams interpret as planning i
February 13
Episode 548: From Project Delivery to Value: How Project Managers Create Real Business Impact
Play audio-only episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary Project work dominates how organizations grow, transform, and compete, yet many projects still fail to create meaningful impact. This conversation examines why delivering plans, schedules, and outputs no longer defines success for project managers. As expectations shift toward value creation and strategic impact, the role of the project manager expands beyond execution into leadership, influence, and decision-making. Ant
January 30
Episode 547: How to Empower Project Teams (Premium Preview)
Premium This is a preview of our premium episode. Full access is available only to premium subscribers. Click here and learn about the Premium Podcast to access this interview... Play audio-only preview episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary Leadership is not defined by rank, title, or position, but by how well leaders take care of their people. In this conversation, Cornelius Fichtner speaks with Sergeant Major Jill E. Johnson about leadership grounded in service, trust, an
January 24
Episode 546: The Real Reason Project Requirements Keep Changing
Play audio-only episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary Project requirements rarely change because teams lack discipline. More often, change starts long before a project manager ever joins the work. Early product decisions define priorities, assumptions, and constraints that quietly shape delivery outcomes. In this conversation, Cornelius Fichtner speaks with Lee Fischman about why project managers so often inherit projects that feel impossible and how product thinking influe
Dec 29, 2025
Episode 545: AI Speeds Up Risk, How Leaders Respond (Premium Preview)
Premium This is a preview of our premium episode. Full access is available only to premium subscribers. Click here and learn about the Premium Podcast to access this interview... Play audio-only preview episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary AI is changing how projects operate, but speed and automation also introduce new risks that are easier to miss and harder to challenge. This conversation examines how artificial intelligence accelerates existing project warning signs and
Dec 19, 2025
Episode 544: The Four Pillars of Project Success
Play audio-only episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Episode Summary Projects rarely fall apart because of tools or templates. They struggle because leaders lack clarity, adaptability, awareness, and strong communication habits. Author and coach Scott Barnard joins Cornelius Fichtner to share a practical leadership framework built on four pillars that help project managers guide their teams through turbulence. Drawing from more than three decades of recovering troubled initiatives, Scott
Dec 6, 2025
Episode 543: Catch Project Trouble Early and Protect Your Delivery
Play audio-only episode | Play video episode | Play on YouTube | Play on Spotify Click above to play either the audio-only episode or video episode in a new window. Episode Summary Subtle problems often start long before a project shows obvious signs of distress. Leaders feel the pressure to deliver momentum, teams shift toward activity over outcomes, and stakeholders slowly fade as competing priorities pull them away. In this conversation, Matthew Oleniuk brings his experience from overseeing l

The Project Management Podcast

Episode 556: Rethinking the PMO: Identity, Design & What&#039;s Next

Personal Pause Update

Episode 555: Master All 7 PMBOK 8 Performance Domains for the PMP Exam (With Sample Exam Questions)

Episode 554: PMBOK Guide 8th Edition, All Six Principles for the PMP Exam

Episode 553: Revenge of the Risk Register (Premium Preview)

Episode 552: PMP Exam Content Outline

Episode 551: What Movies Teach Project Managers

Episode 550: How to Turn Chaos Into Project Clarity (Premium Preview)

Episode 549: How to Bring Clarity to Chaotic Projects

Episode 548: From Project Delivery to Value: How Project Managers Create Real Business Impact

Episode 547: How to Empower Project Teams (Premium Preview)

Episode 546: The Real Reason Project Requirements Keep Changing

Episode 545: AI Speeds Up Risk, How Leaders Respond (Premium Preview)

Episode 544: The Four Pillars of Project Success

Episode 543: Catch Project Trouble Early and Protect Your Delivery

Episode 556: Rethinking the PMO: Identity, Design & What's Next