Consultant| Canarys Automation LtdBangalore, Karnataka, India
As project managers, we spend years mastering frameworks, tools, and best practices. But as contexts change—new technologies, new delivery models, new stakeholder expectations—some practices that once served us well can quietly become constraints.
In my experience, growth often comes not from learning something new, but from intentionally unlearning habits, assumptions, or “default approaches” that no longer fit the environment.
Have you ever had to consciously unlearn a PM practice that once worked well?
What signals tell you it’s time to let go of an old approach?
How do you balance honoring experience while staying adaptable?
Looking forward to hearing how others navigate this often-overlooked aspect of professional maturity.
I'd suggest it is less about unlearning and more about prioritizing which approaches, mental models, tools or techniques are your "go tos" and which are left for very specific project contexts only.
A simple example would be lifecycle choices. Whereas a few decades ago, a predictive lifecycle (with or without the ability to iterate back to completed phases) might have been the default, these days we might consider adaptive lifecycles as the default and switch only if there is a solid contextual reason to do so.
PMO Leader | Speaker & Mentor | Content Leader – PMOGA Latin America
Hub| Catholic University of UruguayMontevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
Unlearning in project management means recognizing when a practice no longer adds value and reframing it as historical learning without clinging to it; the balance lies in honoring what once worked while having the humility and flexibility to let go when it creates more friction than results, keeping experience as perspective and adaptability as the true driver of growth Saving Changes...
Himanshu KumbhareSr. Project Manager| Johnson and Johnson - MedtechHayward, CA, United States
Project managers must be adaptable and tailor their approach to the specific needs of each project. That means continuously assessing the situation—stakeholders, constraints, risks, team dynamics, and the broader environment—and adjusting how we plan, communicate, and execute. As conditions evolve, effective project managers don’t rigidly follow a single playbook; they adapt, refine processes, and course-correct to keep the team aligned, decisions moving, and outcomes on track. Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Well framed topic.
In practice, what is hardest to unlearn is not techniques, but professional reflexes that stopped being questioned. Practices that once brought clarity can, in new contexts, start creating friction, delays, or a false sense of control.
A clear signal that something needs to be unlearned is when the method starts serving itself instead of serving the decision, the team, or the value being delivered. Another signal is when experience is used to close the conversation rather than enrich it.
Honoring experience does not mean repeating it. It means knowing when it should guide and when it should be deliberately set aside. Professional maturity today is less about accumulating practices and more about knowing when not to apply them. Saving Changes...
I’ve learned that some practices stop working when the project environment changes. For example, rigid planning worked earlier, but in fast-moving projects, it can slow teams down. The signal to unlearn is repeated friction or poor outcomes. I balance experience by using it as guidance, not a fixed rule, and adapting to the situation. Saving Changes...
Program Manager| HARPER SRLSanto Domingo / Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic
unlearning starts when a practice keeps creating friction instead of clarity. When the team follows the process but outcomes don’t improve, that’s usually the signal. Rework increases, decisions slow down, or people disengage. I try to treat experience as context, instead of a default. Sometimes what has worked stays in my toolbox, but I only reach for it when the environment really calls for it. Adaptability, more than any specific practice, keeps experience relevant. Saving Changes...
Being adaptable to the project's evolving needs often requires embracing new techniques, processes and tools and the willingness to leave behind old norms. As PMs, we need to stay open to change, evaluate what no longer adds value or creates unnecessary challenges and make judgements about what best serves the purpose of the project. While this can be difficult to navigate at first, it strengthens out ability to lead in changing environments, make better decisions and consistently deliver value. Saving Changes...
You have to recognize it and be willing to let go of it, but it's not always as simple as that sounds, especially when it's something that's part of your core identity. It starts with reflecting:
- Why am I not seeing the same results as I was before?
You probably double-down, thinking you're just not doing enough. When that doesn't work, you might need to experiment to see which change(s) move the needle. You see improvement with one change. Do you stop there, or keep experimenting?
Unlearning looks a little different at the individual, project team, and organization levels. I'll ignore the organization level as most project managers have little influence over that. At the individual level, you're dealing with ego, identity protection, and fear of loss of competence or relevance. At the team level, it's psychological safety, social risk, and fear of conflict or blame. The pattern to overcome this is similar for both - reflect, experiment, reset. It's about more than unlearning - you have to follow it up with either new learning or relearning if you want to achieve a breakthrough.
I want to bring the organization back into the discussion for one last thought. When we act as project managers, we aren't operating in a vacuum. In an individuals attempt to unlearn/relearn, the team or the organization might get in the way. In a team's attempt to unlearn, team members or the organization might get in the way. When this happens, change, and possibly unlearning/relearning, needs to happen at these other levels in order for the desired unlearning/relearning to take place. Saving Changes...
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Ashwin Kumar H M I strongly believe in the PMBOK 7th Edition principle of being resilient and adaptable, as staying flexible is vital in today's changing environment. While we master tools over years, we must intentionally 'unlearn' old habits that no longer fit our current context. For me, professional growth means balancing our experience with the ability to adapt our approach to new signals. Francisco. Saving Changes...
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