WENDY BLOMQUISTEPMO Project Manager| CenCal HealthVentura, Ca, United States
Problem:
PMI offers basic templates, but project managers, program managers, portfolio managers, and PMO leaders must create their own, leading to inefficiency. Other companies sell templates, but PMI as the industry leader (gold standard), should provide them.
Current Impact(s):
Inconsistent documentation across industries
Wasted time creating templates
Fragmented tools and processes
Recommended Solution:
PMI should create and offer standardized templates aligned with PMBOK, Program, and Portfolio Governance standards, modifiable by organizations as needed.
Benefits:
Standardization across industries
Time-saving for project managers
Consistency in documentation and PPM tools
Brand recognition from certified PMI representatives
What do you think? This could improve efficiency and consistency in our field or are there other concerns?
Some decades ago, standarization in IT and software was key to scale and upskill teams. For example, UML and RUP, as point examples, led to an explosion on best practices in IT for software development, and then led to other evolutions (Agile, SAFe, etc).
There are standards in each industry: insurance, healthcare, engineering, but we somehow reinvent the wheel daily thinking that we are lean, innovative and... if not, we will pivot and iterate tomorrow! :-(
I do belive in best practices, consistent, common, flexible... but anyway, durable practices, despite the incredible changes the future will bring to us. Saving Changes...
Project Manager| AWR Development (BD) Ltd. Cox's Bazer , Bangladesh
Interesting proposal, Wendy. Standardized templates from PMI could definitely save time and create more consistency across organizations. At the same time, keeping them flexible would be important so teams can adapt them to different industries and project complexities. Saving Changes...
Absolutely agree: PMI, as the industry gold standard, should lead with ready-to-use templates, not leave every PM reinventing the wheel. Standardized templates would save time, reduce inconsistency, and strengthen PMI's value as a membership benefit. Saving Changes...
A starting point: some "PMIs-branded" simple and easy, ready-to-use templates in free-online course "Kick-Off" Kickoff | PMI Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
This is a very relevant proposal and it highlights a frustration many practitioners experience, especially when starting to build their project documentation environment.
However, there is an important structural aspect to consider.
In most organizations, templates are not generic artefacts. They are part of the organization’s process architecture. Within the PMI framework they belong to Organizational Process Assets and reflect how governance, decision making, risk management and reporting actually work in that specific environment. For that reason, a single universal set of templates rarely fits all organizations or industries.
In practice, mature PMOs design their own template ecosystems because templates are not only documentation tools. They shape how information flows, how risks are escalated and how decisions are prepared. In other words, templates are part of the governance system of projects.
From that perspective, the role of PMI may not be to impose one global library of standardized templates.
PMI already provides reference templates and examples through Standards+, and with tools such as PMI Infinity it is now possible to generate templates adapted to the context of a specific organization, industry or project environment.
This may actually be the more powerful direction for the profession.
Instead of universal templates, the real opportunity may lie in enabling practitioners to generate context-aware templates aligned with the standards but adaptable to the governance model of each organization.
What problem does this really solve, and for whom?
Having worked 20+ years in project management, I have my own library of templates that I use and update as needed. I also share them with other project managers, as needed. When I put together my first templates, I wasn't starting from scratch - there had been project managers before me with years of experience who had refined their templates. Learning which documents to use and what to include in them was part of the learning process. It's not like I had to come up with all new templates every project or every time I changed jobs.
Young PMs, today, have it even easier. If, for some reason, they aren't able to find something online that meets their needs, including the templates here on projectmanagement.com, AI makes it even easier to come up with templates.
I'm not saying that this is a horrible idea, just questioning the use case. In a sense, PMI Infinity accomplishes what you're talking about. No single template is going to be perfectly fit for purpose by all project managers in all companies that employ project managers across all industries. Is there a real need to standardize templates across industries? Many companies have experienced project managers and customized templates, already. For those that don't, it's easier than ever to come up with them.
Templates exist, in large part, to support organizational processes, which PMI would not be able to standardize. Too much attention to templates emphasizes the administrative side of project management and doesn't drive project success. PMI's time, and ours, is better spent on improving capabilities and decision-making. Saving Changes...
Program Manager| HARPER SRLSanto Domingo / Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic
I see the value in having reference templates from PMI, especially for professionals who are starting or for organizations building their governance structures.
At the same time, one of PMI’s strengths has always been focusing on principles rather than prescribing rigid artifacts. Templates can be helpful as starting points, but they should remain flexible so organizations can adapt them to their industry, scale, and delivery context. Saving Changes...
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