Module 1 of 12 · Async + Virtual · 1.5 hours
The PM Role
Module 1 resources. Start with the video, keep the quick reference open while you work.
Module 1 throughline — Projects don’t lose money because they’re complex — they lose money because work keeps advancing while a critical decision stays open.Module Videos
The recorded walkthrough that teaches the module — watch first.
Available Open →Module Overview
The full illustrated module overview — a continuous, visual read.
Available Open →Quick Reference Guides
The interactive companion — calculators, diagnostics, and checklists to keep open on the job.
Available Open →Leadership Outcomes Map
What must be true for Client, Team & Business at the close of each phase — the outcomes that define a healthy project. Pairs with the PM Responsibilities Map.
PDF · 11×17 Open →PM Responsibilities Map
The complete set the PM owns before a phase can close, by stream and phase.
PDF · 11×17 Open →PM Playbook Map
Leadership Outcomes and PM Responsibilities combined into one phase-by-phase playbook.
PDF · 11×17 Open →PM Role Map — Role at a Glance
The whole PM role on one page: the value equation, three moves, and five outcomes across every phase. The one-page companion to the maps above.
PDF · 11×17 Open →What you’ll be able to do
- ✓Define the PM role as the owner of decisions that protect client outcomes.
- ✓Apply clear responsibility boundaries.
- ✓Determine when work must pause due to insufficient clarity or alignment.
Tools & resources
Tools & resources you’ll use
- Role Charter / Description
- PM Value Quick Reference Guide
Listed items are the governance and operational tools tied to this section. Items marked “Participant generated” are built during the work.
The Archetype Lens
The role is defined by which of these four you choose to be.
Module 1 introduces all four. The goal is not judgment but diagnosis: place yourself, and name the one behavior shift toward the Accountable Owner.
Competent Coordinator
Logs and documents instead of intervening — trusts the meeting cadence over the timely call.
Obsessed Designer
Optimizes for the design — treats budget, client ops, and team load as someone else’s problem.
People Pleaser
Leads with relationship — says yes, softens bad news, absorbs cost to dodge the hard conversation.
Accountable Owner
Owns the intersections — reads signals early, stops work, presents options, protects the outcome.
A decision the team is building on hasn't been made.
Records it and waits for the coordination meeting to resolve it.
Pauses the work and gets the decision made before more fee is spent against an assumption.
A client question opens an exciting design opportunity.
The team starts exploring it — no scope check, no fee conversation.
Names it as potential added scope and confirms the contract before a sketch is started.
Meet the four archetypes in depth →