Interview with Lori Milhaven, EVP and Guy Grindborg, Trainer and Consultant, IIL
May 7, 2026
Q: Reading about the 8th Edition is one thing, but discussing it is another. What’s the one concept in this new version that generated the most interesting conversation or debate in this class?
A: The most compelling conversation in my classes right now is the decisive shift from the Triple Constraint to Value Delivery. For a long time, we’ve defined success as hitting scope, time, and cost targets. But the 8th Edition essentially argues that you can hit all three and still fail if the project doesn’t provide actual value.
This has led to some intense debates, particularly regarding the move from Cost Management to the Finance Performance Domain. We’re asking project managers to move beyond being tactical budget trackers and become financial stewards. It’s a major shift in identity PMs now need to understand things like funding structures and ROI, ensuring the project remains a sound investment throughout its life, not just ‘staying in the black.’ The core of the debate is usually: how do we measure ‘value’ when it’s so much more subjective than a hard deadline?”
Q: Having worked with this client for a long time, how did you tailor the new 8th Edition standards to fit their specific organizational culture and real-world challenges?
A: When you’ve worked with a client for a long time, you aren’t just an instructor; you’re a cultural translator. I tailor the 8th Edition standards by using pertinent stories that mirror their specific reality.
Instead of teaching the Finance domain as an abstract theory, I reach into the organization’s own history. I’ll talk about projects we worked on together that were technically ‘successful’ on paper but didn’t deliver the intended business impact. Because I’ve learned the organization’s ‘scar tissue’ over the years, I can show them exactly where the new standards solve their specific bottlenecks like navigating the competing needs of their 28 different departments.
As an IIL Instructor, the goal is to make the transition feel organic. I frame the 8th Edition’s focus on adaptability and resilience not as a brand-new set of rules, but as a way to formalize the best practices they’ve already used to survive past disruptions. It’s about taking the global standard and making it look like it was written specifically for their culture.”
Q: It’s one thing to talk about AI and sustainability, but it’s another to lead people through those changes. What was the most interesting takeaway from the class when you discussed why outcomes over outputs are the new gold standards for a successful project manager?
A: On outcomes vs. outputs as the new gold standard: One interesting takeaway from the class is a concept we explore in depth in Module 5 of the new PMI materials, is that while the industry is just now pivoting toward ‘outcomes over outputs,’ this is a philosophy we have been championing at IIL for years.
During our discussions, I connect this directly back to the book Value-Driven Project Management. It was written by two of my IIL colleagues, Dr. Harold Kerzner and Frank Saladis, who made this shift quite a long time ago. They recognized early on that a project isn’t successful just because a deliverable was handed over; success is only found in the actual benefit realized by the organization.
When leading people through complex changes like AI or Sustainability, this distinction is a vital leadership tool. If you tell a team the goal is simply to implement an AI tool (the output), you often see resistance. But when you lead with the outcome such as using technology to eliminate the burnout caused by repetitive manual tasks—you’re managing the human side of change. The class really resonates with the idea that our role has evolved: we aren’t just ‘task managers’ delivering products; we are ‘value leaders’ ensuring those products actually move the needle. Having that history with Kerzner and Saladis allows me to show students that this isn’t just a new trend—it’s a proven, strategic evolution that IIL has been leading for a long time.”
Q: What was the most common question or concern they had about the transition from the 7th Edition to the 8th Edition, and how did you put their minds at ease?
A: The most common concern I heard from students was definitely the “fear of the new.” People were anxious that the 8th Edition was going to be a radical departure from the 7th, and they were worried they’d have to unlearn everything they’d just mastered.
I put their minds at ease by being very transparent with them: I tell them that while the structure looks different, the training materials themselves are actually very similar to what they saw in the 7th Edition. The 8th Edition isn’t about throwing away the old tools; it’s about rearranging them into a more modern, strategic framework.
Once they realize that the foundational knowledge they already have is still the heart of the course—just reorganized to better highlight things like value and financial stewardship you can almost see the collective sigh of relief in the room. It shifts the energy from “Oh no, I’m starting over” to “Okay, I’m just refining how I apply what I already know.” By emphasizing this continuity, I help them focus on the why behind the changes rather than getting tripped up by the new layout.
Q: How does the 8th Edition better prepare project managers for the next normal of work where AI and human collaboration intersect?
A: On the intersection of AI and human collaboration: we often talk about how the 8th Edition actually returns the Project Manager to their most valuable role: being a leader of people. The ‘next normal’ isn’t about the PM learning to code, it’s about the PM learning to leverage AI to handle the heavy lifting.
I always stress to our students that AI is phenomenal at the time-consuming, non-value-adding tasks things like number-crunching, complex scheduling, and data aggregation. These are tasks that used to eat up 80% of a PM’s week. By offloading that ‘drudgery’ to AI, the 8th Edition creates space for the PM to do what is strictly beyond an AI’s capability: spending real-time with people in real life.
This is where the ‘outcomes over outputs’ mindset really comes alive. AI can produce the outputs (the reports and the data), but only a human can navigate the political landscape of a stakeholder meeting, offer empathy to a burnt-out team member, or build the trust necessary to drive a difficult organizational change. I tell my students that the 8th Edition is essentially giving them their time back. It’s an invitation to step away from the spreadsheet and get back into the room where the real decisions and the real value are made.”
Q: You have helped thousands reach the finish line successfully, what did you learn from this class that you didn't expect?
A: Even after helping thousands of people reach the finish line, every class teaches me something new. This time, two things really stood out.
First, I realized just how much the ‘personality’ of project management has changed. I jokingly tell my students that the older PMBOK guides everything up to the 6th Edition were basically the perfect manual for a project manager who only had to work with people like Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. It was all about logic, rigid processes, and predictable inputs and outputs. But this class really highlighted how much that world has disappeared.
The second, and perhaps more profound takeaway, was seeing how quickly this cohort embraced the idea of the PM as a business function rather than just a technical leader. In the past, there was a lot of resistance to ‘business’ talk; PMs wanted to stay in their lane of schedules and budgets.
What I didn’t expect was the level of enthusiasm for this shift. The students weren’t just accepting the 8th Edition’s move toward financial stewardship and value delivery; they were hungry for it. They recognize that in the ‘next normal,’ being a great technical leader isn’t enough. You have to be a strategic partner who understands how the project fits into the company’s bottom line. Seeing that ‘aha’ moment where they realize they are being promoted from ‘task managers’ to ‘business leaders’ was a great reminder that the profession is maturing in a very exciting way.”
Q: If you had to pinpoint your superpower as an instructor, what is it about the way you share this material that helps people move past the stress of the exam and actually find the joy in the learning process?
A: My superpower as an instructor is the ability to act as a professional translator. I take these high-level, sometimes intimidating global standards and translate them into something that feels human, manageable, and dare I say exciting.
I do that through three main avenues:
- The Power of Humor and Analogy: I use relatable analogies, like my “Sheldon Cooper” reference, to break the tension. When we can laugh at the rigid, “perfect world” processes of the past, the stress of the exam starts to melt away. Humor humanizes the material and makes it stick in a way that a dry textbook never could.
- Contextual “War Stories”: I don’t just teach the theory; I ground it in reality. I share stories from my own career—the wins, the messy implementations, and the “scar tissue” I’ve earned along the way. By mirroring the client’s own reality through these stories, I show them that the 8th Edition isn’t just a set of rules to memorize; it’s a toolkit for solving the very real problems they face on Monday morning.
- The Identity Shift: I help students move their focus from the exam to their identity. I tell them: “Don’t just study to pass; study to become the Value Leader your organization is starving for.” When they stop seeing the 8th Edition as a hurdle to clear and start seeing it as a promotion of their professional status, the anxiety turns into genuine curiosity.
The “joy” in the learning process comes from that “aha” moment when a student realizes they aren’t just getting a certification—they’re gaining the confidence to lead at a strategic level. I’m not just helping them reach a finish line; I’m helping them see the bigger race they’re already winning.
Q: For those sitting for the PMP exam after the July reset, what do you believe is the single biggest advantage they gain by learning the 8th Edition material from IIL?
A: The single biggest advantage isn’t just the material itself; it’s the lineage and pedagogical depth that IIL brings to the table. When you sit for the exam after the July reset, you aren’t just learning a new version of a manual you are engaging with a curriculum built on the foundational insights of industry icons like Dr. Harold Kerzner.
Having known and worked with Harold for many years, I can tell you that his “Value-Driven” philosophy isn’t just a recent addition to our slides; it’s the DNA of how we’ve always taught.
The advantage for the student comes down to three things:
- The “Guru” Lineage: We provide a direct link to the experts who were advocating for these changes decades before they became the industry standard. This gives our students a much deeper “why” behind the material, which makes the concepts stick far better than rote memorization.
- Pedagogical Agility: We don’t just “present” slides; we use proven teaching skills to deliver the material in whatever mode fits the client’s reality. Whether it’s a high-impact Face-to-Face session, a seamless Virtual experience, or a modular approach broken up over weeks to allow for better absorption, we know how to pivot our delivery to match how people actually learn.
- Experience-Led Translation: Our instructors aren’t just facilitators; they are veterans. We use our collective “war stories” to show how the 8th Edition which is essentially the 7th Edition’s core logic rearranged for the modern world applies to the messy, real-life challenges students face.
By the time our students sit for that exam, they aren’t stressed about the “reset” because they’ve been coached by mentors who understand the evolution of the profession, not just the layout of the book. They gain the confidence of someone who isn’t just prepared for a test, but is prepared for a career.
Q: Closing Thoughts: If you were sitting down for coffee with someone about to start their PMP journey today, what is the one thing you’d want them to keep in mind as they move forward?
A: If we were sitting across from each other with a coffee, the first thing I’d tell you is to stop waiting for the “perfect” time.
I hear it in almost every class: “I’m just too busy right now,” or “I have too many new situations at work,” or “I’ll start when things settle down.” The reality is that it will likely never be a good time. Life doesn’t settle down; it just changes shape. If you wait for a clear calendar and a quiet life to start your PMP journey, you’ll be waiting forever.
My advice is simple: Seize the moment. Put down a plan, commit to a date, and just DO IT. This process is about so much more than three letters after your name or passing a reset exam. It is a fundamental investment in yourself. In a world that is rapidly shifting toward AI and complex value-driven leadership, you are your own most important asset. By starting now, you are choosing to lead the “next normal” instead of just reacting to it. You are worth that investment of time and effort—so stop looking at the clock and start looking at the finish line.
Guy, your insights today remind us why you’re such a vital part of the IIL family. Thank you for taking the time to guide us through this first look at the new standards. It’s an exciting time of transition for the industry and having you with us makes the journey ahead that much better. We appreciate you!
Guy Grindborg
Guy Grindborg is a project management professional with more than 30 years of experience, having managed a wide variety of projects across the globe. Guy has trained and coached professionals in most areas within Project, Program, and Portfolio Management, PMP Certification, MoP Certification, and Leadership Skills. He utilizes his extensive knowledge and expertise to motivate teams to succeed.
Lori Milhaven
Executive Vice President at International Institute for Learning (IIL)
Our deepest purpose is to enable growth and success of individuals, teams and organizations with long-lasting, high quality learning in a technology-driven world. Lori is honored to have been with IIL over 30 years, and to make it her mission to focus on continuous improvement, client driven success and to go above and beyond to meet expectations.
