PM Debate Podcast

Philip Diab

4.5 (2)
MANAGEMENT
UPDATED WEEKLY

Project leadership gets personal, and occasionally playful. Hosted by husband-and-wife duo Philip and Mary Elizabeth Diab, each episode unpacks the real tensions behind how we lead, deliver, and disagree. Originally a weekly series, now re-released one episode at a time. philipdiab.substack.com

2D AGO

PM Debate Podcast Archive | Ep. 32

Are lessons learned actually… learned? Back in 2017, on the PM Debate Podcast, we tackled a question that still makes people uncomfortable: “Documenting lessons learned on projects is a waste of time.” At the time, it felt provocative and eight years later it feels current. In this episode, Mary Elizabeth and I took opposite sides of the argument. I argued for the motion, not because lessons don’t matter, but because most organizations confuse documentation with learning. We create reports, archive them, check the box… and then launch the next project as if none of it ever happened. Mary Elizabeth argued against the motion, rightly pointing out that lessons learned do matter when they’re accessible, contextual, and built into how projects actually start, plan, and execute. Here’s where we landed: 📌 The biggest failure isn’t that we don’t capture lessons learned📌 It’s that organizations aren’t designed to use them People move on, teams dissolve, context disappears, and leadership often already knows the risks, but chooses to proceed anyway. One of the stories I share in this episode still sticks with me:A project that failed repeatedly over 15 years… with the same scope, same structure, and many of the same people involved. The lessons were written down, management just didn’t listen. So maybe the real question isn’t when we document lessons learned. Maybe it’s: * Who is accountable for acting on them? * Where do they show up in decision-making? * And what happens when they’re ignored? 🎧 Throwback episodes like this remind me that tools haven’t failed us. behavior has. Curious where you land on this debate today?I’d love to hear it. Thanks for reading Project Management Matters! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Project Management Matters at philipdiab.substack.com/subscribe

36 min
FEB 12

PM Debate Podcast Archive | Ep. 31

Corporate politics is a game every PM must play…. Or is it? This throwback episode of the PM Debate Podcast goes straight at a question most project managers quietly wrestle with, but rarely say out loud: Should project managers play corporate politics… or stay out of it entirely? In this debate, Mary Elizabeth and I take opposing sides. One argument says politics are unavoidable.If you influence without authority, you’re already in the game.You might as well learn how to play it well for the benefit of the project. The other argument says politics are pure risk.They serve egos, not outcomes.The moment a project manager gets pulled in, the project starts paying the price. What makes this episode timeless is that both positions are uncomfortable and both are real. Projects don’t exist in org charts, they exist in human systems that are messy. This isn’t a “how-to” episode, it’s a think-it-through episode. Reflection question:Have you seen a project succeed because someone navigated politics well or despite it Drop your take in the comments. I’m genuinely curious. Thanks for reading Project Management Matters! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Project Management Matters at philipdiab.substack.com/subscribe

31 min
FEB 5

PM Debate Podcast Archive | Ep. 30

Can the PMO be both cop and advocate? This week’s Thursday Throwback takes us back to an old PM Debate Podcast episode with a question that still makes people uncomfortable: Can the PMO enforce standards and still be a trusted partner to the business? On one side: If the PMO is auditing projects, enforcing compliance, and reporting up, how can teams ever see it as an ally? On the other: If the PMO doesn’t have skin in the game, if it only reports from the sidelines, what value is it really adding? The debate wasn’t really about structure, it was about trust, value, and culture. Years later, I’m convinced this tension never fully goes away. The best PMOs don’t “solve” it, they manage it deliberately, by focusing less on policing behavior and more on helping teams win. Worth revisiting, still relevant, and still debated. 👉 Listen to the throwback episode and decide where you land. Can a PMO be both, or does trying to be everything risk becoming nothing? Thanks for reading Project Management Matters! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Project Management Matters at philipdiab.substack.com/subscribe

32 min
JAN 29

PM Debate Podcast Archive | Ep. 29

Back in 2017, on Episode 29 of the PM Debate Podcast, we took on a question that was already gaining momentum at the time: Is freelance project management just a passing fad, or is it the future of the profession? On one side, the argument was clear: globalization, offshoring, and project-based work were pushing organizations toward short-term, specialized talent. For project managers, that meant more autonomy, but also more responsibility for their own careers, finances, and long-term stability. On the other side, we challenged the assumption that freelancing is inevitable. Hidden costs, loss of institutional knowledge, confidentiality risks, and the very human desire for stability all complicate the picture. Not every organization or every professional thrives in a fully freelance model. What makes this episode worth revisiting nearly a decade later is how unfinished the debate still is. The job market may look different today, but the core tension hasn’t gone away: Who carries the risk: the organization, or the individual? Listen to the episode and decide for yourself whether the profession has proven this was a trend… or whether the jury is still out. As always, I’m curious: Has your own career moved closer to one side of this debate since 2017 or further away? Thanks for reading Project Management Matters! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Project Management Matters at philipdiab.substack.com/subscribe

30 min
JAN 22

PM Debate Podcast Archive | Ep. 28

We love shortcuts, especially when hiring feels risky, messy, and expensive. So we lean on certifications, not as inputs, but as answers. This episode of the PM Debate Podcast takes on a belief that still shapes hiring decisions every day: that certification equals competence. What makes this debate interesting isn’t the conclusion, it’s the actual arguement. On one side:Certifications are knowledge checks, useful, even if incomplete. They can’t tell you how someone behaves when things go sideways. On the other:Certifications were never meant to predict success. They were meant to establish a baseline, and the failure is in how we misuse them. Here’s the bottom line: Most organizations don’t actually know how to assess competence. Hiring managers often default to proxies. This conversation is a reminder that real capability shows up in judgment, context, and execution, none of which fit neatly on a resume. 🎧 Listen to Episode 28 if you want a sharper lens on: * Hiring risk vs. hiring comfort * Why project failure gets oversimplified * What competence really looks like in practice Question to listeners:What’s the most misleading signal you’ve seen used to judge a project manager? Thanks for reading Project Management Matters! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Project Management Matters at philipdiab.substack.com/subscribe

34 min
JAN 15

PM Debate Podcast Archive | Ep. 27

Trust is easy to talk about but it is much harder to define and even harder to decide what actually earns it. In this throwback episode of the PM Debate Podcast, we revisited a deceptively simple motion: Competence is more important than loyalty when it comes to trusting team members. On the surface, it sounds academic but in practice, it’s deeply personal and operationally dangerous to get wrong. On one side of the debate: * Competence creates predictability. * Predictability creates trust. * If someone can’t deliver, no amount of good intent saves the team downstream. On the other: * Competence can be taught. * Loyalty can’t. * A disloyal team member doesn’t just fail, they choose to break trust. The discussion quickly moved beyond theory into the real questions leaders face: * Would you rather manage underperformance or disloyalty? * Is loyalty to the organization different from loyalty to a leader? * Is trust built through results… or relationships? * Is it fair to expect both? What makes this episode endure isn’t the answer, it’s the tension. Every hiring decision, every promotion, and every team reset forces leaders to weigh these two forces, often with incomplete information. 🎧 Listen to the episode and join the debate. Thanks for reading Project Management Matters! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Project Management Matters at philipdiab.substack.com/subscribe

26 min
JAN 8

PM Debate Podcast Archive | Ep. 26

Micromanagement might be the most disliked word in leadership. It’s usually associated with distrust, control, burnout, and people heading for the exits. And yet… projects still fail every day because leaders are too distant, too hands-off, or too disengaged. That tension is exactly what we debated years ago on the PM Debate Podcast in an episode titled: “Hail to the Micromanager, Without Whom No Project Gets Done.” Listening back now, what stands out isn’t how old the debate sounds, it’s how current it still feels. What This Episode Was Really About This wasn’t a defense of bad micromanagement, it was a challenge to a lazy assumption: 👉 Is all close oversight harmful or are we confusing micromanagement with leadership? On one side: Projects fail when leaders are absent. High-risk, fast-moving work doesn’t allow for “figure it out as you go.” Detail, presence, and course correction matter. On the other: True micromanagement kills initiative, slows delivery, demotivates teams, and drives talent away. It turns project managers into task-doers instead of leaders. Both arguments are valid and that’s the point. The Line Most Organizations Still Miss Micromanagement is not the same as being detail-oriented, bad micromanagement is about control. Good oversight is about clarity, timing, and responsibility. Projects don’t need hovering, they do need leaders close enough to see risk early and act with intent. That distinction is still misunderstood and still causing damage. 🎧 This episode is worth revisiting with today’s lens. Reflection question:Where have you seen “hands-off leadership” do more harm than good? Let’s reopen the debate. Thanks for reading Project Management Matters! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Project Management Matters at philipdiab.substack.com/subscribe

27 min
12/18/2025

PM Debate Podcast Archive | Ep. 25

Back in 2017, Mary Elizabeth and I recorded a Project Management Debate episode that still feels current. The motion was simple but controversial: “Percent complete is not a good indicator of project status and progress.” Eight years later, I’d argue this debate matters even more. Not because percent complete is always wrong but because the definition of success has always been greater than one variable. Most executives don’t actually want percentages, they want confidence. They want to know: - Are we on track in reality, not in a spreadsheet? - What’s at risk that isn’t obvious yet? - Where will this slip hurt the business? Percent complete feels precise but sometimes this is a trap. When schedules are poorly structured, when tasks are vague, when optimism creeps in (and it always does), percent complete becomes a comfort metric. It reassures without informing. It smooths over uncertainty instead of exposing it. On the other side of the debate, there’s a fair counterpoint: With strong planning, disciplined breakdowns, and the right reporting models, percent complete can be useful. This episode explores judgment and whether we’re honest with ourselves and stakeholders about what we really know. 🎧 I’m resurfacing this PM Debate throwback because the question still deserves airtime. So let me ask you: Do you trust percent complete on your projects? Or do you rely on something else to tell you the real story? Thanks for reading Project Management Matters! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Project Management Matters at philipdiab.substack.com/subscribe

35 min

4.5

out of 5

2 Ratings

Project leadership gets personal, and occasionally playful. Hosted by husband-and-wife duo Philip and Mary Elizabeth Diab, each episode unpacks the real tensions behind how we lead, deliver, and disagree. Originally a weekly series, now re-released one episode at a time. philipdiab.substack.com

Creator

Philip Diab
Years Active

2016 - 2026
Episodes

33
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Philip Diab
Show Website

PM Debate Podcast