Rebles Guide to PM

1. Unconscious Bias in Project Management: Challenges, Solutions, and Real-World Impacts

   

   How often does your brain take shortcuts? If you’ve ever questioned if you really did clean your teeth this morning, you’ll realize that your brain takes shortcuts all the time.

   Unconscious bias is another shortcut. It shapes many of our decisions without us even realizing it. From hiring choices to project planning and team dynamics, these biases, deeply ingrained through culture, experience, and cognitive shortcuts, can impact fairness, efficiency, and innovation.

   Unconscious bias is particularly significant for us in a project managementenvironment, where time pressures and quick decision-making often mean we lean into familiar patterns and assumptions. Sound familiar?

   So let’s get it out in the open and talk about it consciously. Let’s explore how unconscious bias shows up in projects, the risks it poses, and what we can actually do it about so you can mitigate its effects. We can work towards more inclusive and effective project environments, and if you can, wouldn’t you want to?

   

   What is unconscious bias?

   Bias is defined as:

   a prejudicial behaviour in favour of (or against) something that is based on personal inclination rather than fact.

   In other words, it’s an unfair shortcut in thinking and often we are not aware we hold them: bias becomes ingrained in behaviour and as such we need to be conscious of heuristics, preferences, unspoken cultural ‘norms’, stereotypes and more that might affect decision making. The effect could be positive (e.g. promoting someone) or negative (choosing not to hire someone).

   Unconscious bias is where the individual isn’t aware that their choices and actions are being shaped by their assessments of others. It’s one of several types of bias that can affect decision-making or how people contribute at work.

   This stems from the brain’s inherent preference towards creating shortcuts and categories to make sense of data based on learned and lived experience. The individual may consciously hold inclusive values alongside unconscious bias.

   As our brains work against us by creating shortcuts and assumptions, we have to be conscious that is happening and actively try to dismantle unconscious bias to create a more inclusive and equitable working culture.

   I took the Implicit Association Test (IAT) for career/family/male/female and at the end it showed the generalised results:

   

   It’s unsurprising but still disappointing that the majority of respondents show an association through unconscious bias of male/career and female/family. It’s a really interesting test to do as it forces you to think about why your brain is slow!

   How unconscious bias shows up at work

   Projects can be time pressured and often project managers are working on multiple initiatives during the same working week. When we are pressured, the brain will often choose the ‘easiest’ route for decision making.

   As a result, unconscious bias may come out more when people are busy and short of time, as they default to known behaviours without reflecting or pausing to ensure these are the best course of action.

   Bias can impact workplace decision making e.g. ‘she doesn’t need support as she’s experienced’ or ‘we know her so we assume positive intent with that mistake and won’t take disciplinary action’.

   I am not involved with salary setting or hiring, but I’m aware that salaries and promotions are offered less frequently to women (generally, I have no evidence of that being specifically the case at my organization) and that research shows men are thought of as more appropriate for certain roles.

   Other examples could include:

   • Limiting a woman’s career opportunities on return from maternity leave due to perceptions and bias around her new family commitments.
   • Older workers being asked to do more technology training due to “not having the skills.”

   A real-life example on one of my projects recently was the perception that older beneficiaries would not have or use email addresses and so we should continue to send out documentation via the post.

   We do have data on how many email addresses are captured within the patient records and were able to disprove that, highlighting that many beneficiaries do have active email addresses we could use. This contributes to changing behaviour about posting documentation and ultimately helps us achieve sustainability goals by using less paper.

   

   Overcoming bias in projects

   As a mentor, part of my role is helping mentees understand bias at work and how it might be affecting them (if they are on the receiving end) or how they might be contributing to it through their treatment of others and decision making.

   Some general steps I’ve picked up from my research include the following.

   Helping mentees and others be self-aware and being self-aware myself and being aware of our emotions, time pressures and how those play into how bias shows up.

   Making sure project teams are made up of diverse voices and creating a culture of openness and honesty where we can share and talk about bias openly.

   Ensuring fair recruitment practices: competency-based standard questions for all, evidence-led, no photos, no names, gender removed from applications, using colleagues from other departments for hiring so they have ‘no skin in the game’.

   Ensuring fair staff evaluation processes: having templates and standard assessments for end of year reviews etc to ensure staff are evaluated against criteria fairly.

   Using evidence in feedback: instead of ‘it feels like’ – giving constructive criticism based on evidence.

   Using multiple sources to seek out information to inform decision making e.g. focus groups, surveys, interviews. We do this on some projects but not on all.

   Providing the option for anonymous feedback provision to avoid conformity bias, getting opinions 1-1 before a meeting so people feel they can say what they think instead of having to agree with, or having their opinions shaped by, what everyone else is saying.

   This is something I do before a meeting that I know is going to end up with sharing challenging views, and it’s something I recommend to mentees too if they are concerned about conflict and controlling a conversation in a meeting setting.

   Read next: How culture can impact communication in the workplace

   What can you do to minimize the impact of unconscious bias on projects?

   Beyond the ideas I gave above, have a read of your company’s policies. Check to see if you have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy. Read the recruitment policy and see what it says about making sure applicants are treated fairly. See what support your HR team offers to ensure these policies are upheld.

   Ask if your company reports the gender pay gap and ethnicity pay gap, and if they don’t, why not.

   I think most of the guidance I have found has been aimed at and most relevant to team leaders. In a project management role, we do not have direct line management responsibility but would still need to form, lead and work with teams, so there could be more signposting to relevant resources for non-managers.

   The single most important thing to do is to make sure you are aware that unconscious bias is a thing. Check in with yourself and your team every so often to make sure you are challenging assumptions so that any bias can be called out and addressed.

   This article first appeared on Rebel's Guide to Project Management and can be read here: Unconscious Bias in Project Management: Challenges, Solutions, and Real-World Impacts

2. The Productivity Blueprint Training

   

   How to be productive when you run out of time every day

   Productivity comes from how you prioritize and use your time in a way that matters, and that means focusing on the important things and setting boundaries. But how do you do that when you barely have time to get a coffee during the day, let alone strategize on time management techniques?

   I learned how to manage my time in the right way, and now I'm sharing my Productivity Blueprint with you.

   Want to get your time under control? Watch my workshop

   During this training, you'll learn:

   • Why you need to be a portfolio thinker
   • Two ways to prioritize even when everything is important (so you can pick your favorite)
   • How to use the time triangle to set boundaries you can stick to
   • 'Square' and 'triangle' time management strategies that literally tell you what to focus on first
   • A whole bunch of tactics to get the most out of your time with others…
   • And more tactics to help you plan time to actually do your work.

   This highly practical session, focusing on how to get stuff done in a real-life way. You'll also get:

   • Checklists for what to do at each project stage and for each area of focus
   • Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly checklists for the things you really need to focus on to stay productive and keep your projects moving forward
   • Productivity for Project Managers ebook: 26-page ebook with proven tips to help you get more done at work
   • Productivity Hacks: This 8-page ebook offers 14 tips that are easy to implement that will give you quick wins for getting more done
   • Some fun extra bonuses!

   

   Why learn with me?

   I'm the author of Managing Multiple Projects, and I've been leading business and tech projects for over 20 years. I'm an APM Fellow and a mentor, and I still work as a practitioner alongside my writing and training.

   When

   On demand! The training was taught live on 27 January 2025 and is now available as a replay.

   How much

   The training and all the additional templates and resources is only $19.

   Buy now

   
   

   Prefer to buy in £GBP? You can do that here.

   FAQ

   Here are some FAQs to help you decide if it's the right training for you.

   What’s the time commitment?

   Overall, the time commitment is about an hour, plus any extra time you spend working through the templates and resources.

   What’s the background of participants?

   Most of the other people who have taken this course are early or mid-career professionals working in project delivery/project management roles.

   Students are a good mix of people at various stages in their careers and from different industries.

   What about if I work in an Agile team?

   This training is about personal time management, so we won't cover sprint management or iteration planning. It's about making sure you set up your individual work day in the best possible way, and work effectively with your colleagues.

   Can I claim PDUs?

   Yes. You will be able to download an attendance certificate that you can use as evidence for your portfolio. However, I am not a registered PMI authorized trainer.

   Can I claim the cost through my company?

   Yes. Get in touch and I can send you an invoice.

   When will you be running this training live again?

   I don't know! I last ran this course in 2022 I think, so it might be a while before it comes round on the rotation again. If you want to work with me 'live', you can book a power hour call.

   This article first appeared on Rebel's Guide to Project Management and can be read here: The Productivity Blueprint Training

3. 9 Project Communications You Should Send This Year

   

   I remember that a few weeks after I started back at work after maternity leave, one of my long-time stakeholders sent a message to someone pretty high up in the business saying, "project communication was so much better when Elizabeth was around".

   It’s nice to hear people say I was doing something right, although it was a bit of a shame that she hadn’t realized I was already back at my desk. I guess I didn’t do much communicating during those first few weeks.

   

   Good communication on projects is so important, and I hear this from readers and my mentees all the time. There's a feeling that it's not possible to do all the communications that you'd like, and I get that.

   So let's prioritize. At this time of year it's a good opportunity to reflect as we establish areas for improvement in the coming 12 months. If you only have a limited amount of effort and energy to spend on communicating about your project, what should you focus on?

   Here are the 9 most important messages for project managers to share. Did you send any of these to your team during the past year? If not, it's time to factor them in to your communications plans for the coming year.

   

   1. We have uncovered an issue but…

   When something goes wrong you should ‘fess up as soon as possible. However, senior stakeholders like it when you can tell them what you are doing about the problem.

   If you face a problem this year you should present the issue along with your solution or recommendation.

   I hope you don't have to use this one, but you never know. Projects are gonna project...

   2. We’re on track for…

   You should keep stakeholders informed at all stages along the way. Letting them know that things are on track helps them feel confident that the work is progressing as planned.

   This is different to the ‘reporting by exception’ model. In my experience, that only works for a short time. When people stop hearing positive noises after any length of time they attend to assume the worst, even if you’ve told them that you will report by exception.

   

   3. I’m sorry…

   How many times did you apologize last year? Lots, I hope.

   (OK, not that many.)

   You can cut through a lot of conflict and office politics with a well-placed, sincere apology.

   4. The current status is…

   Use regular project status reports to create a cadence, manage expectations and standardize how information is communicated.

   A good report is a tool to communicate status on your project, at least once a month, at least to the project sponsor. Preferably to more people.

   In an idea world, 'pull' communication would work and stakeholders would seek out information and status updates themselves. However, their lives are as busy as ours and in my experience this just doesn't happen.

   

   5. I saw this and thought of you…

   Make connections. As a project manager you are well placed to see what is going on in various areas of the business. Link people together, make introductions, pass on information that you think others would find useful.

   If you haven't spent much time on this recently, read these 6 reasons why networking is important and see if I can encourage you to put some time into building relationships.

   6. Thank you for…

   Thank you for coming to my meeting, for giving up your resources to help with testing, for passing me that great contact, for being such a great project team member.

   There are dozens of reasons why you can and should thank the people you work with. Take every opportunity!

   Build in plenty of points to celebrate team success throughout the project as well moments for individual thank yous.

   7. That didn’t meet my expectations of…

   Sometimes we have to communicate the bad news, and if you don’t speak up you won’t ever see improvements. When a team member doesn’t perform as expected, talk to them about it (and not via email).

   It’s not personal. You had expectations, they didn’t meet them. Discuss how you can both get a better result next time.

   You should have done this with suppliers as well. Don’t put up with bad service because you are too worried to say something. I've been guilty of this in the past and it doesn't end well.

   

   8. I need…

   Did you get the resources you needed to complete your project tasks successfully? No? Did you ask for them?

   Don’t expect your project sponsor to be a mind-reader. If you want more people, more money or more time, ask for it. You might not get it but at least you have tried!

   9. If…then…

   Project managers make a lot of decisions. Do you always take the time to explain why you put forward a particular recommendation?

   Explain the consequences of your decisions in business terms, so that stakeholders and project team members understand why you’ve opted for that route forward.

   So reading through that list, what, if anything, would you decide to do differently over the next few months? Well, the great news is that you can start communicating more and tailoring your messages to your stakeholders right now.

   Just decide to do it, and do!

   This article first appeared on Rebel's Guide to Project Management and can be read here: 9 Project Communications You Should Send This Year

4. Top Project Management Articles of All Time

   

   In case you’ve only just stumbled across this blog, in 2021 I celebrated 15 years of blogging about project management. And we kept on going!

   I thought it was time to look back and see what the stand-out articles were over the years. Here are the top articles year by year. There are some common themes and 'all time greats' as you'll see!

   2024

   How to write a handover email to your manager was my most-read article, followed by 10 Simple Ways to Prepare a Handover at Work. It seems like people are still looking for ways to help their colleagues when they move on!

   They were closely followed by the popular How to Write a Terms of Reference which comes with a free template.

   I also added articles last year on KPIs for project management job roles as that’s something I get asked about a lot, and tips for managing Red projects and getting back to Green.

   2023

   The How to Handover a Project article topped the list of most popular reads of the year again this year, closely followed by How to Do Version Control.

   I also added articles on how to write handover emails and how to handover a project on closure.

   I think blogging has moved beyond 'what are you doing right now' and personal updates (we have other social channels for those now) and more into the 'how do I?' category of content. I'd like to think of this blog as somewhere people go to get the answers to their tricky questions.

   2022

   The How to Handover a Project article held it's top spot, followed by Project Artifacts and How to Use Them.

   I'm surprised at this one, but I think people were looking up 'artifact' as it's such an unusual word that we don't really use in business or project management conversation, unless you're studying for the PMP exam.

   2021

   Were people handing over work to others more than normal during 2021? Or perhaps we all took the opportunity to leave the office as soon as we could when restrictions on movement were briefly lifted from time to time?

   Either way, my guide to how to handover a project before your holiday holiday was the most-read piece on the site that year. It's all about how to leave the office without worrying about looking back, because you've done a smooth handover to a colleague who can act as a caretaker while you're off.

   

   2020

   We all know what happened during 2020: if you weren't working virtually already, the pandemic pretty much enforced it for people with office jobs. As a result, my guide to how to run a virtual scavenger hunt to help with team building in remote teams went viral and was by far the most-read article on the site that year.

   2019

   This year, project managers must have been concerned about meeting minutes as the article that was read the most was all about tips for writing better minutes.

   

   2018

   The essential docs article topped the list again this year, closely followed by the resource library pages.

   You don't have access to the resource library? It's free. It's part of our customer portal and it contains templates and guides. What are you waiting for?

   

   2017

   My summary of the 9 project management documents every project needs came out in the Spring of 2017 (if I remember rightly) and fast became the most popular article that year.

   I think it helped that I included links to templates so readers could get started really quickly with creating the documents that were going to have the most impact on their project's success, without having a huge overhead of bureaucracy.

   2016

   The most popular article of this year was my guide to the project management conferences happening.

   I had no idea that this would be such an important article for people, and it’s something I've kept updating year on year. I think it’s good to summarize the largest and best events to help you make decisions about what to spend your money on. There’s a lot of choice, and the list necessarily reflects the ones I feel I can best talk knowledgeably about (i.e. the ones I have been to and experienced the quality first-hand).

   If you think I have missed any, drop me a line and let me know what’s happening near you for next year’s version.

   2015

   This was the year I wrote the definitive guide to project management success criteria. This is probably the most-read article I have ever written, and I’ve tried to expand it over the last 12 months to make it even more useful.

   It was also one of my first articles to include a free thing. Right now it’s got a list of  done-for-you 20 sample success criteria so that you don’t have to think them up yourself.

   2014

   This piece on 10 Killer Interview Questions for Project Managers is probably one of the all-time top articles. It’s been reprinted elsewhere and still gets read today.

   Back then I did have responsibility for hiring (I don’t have a PM team working for me today) so I was speaking from my own experiences.

   

   2013

   Google Analytics tells me that 6 Things I Didn’t Know About Being a PM was the top post of 2013.

   I hadn’t read this one for a while (probably since I first published it) and it was good to look back. I still believe that all this is true.

   2012

   I hadn’t realized it, but What Makes A Good Project Manager was actually the top post of 2012. I re-ran the article just recently, which shows I still rate it as a good piece of writing too. (I didn’t write it, by the way.)

   2011

   One of this year’s most-read articles was 5 Project Management Apps You’ve Never Heard Of.

   Checking in today with the companies mentioned, three are still going, one looks like it has been taken over by Easy Projects and the last one’s website is no longer working. For more up-to-date software reviews, see my complete list here.

   2010

   My project alphabet was a popular post of 2010 and inspired Derek Huether to write a book about zombie project management.

   (Don’t know what that is? Here’s the scoop on zombie projects and how to kill them).

   2009

   I declared 2009 the year of the Office Goddess and I wrote a series of posts about how to excel at work.

   This was one of my favorites: about Pareto and the 80/20 rule and how some stuff just needs to get done.

   That was back in the days before I had brand guidelines for how my blog should look - we've updated quite a few things since then!

   

   2008

   In 2008 I was living and working in Paris, France, which involved several office moves. I wrote about what every project manager needs as her office survival kit – things that travelled with me from office to office (and not work-related paperwork, either).

   By the way, I refer to La Défense as crummy in this article, but by the time I left I had come to appreciate the arch, the architecture and the little cafés hidden between the offices. And also the massive shopping center.

   2007

   In September 2007 I published a guide to why projects fail. It touched on the classic reasons for project failures – poor sponsorship and so on – but also focused on how we define failure on projects.

   It’s still something that I don’t think we spend enough time doing. Key success criteria, and, in contrast, what failure looks like, are still areas of projects where miscommunication leads to unhappy stakeholders, even if you deliver what you said you would.

   2006

   I reported on the state of the Gypsy Moth IV project: the restoration of a historic yacht. At the time, the project was desperately short of cash.

   Gipsy Moth IV did make her planned round-the-world journey and continues to operate today, taking groups on breath-taking sea journeys.

   Here’s to the next 15 years!

   

   Pin for later reading

   

   This article first appeared on Rebel's Guide to Project Management and can be read here: Top Project Management Articles of All Time

5. Brain Sensei PMP Review [for 2025 exam]

   

   Are you looking for a creative way to motivate yourself to study for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam? I get it: finding the time to sit in front of your screen is tough but there are so many benefits to getting certified that you can’t put it off any longer.

   In this Brain Sensei review, I’ll share who Brain Sensei training is most appropriate for, what to expect, the cost, the pros and cons and all the features you get included.

   I’ve been working as a project manager for over 20 years (gulp) and I’ve spent a lot of time researching and using PMP training courses. I’ve tried all the most popular courses and had conversations with the course providers and trainers so I can help you make the right choice for you.

   So could Brain Sensei be the perfect course for you. Let’s find out!

   [lasso id="25577" link_id="279923" ref="brainsensei"]

   

   Brain Sensei is a PMP Exam Prep Course, but it's unlike other courses I've seen or taken because it is based in feudal Japan. Plus, the main character is a female Samurai.

   When I went through the first Module I was drawn in from the beginning -- who doesn't want to be the project manager who rallies the community to build a castle to protect our children and the village?

   

   It's online video-based training and it's really well put together. It actually made me want to learn about processes, which is a rare thing. I can't resist a puzzle.

   
   

   
   

   Cost	$349.99
   Access	1-year
   Exam simulator included	Yes
   Education (contact) hours	35 contact hours
   Practice exam questions	1,500+
   Guarantee	30-day refund guarantee and 100% “pass satisfaction” (terms apply)
   Support	Facebook group, email sequence, and a full Brain Sensei FAQ section on their website. I didn’t have a reason to use the use the support, but other reviews say they provide awesome service.

   Features overview

   Brain Sensei started out as a self-paced PMP exam prep course, but now they offer a range of study options for people taking PMI certifications. The self-paced PMP course is still a favorite and includes:

   • 9 modules
   • A year of access to the content
   • Exam simulator
   • Knowledge assessments
   • Spaced repetition system (this is really helpful for testing yourself and improving retention)

   Complete PMP content

   There are 9 modules, and it’s a full PMP® training course that covers everything right from the beginning. The lessons are short, which is helpful if you want to fit in study during your lunch break or on your commute.

   It covers all the key project management terminology (agile and waterfall/predictive), plus the project management principles and key concepts.

   You don’t have to take the modules in the order they are presented, but I would recommend it, as the content builds on what is covered in the previous modules.

   It’s also fully aligned to the latest exam content outline including an appropriate blend of predictive, agile and hybrid topics and questions to reflect what you’ll be tested on. That includes the 7^th edition content too; it’s all wrapped in.

   Brain Sensei resources

   The course comes with resources that you can download in a .zip file. It includes a bunch of templates and other things, including links to further reading such as guidance on conducting focus group interviews.

   There are also Microsoft Project files included to help with understanding dependencies between the process groups (from PMBOK 6, which is still a recognized text for the actual exam – which I think is weird of PMI, but let’s not go there in this review).

   You don’t need MS Project to take the course, but the extra resources are there is you want them. I would not buy MS Project just for studying with Brain Sensei, but if you have a licence at work, then those template files are useful bonuses.

   As well as the resources provided, you'll also need a copy of the PMBOK Guide (6th and 7th editions), which you can get for free as a PMI member. 

   So far, this is all pretty standard for PMP exam prep courses. The Brain Sensei difference is in how the materials are presented. Let’s look at those now.

   Pros

   Highly interactive

   There is a lot of content to read on screen but it's built on the Articulate platform and it's highly interactive.

   If you aren't sure what that means, it means you get to touch the screen, select options, do self-assessment quizzes, drag and drop and all those kind of things.

   Interactivity means you are more likely to remember what you're learning, which should increase your chances of passing the exam. Having to engage with the materials means you improve your recall, because, you know, science.

   Working through the key knowledge areas doesn’t feel like a chore.

   Story-based

   There is a story. It's fun, it's different, it's kind of cool.

   OK, it's not a movie. It's convoluted in places (I feel) because it's teaching you project management concepts. But it's a differentiator in a world of boring PowerPoint slide-based presentations.

   Exam simulator and practice questions

   There are also built-in self-assessments, so you can assess your progress as you go. I don’t know about you, but I always like to know how I am doing.

   There are also full practice exams (over 1,500 realistic exam questions). The questions are dynamically generated every time you take an exam, and they call this ‘unlimited’. It means you can work through loads of mock PMP exam questions and then use your results to help target your training even further.

   It’s so important to know what it feels like to sit in a chair for the length of a full test and manage your time on exam day, so I highly recommend using an exam simulator – and Brain Sensei’s training package includes access out of the box with no additional charge.

   

   Guarantee

   They offer a 100% pass guarantee and will extend your access to the course if you don't pass the exam. With a 99.6% pass rate, it seems unlikely that you will have to take advantage of it, but it is nice to know it is available. Plus they have a 30-day refund policy if you decide it isn't the course for you after you purchase.

   Offline Mode

   If you are an Apple Podcast user, you can watch a video walkthrough of the learning modules when you are offline. Both Android and Apple users can stream via the Spotify and Apple Podcast apps.

   Cons

   Slow page load times

   Some of the pages took a while to load, and some wouldn't load at all on Firefox. It worked fine in Chrome though.

   This probably says more about my internet connection on the shocking wifi in our house than the product, but do make sure you've got a decent connection before you start a study session -- as you would with any online training course.

   12 months access

   You only get access to the course materials for 12 months. Is that long enough? It should be.

   Actually, this is an advantage, because if you can’t motivate yourself to study and sit the exam in a year, then PMP probably isn’t for you.

   If you do want access to the materials for longer, I expect you could reach out to the provider for an extension (and there may be a fee for this). However, you really should be aiming to study and take the exam within a fixed time period. The deadline on access to the training helps focus the mind.

   An alternative is paying monthly at $99 per month. Perhaps that's right for you if you want to blitz the materials and get through everything really quickly.

   No app

   There is no Brain Sensei app, so if you were keen to learn on the go from your phone, that’s a no.

   However, you can access the website wherever you have an internet connection, and if you are an Apple user, you can get the modules as a video playback (i.e. no interactive features, just the video training).

   Personally I think that’s enough. I have plenty of apps on my phone, I don’t need another one. Just stick a shortcut to the Brain Sensei login page on your home screen and you’re good.

   Very click-heavy

   Because it's so interactive, there are lots of places to click. If you use a lot of keyboard shortcuts like me, then you'll have to turn to the mouse.

   Having said that, I now have a touch-screen laptop so that makes this level of interactivity more manageable as I can just touch the screen instead of having to use the mouse, and that's easier on my hands than constant clicking.

   Reddit reviews

   OK, let's address the elephant in the room. Brain Sensei is a bit like Marmite: you either love it or you hate it. You'll find plenty of Reddit reviews where people have hated it and ended up going on to pass their exam with the support of another training program.

   You'll see people who have written about spotting spelling mistakes, and I spotted some the first time I reviewed the product, which was a few years ago now. Since then, the errors I saw have been fixed.

   Yes, I am an affiliate for Brain Sensei, so it does make sense that I'd try to convince you it's the right product for you.

   But I do think it's a reasonable product with a brilliant team behind it. It's not going to be right for everyone: no product ever is. So do your research and make your choice based on what you think, not what I say or what anyone else says, because this is your exam and your future career.

   How long does it take to complete Brain Sensei?

   The content will take you 35 hours for the PMP course. But how you fit that into your actual life is a different question.

   The course online help section says most people complete the material in 1-2 months which is perfect if you are trying to squash your PMP studies into a short time frame. However, you’ve got access to the materials for a year, so it doesn’t matter if you take longer.

   I should also point out that there is a monthly subscription option, so if you just wanted to buy it by the month for 2 months and cram all the content (for example, if you are currently out of work and using the time to get a project management certification), then you can do that too and it works out cheaper than buying the annual option.

   The fact that you can access the materials on your tablet or phone makes it easy to fit your study into your busy life.

   Is Brain Sensei approved by PMI?

   Brain Sensei was approved by PMI under the Registered Education Provider (REP) scheme, and that’s how I first found out about them. The new accreditation scheme is the Authorized Training Provider program and let’s just say that hasn’t been as popular with trainers from what I have heard.

   Brain Sensei is no longer part of the PMI accreditation program… but you don’t need to take a course from an accredited provider. You can take any PMP training course (or none) and as long as you hit 35 contact hours you meet the eligibility criteria.

   Who is Brain Sensei’s PMP course best for?

   Brain Sensei is best for people who know they have the self-motivation to want to study, and know they need exercises and interactivity to keep them engaged.

   If you just want to play videos and listen to the materials without interacting, then there are other courses (PM PrepCast is my top alternative to Brain Sensei) that will give you that.

   It’s also perfect for people who don’t have a photographic memory! The whole learning approach is based around the science of remembering. The teaching philosophy is great and I really enjoyed working through the course materials.

   If you are concerned that you won’t be able to memorize the content required for the exam, then don’t be. Brain Sensei’s advantage is that it is built from the ground up to help you recall and understand instead of just learning by rote.

   Best for:

   • Self-motivated project managers
   • Project managers who are concerned about being able to memorize everything for the test!

   Avoid if:

   • Video learning is not for you
   • The cartoon and story-based learning is too cutesy for you (although do the free trial and make that call based on your actual reaction, not how you think you might react to the content)
   • Your employer will only pay for an accredited course.

    You might find their instructor-led course a better option, which is still delivered virtually but with a ‘real’ trainer.

   Brain Sensei free trial

   You can sign up for a free trial and click around inside the course to see what it's like. I highly recommend you do that, because it will either give you the confidence to take the course or make you realize that it isn't a good fit for your learning style. If you're about to embark on your PMP exam prep then you should check it out on the Brain Sensei website.

   The trial will give you a sense of what the full course material is going to be like. You'll get a taste of the full PMP prep course, and be in a better position to make an informed decision about whether this is the course for you.

   I say it's definitely worth checking out!

   

   Instructor-led Virtual Course Option

   They also offer an instructor-led course that offers a few different options including a 5-day bootcamp style class, a weekend course, and a twice a week course spread over 5 weeks. This style of class gives you the opportunity to interact with other project managers and the instructor. It also comes with the self-study course.

   [lasso id="30812" link_id="282242" ref="brain-sensei-live-pmp-class"]

   Brain Sensei vs PM PrepCast

   I've long used products from Cornelius Fichtner of The Project Management PrepCast fame for my own professional development. So how does Brain Sensei compare to the PM PrepCast?

   The main difference is that Brain Sensei is story-based learning and the PM PrepCast is a more traditional presentation-based course. They are both self-paced.

   They both meet the education requirement of 35 formal project management training hours and both will prepare you enough to take the exam.

   

   • Both provide 35 contact hours.
   • Both cover the full range of things you need to know for the exam.
   • Both offer a huge amount of study material and practice questions.

   It's a personal preference. I don't want to tell you which one to buy as everyone is different, but know that they are both top quality courses and whichever one you go for, you'll end up prepared for the exam if you put in the work.

   Brain Sensei Coupon

   I'm grateful to be able to bring you a Brain Sensei discount coupon. You can get 10% off the course price with my referral link. Simply use the code RGPM10 at the checkout to claim the discount.

   [lasso id="25577" link_id="274367" ref="brainsensei"]

   Summary: Is Brain Sensei PMP Training Good?

   I've never seen a PMP training course with so much interactivity and engagement built into the course materials. Studying feels easy. The storyline is great. I was worried the cartoon-y-ness would feel infantilizing but I didn't get that sense from it at all.

   It's a cost-effective course.

   If you learn well through video but need a good story to keep you engrossed in the material, this course will be perfect to help you prepare for the PMP® exam.

   Get Brain Sensei now

   Pin for later reading

   

   This article first appeared on Rebel's Guide to Project Management and can be read here: Brain Sensei PMP Review [for 2025 exam]