Tailoring: what, why, how
What you'll be able to do
Use enough process to manage the risk, no more. Adjust to fit the project.
- Tailor: (1) life cycle / approach, (2) processes, (3) engagement.
- Drivers: size, complexity, criticality, industry, culture, maturity.
- Too few processes = ineffective. Too many = wasteful.
Tailoring is the deliberate choice of which life cycle, processes, and engagement practices to use on a given project. PMBOK 8e gives tailoring its own section (Section 3 of the Guide) and frames it as essential, not optional. 'No single approach can be applied to all projects all of the time.'
PMBOK names three things you tailor: the life cycle and development approach (predictive / adaptive / hybrid), the processes themselves (add / modify / remove / blend / align), and the engagement (people involved, level of empowerment, integration of contributors). The drivers are project size, criticality, complexity, industry, organisational culture, stakeholder count, and PM maturity.
The exam tests tailoring by giving a project context and asking what's appropriate. Too much process = costly and wasteful; too little = ineffective. PMI's answer almost always favours the middle: enough rigour to manage risk without slowing the team. Mandatory inputs (regulation, contract, org policy) are non-negotiable; everything else is negotiable.
Key points
- Tailor: (1) life cycle / approach, (2) processes, (3) engagement.
- Drivers: size, complexity, criticality, industry, culture, maturity.
- Too few processes = ineffective. Too many = wasteful.
- Mandatory inputs (regulation, contract) cannot be tailored out.
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