Agile, PMI, and everything in between: this is our moment

Two weeks ago, I was at Agile 2025 as part of the programming team for the “What if they don’t want us?” track. Last week, I was the keynote speaker at the Project Management Institute Central Indiana Chapter’s Professional Development Day, presenting the Teamangle framework we created at Same Team.

Two events. Two very different communities.

For most of my career, I’ve lived in the space between Agile and PMI. Yes, I have certifications. Yes, I’ve worked in Agile environments. But my work — and my book, Project Management for Humans — has always been rooted in the human side of project management: connection over dogma, adaptability over rigidity.

For years, that middle ground felt like an island. Like I alone in thinking that people over process is the way to find success as a PM. Now, with Agile and PMI merging, and with the profession itself evolving in response to AI, economic shifts, and new ways of working, it feels PM for Humans has arrived. The conversations I’m hearing — whether in a conference hallway in Dallas or over lunch in Indianapolis — are shifting toward what really matters: people.

That’s why one Agile 2025 session has stayed with me. Tricia Broderick’s talk on resilience felt like the perfect throughline between these two worlds. She reminded us that resilience isn’t about powering through at all costs — it’s about pausing, reflecting, and connecting with ourselves and with others so we can respond intentionally.

At PMI, that same theme kept surfacing in my conversations. Attendees were eager to discuss leading teams, building trust, and navigating change—the “soft” skills that are actually the hard skills. And that’s exactly what I’ve been talking about for years: building the habits, conversations, and systems that help teams adapt, recover, and thrive together.

In an age where AI can automate so much, the work that will define us — and keep us relevant — is human work. That’s precisely what Project Management for Humans and the Teamangle framework are designed for: helping teams adapt when plans change, recover when things go sideways, and thrive when uncertainty is the only constant.

Resilience isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s the skill that will separate leaders who can navigate the next wave from those who get swept under it. And it doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built through intentional conversations, shared trust, and a commitment to showing up for each other, even when it’s hard.

So here’s the challenge: If you lead projects or teams in 2025, ask yourself what you’re doing today to strengthen your team’s ability to bounce back. Because frameworks or certifications won’t decide the future of project management. It will be decided by the humans who can keep going, together.

TL;DR - Agile and PMI are coming together, and the future of project management is human. Resilience — built through connection, compassion, and adaptability — is the skill that will set us apart.