3.2. Plan and manage project compliance

Planning and managing project compliance means identifying the compliance requirements that apply to the project and making sure they are understood, addressed, monitored, and managed. Compliance may include security, health and safety, sustainability, regulatory requirements, organizational policies, or industry standards.

The project manager must help classify compliance categories, identify threats to compliance, understand consequences of noncompliance, and determine actions needed to meet compliance requirements.

Why This Task Matters for PMP® Preparation

PMP® exam scenarios often describe regulatory issues, security concerns, sustainability obligations, safety requirements, or potential noncompliance. The best answer usually involves confirming requirements, assessing impact, and taking appropriate action through the correct process.

You should avoid answers that ignore compliance because of schedule or cost pressure. PMI expects project managers to treat compliance as a real project constraint and governance concern.

Enablers of This Task

As shown on the slide, PMI highlights several key actions, or enablers, that project managers must be able to perform:

• First, confirm the project’s compliance requirements. These may relate to security, technical standards, personal data protection, and the laws of the country in which the project is being implemented.
• Next, classify the compliance categories. Not all requirements are equal—some are state-imposed, others are corporate or industry-specific. This classification impacts how you manage them.
• Then, identify potential threats to compliance. For example, what if a new law is enacted halfway through the project? This is a compliance risk that must be added to the risk register.
• After that, apply methods to support compliance. These may include quality policies, audits, team training, and monitoring changes in regulations.
• In parallel, analyze the consequences of noncompliance. These can range from fines and project suspension to license revocation or even criminal liability.
• Then, determine the appropriate actions to meet compliance needs. This may involve engaging the legal department, changing contractors, or revising the schedule or budget.
• Finally, measure the project’s level of compliance. Are we following the required policies? Are there deviations or incidents? All of this must be tracked, controlled, and reported.

In summary, this task is about proactive management. You are not just executing a project—you are constantly monitoring the environment, adapting to new constraints, and ensuring that neither the law nor your organization’s policies are violated. This is a fundamental aspect of protecting both project value and the organization’s reputation.

To learn the Plan and Manage Project Compliance task, you need:

1. In the PMBOK Guide 8^th Edition, read chapters 1.3, 3.5, 3.7 (part ‘Standard’), and 2.1, 2.3.3.2, 3 (part ‘PMBOK’).
2. Read chapter 8 in The Standard for Portfolio Management, 4^th Edition.
3. Watch the video:

5. Test your knowledge to complete the study of the task.