GPM-b™ Syllabus — Learning Objectives by Domain

Use this syllabus as your GPM-b™ coverage checklist. Work domain-by-domain and practice immediately after each task set.

What’s covered

• Sustainable Methods (50%)
• Delivery Methods (50%)

Sustainable Methods (50%)

Practice this topic →

Task 1 — Explain sustainable project management fundamentals

• Define sustainability in a project context (economic, environmental, and social).
• Explain triple-bottom-line thinking and how it changes project decisions.
• Describe the P5 model (People, Planet, Prosperity, Product, Process) at a high level.
• Identify common sustainability drivers (regulation, risk, cost, reputation, customer demand).
• Use lifecycle thinking to recognize upstream and downstream impacts of project choices.
• Apply materiality thinking to prioritize which impacts and stakeholders matter most.

Task 2 — Perform a P5 impact analysis

• Identify positive and negative impacts across People, Planet, and Prosperity dimensions.
• Assess Product and Process impacts, including resource use, waste, and operational effects.
• Document assumptions, boundaries, and data limitations used in impact assessment.
• Propose mitigation, avoidance, or enhancement actions for material impacts.
• Translate impact findings into sustainability requirements and constraints.
• Communicate impact trade-offs to stakeholders in clear, decision-ready language.

Task 3 — Define sustainability objectives and measures

• Write sustainability objectives that are specific, measurable, and time-bound.
• Select leading and lagging indicators that fit the project context and data reality.
• Define acceptance criteria that include sustainability performance (not just scope).
• Set target thresholds and tolerances for sustainability KPIs and compliance requirements.
• Plan how sustainability data will be collected, verified, and reported.
• Align project sustainability objectives with organizational policy and stakeholder expectations.

Task 4 — Build a sustainability management plan

• Define sustainability roles, responsibilities, and decision rights for the project team.
• Integrate sustainability requirements into scope, quality, procurement, and risk plans.
• Establish governance routines for sustainability reviews, approvals, and escalations.
• Plan training and communication so the team applies sustainability practices consistently.
• Design change control criteria that protect sustainability commitments when scope changes.
• Create an implementation roadmap that links actions to metrics, owners, and timing.

Task 5 — Manage sustainability risk, compliance, and ethics

• Identify sustainability risks and opportunities and record them in a risk register.
• Evaluate regulatory and contractual sustainability obligations and their project impacts.
• Apply supplier due diligence principles to reduce environmental and social harm in the value chain.
• Recognize common greenwashing risks and define evidence standards for sustainability claims.
• Escalate ethical concerns and non-compliance using appropriate governance channels.
• Select response strategies that balance cost, schedule, and sustainability performance.

Task 6 — Report sustainability performance and improve

• Create status reporting that includes sustainability KPIs alongside cost and schedule.
• Use variance analysis to identify when sustainability performance is drifting and why.
• Recommend corrective and preventive actions based on monitoring results.
• Document lessons learned related to sustainability practices, data, and stakeholder feedback.
• Prepare final sustainability performance summaries at project closure for handover and audits.
• Identify opportunities to standardize and scale effective sustainability practices.

Delivery Methods (50%)

Practice this topic →

Task 1 — Initiate projects with sustainability built in

• Incorporate sustainability drivers and constraints into the business case and project charter.
• Identify sustainability-related stakeholders and document their needs and influence.
• Capture sustainability requirements as measurable outcomes, not just aspirational statements.
• Clarify project boundaries and assumptions that affect sustainability impacts.
• Define early success criteria that reflect both delivery and sustainability goals.
• Set up governance so sustainability decisions are made at the right cadence and level.

Task 2 — Plan scope, schedule, and budget with sustainability constraints

• Integrate sustainability requirements into the scope baseline (or backlog) and acceptance criteria.
• Plan work so sustainability tasks (analysis, mitigation, reporting) have time and owners.
• Budget for sustainability activities (assessments, audits, testing, training, reporting).
• Plan procurement with sustainability criteria for supplier selection and contract terms.
• Define quality standards that include sustainability performance and compliance checks.
• Plan risk responses that address sustainability impacts without breaking delivery constraints.

Task 3 — Execute work using sustainable practices

• Implement sustainable procurement practices and monitor supplier performance against criteria.
• Apply resource efficiency practices (energy, materials, travel) during execution.
• Manage waste and emissions reduction actions as part of day-to-day work planning.
• Communicate sustainability expectations to the team and reinforce them through routines.
• Document sustainability decisions and evidence so they are auditable and repeatable.
• Respond to issues quickly when delivery actions create unintended sustainability impacts.

Task 4 — Monitor, control, and govern sustainability during delivery

• Track sustainability KPIs and compliance checks at the same cadence as other controls.
• Use change control to evaluate sustainability impact before approving changes.
• Escalate sustainability variances and risks using defined thresholds and governance channels.
• Conduct reviews or audits to validate sustainability evidence and prevent drift.
• Balance corrective actions across scope, schedule, cost, quality, and sustainability outcomes.
• Update plans, registers, and stakeholder communications based on monitoring results.

Task 5 — Close and transition sustainably

• Verify sustainability acceptance criteria are met before final sign-off and handover.
• Complete closure documentation that captures sustainability performance and evidence.
• Plan transition so operational teams can maintain sustainability outcomes after handover.
• Capture benefits realization assumptions and how sustainability benefits will be tracked post-project.
• Close contracts with sustainability obligations verified and documented.
• Conduct a lessons-learned review focused on improving sustainable delivery practices.

Task 6 — Tailor delivery methods to support sustainability outcomes

• Select a delivery approach (predictive, agile, or hybrid) that fits sustainability constraints and uncertainty.
• Embed sustainability checks into stage gates, iterations, or review cycles.
• Use stakeholder feedback loops to validate sustainability impacts early and often.
• Prioritize work to reduce high-impact risks earlier in the delivery lifecycle.
• Adjust plans and practices when sustainability metrics show unintended outcomes.
• Standardize repeatable practices so sustainable delivery becomes easier over time.

Tip: For most questions, the “best answer” is the one that (1) clarifies impact, (2) makes it measurable, and (3) puts it under governance and monitoring.