Forty-Four Risk PM, LLC

PMI confirmed something recently that I've been saying a lot with 44Risk PM. They just said it better in the 2026 Pulse of the Profession®:

"Complexity is a source of risk. Risks are consequences of complexity"

If your risk register doesn't account for complexity, you're tracking symptoms, not causes. And you are already a step behind!

New video → Complexity Risk Map + how the PMI-RMP domains map domain for domain to the 2026 Pulse of the Profession®.

Link in the comments. 👇

There's one date that decides which PMP® exam you'll sit for.

July 9, 2026.

That's the day PMI launches the new PMP® exam. And the current version retires the same day. Once it's gone, it's gone.

If you've been studying, this matters more than you think. Your notes, your practice questions, your whole mental model are built around the current exam. The one that's about to disappear.

So here's the decision, and it's simpler than the panic makes it sound:
If you're close to ready, finish what you started. Book your exam before July 9 so the test matches the prep you've already done.

If you're realistically months out, switch now to preparing for the new exam. Studying content that retires in a few weeks just means doing the work twice.

The one move that makes no sense: rushing an exam you're not ready for, just to catch the older version. That's an expensive way to fail twice.

And for the record, the new exam isn't something to fear. It adds AI and sustainability scenarios because that's where the profession actually went. It's more current, not harder.

Whichever camp you're in, do one thing this week: pick your date.

Studying for the PMP right now? Which camp are you in?

June is here — and it's a packed month at Forty-Four Risk PM.

Here's everything happening this month:
✦ LIVE on YouTube | June 12 @ 12PM EST
PMI-RMP® Practice Questions & Review: Risk Strategy and Governance
We'll work through real ECO-mapped questions and break down the reasoning live.
👉 https://www.youtube.com/live/YSFa1BLBL8w

✦ LIVE on YouTube | June 24 @ 5PM EST
PMI-RMP® Practice Questions & Review: Risk Identification
One of the most heavily tested domains — bring your questions.
👉 https://youtube.com/live/z5Pzvtrw1rs

✦ PMP® Weekend Exam Prep Course | June 13/14 & 20/21
Two weekends. 35 contact hours. Aligned with the 2026 ECO and PMBOK® 8th Edition.
👉 https://projectsuccessacademy.com/course/pmp-exam-prep-with-russ-parker-jun-2026

✦ PMI-RMP® Weekday Exam Prep Course | June 15–18
30 hours. Four days. Become the Risk SME for your organization.
👉 https://44riskpm.com/rmp-prep-dates/

Not ready for a course? Join the community for free 👇
🔗 https://44riskpm.community/communities/groups/44pm-training-community/home?invite=6a1e2218a365682d37fca4d4

Already have your 30 hours for the PMI-RMP®, but want more support? Join the RMP Prep Lab Community for additional resources and practice exams 👇
🔗https://44riskpm.app.clientclub.net/communities/groups/rmp-exam-prep-lab/home?invite=6a1ecd0aba0e5c3fa03600ad

Is Your Risk Register Dead? As in you have:
→ Risks identified during planning and never touched again
→ Every row in the status column says "Open"
→ The owner column says "PM" across the board
→ No trigger conditions.... just vague response plans like "mitigate through communication"

A living risk register does 5 things a dead one never does:
1. Every risk has a named owner. Not a role, a person with actual authority to act
2. Every risk has a trigger. The observable warning sign that tells that owner to move now, not after a sponsor sign-off
3. Every response plan is specific. Real steps, not "communicate with stakeholders"
4. Risks are reviewed on a cadence. It's on the agenda every week, not opened before a PMO audit
5. Closed risks get closed. When the window passes, archive it and stop carrying it

The difference between a dead register and a living one isn't the template.

It's the discipline to treat it as a decision-making tool...not a compliance checkbox.

If you're studying for your PMP® or RMP®, know this: the risk register shows up across multiple exam domains. You need to know how to build it AND how to use it.

Full breakdown + free template in the comments.

After 20 years as a Marine Corps officer and 3 years managing projects at Barclays, I'm going all in on 44Risk PM LLC.

I'm now available for fractional Risk PM engagements. Remote-first, but I'm in the St. Augustine/Jacksonville area for the right fit.

Here's what that looks like in practice:
→ You're running complex projects without dedicated risk oversight
→ Your PM manages tasks. Nobody owns risk.
→ You need senior-level thinking without a senior-level headcount

I embed in your team, build or overhaul your risk register, run the analysis, and give your leadership the visibility they need to make good decisions.

20+ years leading under pressure as a Marine officer. PMP®, PMI-RMP®, PMI-ACP®, LSSBB.

I've managed risk in environments where getting it wrong wasn't an option.

If you know an organization that needs this, or you're building one, let's have a conversation... Send me a message or visit 44riskpm.com

There are very few things as awesome as seeing your friends succeed!

A member of my fire team from The Basic School, my roommate at our first duty station down in Camp Lejeune, and the one who got me into running marathons, the awesome, Hannah Paxton, took on Battalion Command as Rubicon 6 this week.

It was awesome seeing Marines I haven't seen in forever and getting to hang out with the other retirees who have gone full civilian since leaving the Marine Corps.

I wish Hannah the best of luck over the next two years in command and I can't wait to come back for her turning over of command in 2028.

Semper Fi!

I wore the uniform for over 20 years.

When I took it off for the last time, nobody handed me a roadmap.

Most veterans figure out the next chapter alone.

I figured mine out through project management… and it changed everything.

The discipline. The risk thinking. The ability to lead through ambiguity. Every hard thing the military taught me translated directly into this profession.

That’s why I’m proud to share this.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27… Project Success Academy is hosting a free veteran panel webinar:

Operation Career Advancement: Veterans Transitioning into Project Management
Real veterans. Real stories. Real career transitions.

No theory. No fluff. Just people who’ve walked the path sharing what they wish they’d known.

If you’re a veteran, a military spouse, or someone who leads people and wants to know what the PM path looks like — register. It costs you nothing.

Link in comments. ⬇️

The PMI-RMP® Exam Content Outline is more actionable than most candidates realize... and I'm walking through it live on Youtube this week.

I've been teaching risk management and RMP® Prep for some time now, and I've watched candidates study the wrong things because they never sat down with the actual document PMI uses to build the exam.

Here's the breakdown:

WHAT: The PMI-RMP ECO is the official framework... five domains, multiple tasks that define what gets tested and how. Most candidates treat it like a checklist. It's actually a roadmap.

MY THOUGHTS: Domain III, Risk Analysis, is where candidates easily lose points. Not because they don't know risk. Because they don't know how PMI frames risk analysis at the task level. We're covering that today, live.

WHY IT MATTERS: If you're prepping for the RMP, the ECO isn't supplemental reading. It IS the exam. Domains I and II are already on The Bearded Risk PM YouTube channel. Domains IV and V are tomorrow.

WHAT TO DO: Join me live today for Domain III. Bring your ECO. Get access to my ECO Study Guide. Ask questions in the comments. This is the walkthrough I wish existed when I was prepping.

🔶 Live link in comments.

I'm going live every day this week at "The Bearded Risk PM"!

Starts at 1pm EST.... come with your questions or drop your questions in the comments below.

See you there!

Your weekly risk meeting isn't risk management.

It's spreadsheet theater.
And the difference is costing your projects more than you think.

Most project teams can name their risks. They've got a register. They've even color-coded it.

But here's what I see constantly: the register was built at kickoff and never opened again. Concerns get raised in meetings, everyone nods, and nothing gets decided. Risks sit on a list with no owner.

That's not managing risk. That's managing the appearance of managing risk.

In today's video, I break down the 4 signs your team is doing spreadsheet theater... and what real risk management actually requires.

The difference? One is a spreadsheet. The other is a system.

🎥 Link in the comments.