Facilitate Support Perform: Key Project Management Activities

PMBOK v8 Definition

Facilitate and Support (section 2.4.3) and Perform Work (section 2.4.4) are two of the seven essential activities within the project management team's responsibilities. Facilitate and Support involves enabling team members and stakeholders to work effectively by removing obstacles, providing guidance, and fostering collaboration. Perform Work is the execution of project activities to produce deliverables and achieve project objectives as defined in the project management plan.

Why It Matters for the Exam

These concepts appear frequently in PMI exam questions about the project manager's role in execution and team management. Questions often test your understanding of when the project manager facilitates versus when they directly perform work, and which activities fall under each category. Expect scenario-based questions asking you to identify the appropriate response when a team faces obstacles.

Key Points to Remember (for the exam)

• Facilitate and Support Definition: Enabling others to work effectively through obstacle removal, guidance, and collaboration support
• Perform Work Definition: Direct execution of project activities to produce deliverables and achieve objectives
• Primary Distinction: Facilitate = enable others; Perform = do the work yourself
• Common Output: Both activities contribute to delivering project results and meeting stakeholder expectations
• Key Relationship: Facilitation often precedes or supports performance of work by team members
• Exam Focus: Identifying which activity is appropriate based on the situation described
• PM Mindset: The project manager facilitates more than they perform direct work in most projects

Typical PMI Exam Example

A project team is struggling with a technical integration issue that is delaying a critical deliverable. The project manager schedules a meeting with subject matter experts, provides the team with additional resources, and removes organizational barriers. The project manager is performing which activity? Answer: Facilitate and Support (enabling the team to resolve the issue themselves).

PMI Exam Traps

• Trap: Confusing Facilitate and Support with Perform Work when the project manager provides resources

• Reality: Providing resources is facilitating; only direct execution of project tasks is Perform Work

• Trap: Thinking the project manager must always perform work when deadlines are tight

• Reality: The project manager should facilitate team performance, not take over team members' work

• Trap: Assuming facilitation only applies to meetings

• Reality: Facilitation includes removing obstacles, providing guidance, and enabling collaboration across all activities

• Trap: Confusing Perform Work with Manage Work

• Reality: Perform Work is direct execution; Manage Work involves planning, monitoring, and controlling

Important PMI Connections

Quick Review Questions

1. A project manager notices a team member is blocked by a department policy. The project manager negotiates an exception. Is this Facilitate and Support or Perform Work?

2. During project execution, the project manager personally codes a software module to meet a deadline. Which activity is being performed?

3. What is the primary difference between Facilitate and Support and Perform Work in terms of who executes the project activities?

4. A stakeholder requests a change that requires additional analysis. The project manager assigns this to a team member. Which activity does this represent?

5. When should a project manager shift from facilitating to performing work directly?

PMBOK v8 Reference

Section 2.4.3 - Facilitate and Support Section 2.4.4 - Perform Work Section 2.4 - Project Management Activities (overview of all seven activities)