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Governance — when do you escalate? (PMP quick rule)
- Authors
- Name
- passpmpnow
One brutal truth
Governance = where decisions happen above the PM.
You escalate when the decision is:
- beyond PM delegated authority
- conflicts with policies
- impacts baseline
- requires organizational alignment
You do NOT escalate when:
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Team disagreement | coach, facilitate, clarify |
| Stakeholder is confused | communicate again, re-align |
| Requirement unclear | go back to business analyst / voice of customer |
You DO escalate when:
| Situation | Why escalate |
|---|---|
| Baseline change (scope/time/cost) | CCB decision, not PM |
| Policy conflict | governance > team |
| Ethical risk | PMI expects you to protect org |
| Sponsor vs director conflict | PM cannot override authority |
Exam trigger phrase
“PM has no authority to decide this”
Answer → escalate to right governance body.
PMI loves this stem
Team wants to “just implement” a new change to avoid delays. What do you do?
Correct = follow formal change control, not hero action.
Quick mnemonic
- Team solves misalignment
- Governance solves authority