PMBOK 7 Performance Domains: Complete Breakdown for the PMP Exam

When I worked through PMBOK 7 for my own PMP prep, the shift from process-centric to principle-centric thinking was the part that took the longest to settle in. The eight performance domains are the new lens, and I have seen candidates who try to ignore them lose points unnecessarily. The PMP exam tests both PMBOK 6 (process groups, knowledge areas) and PMBOK 7 (principles, performance domains), and in my view knowing both is non-negotiable for anyone sitting the exam in 2026.

In this guide I cover all eight performance domains in depth, how they map to exam questions, and the patterns I use to distinguish PMBOK 7 thinking from PMBOK 6 thinking. The shift is more than terminology in my experience - it represents a different philosophical approach that PMI is pushing the discipline toward.

These domains are intentionally outcome-oriented rather than process-oriented. The shift reflects PMI’s recognition that modern project work spans methodologies and contexts that the process-centric framework did not handle well.

Each performance domain has its own outcomes (what good looks like) and considerations (what to balance). The exam tests whether candidates understand the outcomes and can reason about projects using the domain framework.

For PMP candidates, the eight domains are an additional mental layer on top of the process groups and knowledge areas. The candidate must hold all three frameworks and know which one a question is testing.

Effective stakeholder engagement is the goal. Activities span identification, analysis, prioritisation, engagement, monitoring.

Outcomes: a productive working relationship with stakeholders. Stakeholder needs informing every decision.

The performance indicators that signal good stakeholder management: - Stakeholders are aware of their role and the project status. - Conflicts are identified and addressed promptly. - Communication is appropriate to each stakeholder’s information needs. - Stakeholders feel respected and heard.

Common considerations: power vs interest, organisational dynamics, cultural factors, communication preferences.

Exam tip: situational questions on stakeholder conflict, expectation management, and communication preferences map here. The PMI mindset emphasises proactive engagement over reactive damage control.

For PMs, the Stakeholder domain reframes traditional stakeholder management into outcome-focused work. The question is not “did we follow the stakeholder process” but “are stakeholders productively engaged.”

A high-performing team is the goal. Activities span team formation, leadership, culture, conflict resolution.

Servant leadership is heavily emphasised. The PM’s role is to remove impediments and develop the team, not direct.

The performance indicators that signal a strong team: - Shared ownership of project work. - Effective collaboration across functions. - Trust and psychological safety. - Continuous learning and improvement. - Team performance accelerates over project life.

Common considerations: team development stage (Tuckman), motivation factors, cultural diversity, distributed teams, conflict resolution.

Exam tip: People-domain questions about motivation, team development, and leadership style live here. See Servant Leadership for the PMP Exam.

The Team domain in PMBOK 7 is more emotionally and culturally aware than Resource Management in PMBOK 6. The shift reflects PMI’s recognition that high-performing teams need leadership beyond resource allocation.

Choosing the right approach (predictive, iterative, incremental, agile, hybrid) for the project context.

Tailoring is heavily tested. The right answer is rarely “always agile” or “always predictive”. It depends on uncertainty, scope clarity, customer involvement, and regulatory constraints.

The factors that drive approach choice: - Scope clarity (clear vs uncertain). - Customer involvement (continuous vs periodic). - Risk tolerance (high regulation vs high innovation). - Team experience (experienced with the approach). - Organisational culture (predictive-friendly vs agile-friendly). - Compliance requirements.

The performance indicators that signal good approach selection: - The approach matches the context. - The team understands and operates within the approach. - The approach evolves as learning accumulates.

Exam tip: see PMP Tailoring and PMP Hybrid Approach Questions.

This domain is often new to candidates trained in PMBOK 6. The explicit treatment of approach choice as a domain (rather than implicit in process selection) is one of PMBOK 7’s significant contributions.

Planning is continuous, not one-time. Plans evolve as the project learns.

Outcomes: a clear path forward, integrated across scope, schedule, cost, resources, and quality.

The performance indicators that signal good planning: - Plans are appropriately detailed for the work ahead. - Plans evolve as learning emerges. - Plans integrate across knowledge areas. - Stakeholders agree on the plan.

Common considerations: progressive elaboration, rolling wave planning, contingency planning, plan integration.

Exam tip: progressive elaboration and rolling wave planning are key concepts. PMBOK 7 emphasises that plans adapt rather than become outdated.

The Planning domain in PMBOK 7 emphasises the dynamic nature of planning. The 24 planning processes in PMBOK 6 sometimes produce the impression that planning is a one-time event; PMBOK 7 corrects this by framing planning as continuous.

For agile-leaning candidates, the Planning domain is more familiar. Sprint planning, release planning, and program planning all reflect continuous adaptive planning.

Carrying out work efficiently and effectively. Procurement, resource management, and process management live here.

Outcomes: efficient execution. Predictable performance.

The performance indicators that signal good project work: - Work flows efficiently through processes. - Resources are productive and engaged. - Procurement supports project objectives. - Knowledge transfers within and beyond the team. - Continuous improvement is institutionalised.

Common considerations: workflow efficiency, resource utilisation, knowledge management, vendor management.

Exam tip: questions about procurement decisions, resource conflicts, and execution discipline.

This domain blends content from PMBOK 6’s executing process group with broader operational considerations. The framing emphasises efficiency and learning rather than just task completion.

Producing scope, achieving quality, and delivering value.

Outcomes: deliverables that meet acceptance criteria. Value realised by the business.

The performance indicators that signal good delivery: - Deliverables meet quality standards. - Customers accept what is delivered. - Value is realised by the receiving organisation. - Scope changes are handled deliberately. - Delivery rhythm matches the approach.

Common considerations: quality vs scope trade-offs, value realisation, deliverable acceptance, scope management.

Exam tip: scope vs quality questions live here. The exam often tests recognising what “value” means in the project context.

The Delivery domain explicitly emphasises value realisation, which is a notable shift from PMBOK 6. Output (deliverables) is necessary but not sufficient; value (business outcome) is the ultimate measure.

Evaluating performance and acting on indicators.

Outcomes: a reliable view of project health. Decisions based on evidence.

The performance indicators that signal good measurement: - Metrics are appropriate to the project’s goals. - Data is reliable and timely. - Trends are analysed alongside snapshots. - Insights drive corrective action. - Measurement does not become its own overhead.

Common considerations: leading vs lagging indicators, KPI selection, EVM, qualitative vs quantitative measures.

Exam tip: KPIs, leading vs lagging indicators, EVM. See PMP Earned Value Management: 12 Worked Examples.

The Measurement domain is where PMBOK 7 most clearly retains PMBOK 6 content. EVM, KPI tracking, and performance measurement are conceptually similar across both editions.

The new emphasis is on insight rather than metric production. Measurement that produces dashboards but not decisions is theatre; measurement that drives decisions is performance.

Managing risk, ambiguity, complexity, and volatility.

Outcomes: project resilience. Effective response to uncertain events.

The performance indicators that signal good uncertainty management: - Risks are identified, analysed, and responded to proactively. - Ambiguity is reduced where possible and accepted where not. - Complexity is managed through appropriate decomposition. - The team learns from emergent uncertainties. - Contingencies are appropriately allocated.

Common considerations: risk vs uncertainty (broader concept), VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity), buffer strategies, resilience.

Exam tip: risk identification, qualitative and quantitative analysis, response planning. PMBOK 7 broadens this from “risk” to “uncertainty” - including ambiguity and complexity, not just discrete risks.

The expansion from Risk Management (PMBOK 6) to Uncertainty (PMBOK 7) is significant. Risks are typically discrete events with probabilities; uncertainty is broader and includes situations where probabilities cannot be reliably estimated. The PMI mindset now expects PMs to handle both.

Beyond performance domains, PMBOK 7 articulates 12 principles that guide PM behaviour:

1. Be a diligent, respectful, and caring steward.
2. Create a collaborative project team environment.
3. Effectively engage with stakeholders.
4. Focus on value.
5. Recognize, evaluate, and respond to system interactions.
6. Demonstrate leadership behaviours.
7. Tailor based on context.
8. Build quality into processes and deliverables.
9. Navigate complexity.
10. Optimize risk responses.
11. Embrace adaptability and resiliency.
12. Enable change to achieve the envisioned future state.

Each principle has an associated narrative that the exam tests indirectly. The principles inform the right answer to many situational questions even when they are not named explicitly.

The principles overlap with the performance domains - stewardship aligns with stakeholder and team domains, value focus aligns with delivery, tailoring aligns with development approach. The overlap is intentional; the principles are the underlying values, the domains are the work areas.

For exam questions where the right answer is unclear, the principles often clarify. The candidate asks: which principle is the question testing? The answer that aligns with the principle is usually correct.

The current PMP exam blueprint:

• People domain: 42%
• Process domain: 50%
• Business Environment domain: 8%

Performance domains cut across these. Stakeholder and Team are heavily People-focused. Project Work, Delivery, and Measurement lean Process. Uncertainty spans both.

PMI does not test “name the performance domain” directly. They test whether you reason about projects in the way performance domains describe.

The pattern: many exam questions can be answered correctly using either PMBOK 6 frameworks (process groups) or PMBOK 7 frameworks (performance domains). Strong candidates have both vocabularies and apply whichever fits.

For agile-leaning questions, PMBOK 7 frameworks often produce clearer answers because the agile content is more explicit. For predictive process questions, PMBOK 6 frameworks remain efficient.

The shift from PMBOK 6 to PMBOK 7 is more philosophical than mechanical. Key differences:

The shift reflects how project management has evolved. Agile and hybrid approaches are now mainstream; PMBOK 7 explicitly accommodates them. Value realisation matters as much as output completion; PMBOK 7 emphasises both.

For practising PMs, the shift means thinking about what good looks like rather than which process to follow. The discipline becomes more contextual and less mechanical. Strong PMs already work this way; the framework now matches the practice.

For exam candidates, both frameworks must be understood. PMI tests the integration of both rather than one or the other.