Projectland Goes to the Movies
SERIES ARTICLE
By Dawn Mahan and Jerry Manas
United States
Why do so many projects struggle despite all of the courses, certifications, templates, and tools available to help people succeed?
Often, it’s not because people lack intelligence or effort. It’s because they lack shared understanding.
This goes even beyond training in fundamentals; people are expected to deliver projects without a common language for how projects actually work.
In modern organizations, projects increasingly rely on cross-functional teams, temporary leadership structures, and busy professionals balancing project work alongside demanding operational roles. Under those conditions, shared understanding becomes critical.
This challenge is one of the reasons Dawn coined the term “Projectland®,” which helps professionals understand that when they are working on a project, they are operating in a different world with different roles, rules, pressures, and expectations than the “day job.”
Unfortunately, many people are dropped into Projectland with little preparation and are expected to somehow figure it out while the clock is ticking. The result is often confusion, stress, misalignment, and teams running in circles without a clear map.
So how might we help busy people understand projects faster, especially when they have no time for formal training and an important project already underway?
One surprisingly effective approach is to start with something people already understand: stories. In fact, the Project Management Institute explicitly highlights storytelling in the 8th Edition of the PMBOK® Guide as a premier communication asset for bridging knowledge gaps across stakeholders. By shifting from abstract methodology to narrative frameworks, we can bypass the typical learning curve.
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Editor’s note: Dawn Mahan and Jerry Manas are co-editors of the wildly popular book “Projectland Goes to the Movies: 22 Blockbuster Strategies for Project Success” published in January 2026 by Project Guru Press. To learn more about the book, click here.
How to cite this work: Mahan, D. and Manas, J. (2026). Why Stories and Movies Help Project Teams Learn and Align; Projectland Goes to the Movies, series article 1, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue VI, June. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pmwj165-Jun2026-Mahan-Manas-Projectland-Goes-to-the-Movies-series-article-1.pdf
About the Authors
Dawn Mahan
Florida, USA
Dawn Mahan is the founder of PMOtraining, LLC, and coined the term, Projectland®. She is a dynamic international speaker, award-winning project management consultant, and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book, Meet the Players in Projectland: Decide the Right Project Roles & Get People On Board. Visit her website at PMOtraining.com.
Jerry Manas
Pennsylvania, USA
Jerry Manas is an internationally bestselling author, speaker, and consultant specializing in resource management and workforce effectiveness. His work—including Napoleon on Project Management and The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook—has been cited by business leaders such as Tom Peters and Orlando Magic Senior VP Pat Williams. Visit his website at jerrymanas.com.
Projectland Goes to the Movies: 22 Blockbuster Strategies for Project Success (2026 Amazon Hot New Release) is available globally.
Visit https://books2read.com/projectlandgoestothemovies.
For bulk orders, tools to engage your group, or to inquire about storytelling workshops, email us: hello@pmotraining.com.
