All About P3.express

Among the various methods, methodologies, and standards for project management, a rising star is the P3.express methodology.First launched in 2016, its latest and third version was released in 2021.

In this article, we dive deep into P3.express — breaking down its structure, explaining how to learn it, where to get certified, and showcasing some fantastic examples of how real companies have implemented it.

What is P3.express?

💡 P3.express (also referred to as p3express, p3x, or "pi-three-express") is a streamlined project management methodology, comprising 33 steps organized into seven groups. It’s designed for running projects in monthly cycles.

P3.express offers a clear process structure that helps boost a company’s project management culture. It’s a minimalist and flexible approach that provides a nearly step-by-step guide for managing projects. Originating from Europe, it stands out for its simplicity, practicality, and effectiveness.

In practice, you can skip some steps, repeat others, and adjust the length of cycles as needed. P3.express is highly flexible — like a "Lego" set for project management: you take the pieces that suit your needs and build your own structure.

The methodology is suitable for projects and companies of all sizes and industries. You'll see this firsthand as you read through the real-world case studies of P3.express in action. But first, let’s take a look at where P3.express stands in the world of project management methodologies.

Common Project Management Methodologies

Some readers might be wondering: "Why create another project management standard or methodology when there are already so many?" It’s a valid question. Here’s a quick look at some of the established methods and standards:

Each of these approaches has its unique focus. For instance, Scrum is designed for software development, and it might not be a good fit for industrial projects. With PMBOK, you’ll need to put in serious effort, both to study its 700+ pages and to adapt the knowledge to your specific project.

What Makes P3.express Stand Out from Other Systems

Easier to Learn. P3.express is much faster and simpler to grasp than most other project management methodologies. The core materials are freely available, even in Russian, and you can get a solid understanding of the framework in just 1–2 months.

More Minimalist. This methodology uses only four key project documents, a clear step-by-step approach, and a concise philosophy built around six guiding principles. It’s especially welcoming to beginners and teams without a well-established project management culture, thanks to its low learning curve.

Versatile and Flexible. P3.express is well-suited for project managers across various industries. It easily adapts to the unique requirements of different projects and teams, allowing you to skip certain steps or repeat others, depending on the situation.

Compatible with Other Methodologies. Its flexibility allows P3.express to coexist with other methodologies used by project stakeholders. Teams can quickly adapt to external demands and adjust their workflow to fit into different frameworks.

Phases and Steps in P3.express

P3.express is structured around 33 steps, divided into seven phases of project development.

Each phase is labeled with a letter from A to G, and the steps are numbered sequentially, resetting at the start of each phase. For example, A01 and A10 are the first and last steps in phase A, while B01 marks the beginning of phase B.

Phase 1: Project Preparation (A)

This phase is all about setting the stage for the project, from forming the team to high-level planning and making the final "go" decision. It consists of 10 steps:

Phase 2: Cycle Planning (B)

This phase takes place at the start of each cycle, which typically lasts one month. The goal is to refine plans, assign tasks, and once again evaluate whether the project should move forward. There are five steps in this phase:

Phase 3: Weekly Actions (C)

These are the tasks carried out each week to keep the project on track with the monthly goals. Maintaining structure is key for steady progress. This phase includes four steps:

Phase 4: Daily Actions (D)

These are the daily responsibilities of the project manager, rather than the team members. There are only two steps in this phase:

Phase 5: Closing the Cycle (E)

At the end of each month, these steps help wrap up the cycle and prepare for the next one:

Phase 6: Project Closure (F)

This phase occurs when the project is either completed or formally closed. It includes six steps:

Phase 7: Post-Project (G)

This phase happens between one to five years after the project ends to track its benefits. These reviews occur every six months, and there are three steps:

Documentation in P3.express

P3.express requires only four essential documents for effective project management:

Project Summary

This is a high-level overview of the project at its inception. It contains key details about the project’s purpose, benefits for the company, a list of stakeholders, and other relevant information. The summary is concise — the idea is that a quick glance should be enough to grasp the project's essence.

Typically, it’s 1–5 pages long. There’s no need to over-detail it at the start; the summary can evolve as the project progresses.

Outcome Map

This is a schematic or visual representation of the project's future deliverables. It’s recommended to describe project elements using nouns, not verbs — for instance, say "Landing Page" instead of "Create a landing page."

At the early planning stage, a mind map is an excellent way to start, especially if the project involves many components or if you need to visualize the plan for the entire team. As the project develops, you can switch to a Gantt chart — particularly useful for managing dependencies and known timelines.

As you move into cycle planning, a Kanban board or task list works well to visualize short-term tasks. If the project is simple, Kanban might be effective right from the start.

Dmitry Ilyenkov

CEO of PMCLUB

Using a mind map for the Outcome Map is ideal. It’s much better for discussions and helps avoid getting bogged down in minor tasks. After the mind map, you can decide whether to use a Gantt chart or Kanban board. Gantt is best for managing dependencies, while a Kanban board is great for small projects.

The board is perfect for process management. P3.express emphasizes high-level planning at the outset, so there won’t be too many tasks on the board throughout the cycle. At the start of each cycle, you take a major task, refine it, and create the month’s backlog. It’s best to break the backlog down by week — and now you have a clear view of what needs to be done over the next seven days.

PMCLUB

Follow-up Actions Register

The Follow-up Actions Register serves as a risk matrix, detailing both potential issues and opportunities, along with the corresponding response strategies. It’s important to include both the identified risks and the people responsible for addressing them. The best results come when the whole team collaborates on this document — consulting market experts, reviewing case studies, and learning from past mistakes to create a dynamic and realistic register.

You can structure this document as a simple table or use a Kanban board to track everything visually.

Project Health Register

This document is essentially a feedback form that captures how satisfied stakeholders — both internal and external — are with the project’s progress and the quality of actions taken. It’s updated at the end of each cycle and needs to be kept up-to-date as it’s an important indicator of project health.

Although P3.express only requires four key documents, they are incredibly important because they:

P3.express allows flexibility in how and where you create these documents. For example:

This approach ensures that everyone stays aligned, and all the essential project information is organized, accessible, and up to date.

Principles of P3.express

P3.express is guided by six core principles, known as NUPP — Nearly Universal Principles of Projects. These principles are the foundation of the methodology, ensuring it remains adaptable, yet practical, for managing various types of projects effectively.

NUPP is a collection of the following NUPs:

Adapting and Implementing P3.express

One of the strengths of P3.express is its flexibility — you can adjust it to fit your needs by skipping certain steps, repeating others, renaming tasks, or even rearranging the order of actions.

However, it’s wise to begin with the standard version of P3.express. As you implement it in your company, you can gradually make tweaks and adjustments to better suit your workflow.

But a word of caution: it's easy to get carried away with modifications. While it may seem tempting to blend P3.express with other methodologies, create new steps, or borrow elements from different frameworks, this can quickly lead to a loss of the simplicity and clarity that make P3.express so effective. Overcomplicating it can render the whole system less efficient.

Even if your client operates with a different methodology — or several — you can still apply P3.express within your own processes. For example, when drafting the project summary, focus on your rationale for the project, rather than trying to mirror the client’s perspective. Keep in mind that as the project manager from the contractor’s side, your responsibilities to your team and the client may differ.

Dmitry Ilyenkov

CEO of PMCLUB

The key is to find common ground. You’ll need to sync up with the client, establish shared terminology, and create a mutual understanding of the project’s approach. Many clients appreciate the simplicity of P3.express because it doesn’t demand drastic changes to their existing processes.

A major benefit of P3.express is its emphasis on communication: for instance, you can commit to providing weekly progress reports and monthly feedback sessions to assess satisfaction and adjust plans as needed.

PMCLUB

How to Learn P3.express

The P3.express methodology is highly accessible, with detailed descriptions and document templates available for free. You can read everything online or download the materials in PDF format.

The official website offers an engaging online guide with interactive animations, available in English and 27 other languages. Enthusiasts from different countries can translate the documentation into their own languages.

To practice using the methodology, there’s an online project management simulator where you manage the construction of a conference building in the fictional city of Artopolis. This simulator is also available in several languages, making it easier to apply P3.express in a real-world setting.

If you want to dive deeper, you can take courses that offer extended knowledge, additional materials, and numerous practical examples. The best part? These courses can prepare you for international certification in P3.express.

You can get certified through courses in the following organizations:

If you want to prepare for the exam on your own, you can just buy vouchers for certification from the accredited trainers, accredited training organizations, or the examination institute.

You can find more info on the official website. 

P3.express at WEEEK

At WEEEK, there’s a ready-made template for P3.express, provided by the PMCLUB school.

You can access the template within your workspace. Simply look for the "Templates" button at the bottom left. Under the "Development and Product" section, select the P3.express template. Click "Use Template" to open it in your workspace.

Inga Skers

CPO WEEEK

P3.express is a fantastic and highly flexible methodology. During our free demo, we will show your team how to organize a project using this methodology, whether with a ready-made template or from scratch. Sign up for the demo using the link below 👇🏻

Sign up for the demonstration

What’s Included in the P3.express Template

With the P3.express template, you’ll have two essential boards for managing your project: the Follow-up Actions Register and the Outcome Map. These boards will help you monitor risks and plan your project cycles efficiently.

Now, let’s go over how to manage weekly and daily tasks. According to the P3.express methodology, the project manager should proactively manage risks and motivate the team to do regular check-ins.

How to Work with the Follow-up Actions Register Using the Template

On the Follow-up Actions Register board, potential and realized risks will be visible to the entire team. Risk management can be divided into three stages: Not Started, In Progress, and Closed. These are the column names used.

Each template card contains a structure for describing a risk or opportunity. Use this structure to outline the cause, consequence, impact, dates, and responsible party.

Distribute the risk and opportunity cards across the columns. If a task is opened (meaning the risk has materialized), assign a date and responsible person.

How to Work with the Outcome Map Using the Template

On the Outcome Map board, you’ll manage the project cycle and implementation.

In each task card, specify the outcome that needs to be achieved by the end of the cycle. It’s better to focus on the product that should be delivered rather than the actions or processes involved. For example, use "Landing Page" instead of "Create a landing page."

Start by gathering future project outcomes in the Backlog column. From there, task cards should move to the Monthly Backlog column, which outlines the work plan for the month. This column is filled after completing step B01 — Update and Detail Plans.

Each task card in the Monthly Backlog needs to be detailed — break it down, define the content of the outcome, and set acceptance criteria. You can find a structure for this within the task card, using the "Landing Page" card as an example.

❗ Remember, at the beginning of the cycle, you don’t need to plan tasks for future cycles in detail — only for the nearest one. Use the "rolling wave" method, where only the upcoming work is planned in detail.

Next, prioritize all task cards using methods like MoSCoW, ICE, RICE, or any other approach. It’s important that this decision is made as a team. Use WEEEK’s priority tags to mark these tasks.

It’s convenient to break down the outcome into subtasks within the card. Then, move the relevant subtask to the next column — Weekly Backlog. This gives you a clear weekly action plan on the Outcome Map.

From there, the task card progresses through the columns: In Progress, Under Review, On Hold (hopefully, it skips this one), and Completed.

This mini-guide shows how to set up and adapt P3.express within your workspace, helping you manage projects more efficiently while staying flexible enough to meet your team's unique needs.

Real-World Applications of P3.express

SberMarket and the Project Office with P3.express

SberMarket’s project office chose P3.express for three main reasons: it’s simple, comprehensive, and adaptable.

To prepare for its implementation, the team aligned on terminology and created a registry of all ongoing projects. Since the company manages numerous projects, they customized some of the methodology’s step names to make them more relatable to the team.

They also standardized certain processes, such as project descriptions and satisfaction assessments, using a project description template and introducing an NPS (Net Promoter Score) index to measure satisfaction. Additionally, they documented internal working principles, which helped resolve disputes and eliminate contradictions, streamlining the workflow.

Spring Manufacturing Plant’s ERP Implementation with P3.express

One of the more unique examples of P3.express application was at ООО "ПК Пружинный проект," a spring manufacturing plant, during the development and implementation of its own ERP system. Although it was the company’s first time using the methodology, they achieved outstanding results:

VseInstrumenty.ru and P3.express

At VseInstrumenty.ru, the team faced a fundamental problem — the absence of a project management system. Neither team members nor leadership had a clear view of project progress, which hindered transparency. The decision to implement P3.express was based on its flexibility and ease of use. The team tailored the methodology to their needs, combining some steps to simplify the process.

They set up project management in Confluence, where each project had its own workspace, and used Miro to visualize processes. Clear communication rules were established, improving coordination across teams.

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