What Is Tailoring?
Tailoring is the deliberate adaptation of the approach, governance and processes to make them more suitable for a given project and its environment. There is no one-size-fits-all method; tailoring fits the method to the context.
In Practice
Teams tailor by choosing a development approach (predictive, adaptive or hybrid), selecting which artifacts and ceremonies add value, and adjusting the level of rigor to the project’s size, risk and stakeholders. Good tailoring keeps what helps and drops what does not, then refines over time based on what is learned.
PMBOK 8 Context
Tailoring is a central theme and an explicit emphasis of the PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition, reflecting its principles-and-domains structure. It depends on understanding complexity and uncertainty. See also hybrid approach.
FAQ
Does tailoring mean skipping process? No — it means choosing the right amount and type of process for the context, which may be more or less than a default.
When do you tailor? At the start and continuously, adjusting as the project and its environment change.
Author: Tom, PMP-certified since 2004. Last updated: July 2026. Aligned with the PMBOK Guide, 8th Edition.