The PM Survival SeriesJoseph Tan

The PM Survival Series

Carry responsibility
without being
consumed by it.

Practical guides for professionals dealing with pressure, difficult stakeholders and growing complexity.

Cover of The Overwhelmed PM, book one of The PM Survival Series
Book 1
Cover of The PM Politics Survival Guide, book two of The PM Survival Series
Book 2
Cover of The PM Complexity Compass, book three of The PM Survival Series
Book 3

Books 1–3 available · Books 4 and 5 to come

Where do I start?

Most people already know what the pressure feels like. Start from the one that sounds like your week.

The books can be read in sequence, but each one works independently.

The series

Pressure doesn't come from one place.

It builds in layers. Each one arrives on top of the last, and each one asks something different of you. There is a book for each.

Five layers of pressure stacked in order: Internal pressure, People pressure, Complexity pressure, Manage pressure with your team, Sustainable performance. 1Internal2People3Complexity4Team5Sustainability
Each layer builds on the last, as new pressure emerges
  1. Stage 1

    Internal pressure

    When the workload starts consuming your attention.

    The moveRegain control

    Book 1

    The Overwhelmed PM 

    A short, structured reset for the point where the workload starts consuming your attention. Read it in under an hour and apply it the same day.

  2. Stage 2

    People pressure

    When stakeholders and competing expectations add another layer.

    The moveInfluence stakeholders

    Book 2

    The PM Politics Survival Guide 

    A way to think before you respond, so you stop absorbing work that was never yours. Not a script book, and not about pushing back harder.

  3. Stage 3

    Complexity pressure

    When multiple projects, priorities and dependencies create complexity.

    The moveNavigate complexity

    Book 3

    The PM Complexity Compass 

    A practical framework for recognising where complexity is coming from, and deciding where your attention will have the greatest effect.

  4. Stage 4

    Manage pressure with your team

    When the work outgrows what one person can hold.

    The moveBuild sustainable velocity

    Placeholder cover for The PM Growth Engine, book four, not yet published

    Book 4Coming soon

    The PM Growth Engine

    Building a Team That Sustains Velocity Without Burnout

  5. Stage 5

    Sustainable performance

    When the question becomes whether you can keep this up at all.

    The moveSustain your performance

    Placeholder cover for The Sustainable PM, book five, not yet published

    Book 5Coming soon

    The Sustainable PM

    Recover and Sustain

The series is designed to help you recognise where pressure is coming from and respond with greater clarity and judgement. Project management is the environment. Judgement is the subject. People are the focus.

More about the series

Want to go further?

If you recognise more than one layer of pressure, these collections bring the relevant guides together.

Books 1 + 2

PM Survival Starter Kit

Regain control. Protect it.

For professionals dealing with overwhelm and stakeholder pressure.

Explore Collection

Books 2 + 3

Influence & Complexity Collection

Influence stakeholders. Navigate complexity.

For professionals balancing competing stakeholder demands and growing project complexity.

Explore Collection

Books 1–3

High-Pressure PM Collection

Build the judgement to lead under pressure.

The current foundation of the PM Survival Series.

Explore Collection

Joseph Tan

Who writes it

“Responsibility doesn't disappear when the workload becomes unreasonable. I've seen that throughout my career.”

Project management
28 years
Hospitality
11 years
More about Joseph Tan

What readers are saying

Helpful and insightful. It gave me a structured way to step out of constant pressure and regain control.
Senior Project Manager
The concepts are highly applicable to other industries and roles where you have a low degree of control over your tasks and workday. Clear, practical, and written from real experience. It made pressure visible and therefore manageable. I look forward to the rest of the series!
Events Manager

Reader feedback from The Overwhelmed PM