PM Mentor

User Guide — Version 0.1.12

2026-05-13

Print / Save as PDF

What is PM Mentor?

PM Mentor is an AI-powered project management adviser. It gives you grounded, practical guidance based on established PM frameworks — PMI PMBOK, APM Body of Knowledge, Agile methodologies, Six Sigma, and the ECCSR framework. It is a conversational adviser, not a task tracker or Gantt chart tool.

The AI adviser knows your specific project — its methodology, current phase, decisions made, and ECCSR commitments — and gives advice calibrated to that context. It also explains the principle behind each recommendation, so you build PM capability, not dependency.

Before you begin

• Sign in with your Google account. PM Mentor uses Google OAuth — no password needed.
• Accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy on first sign-in.
• You have a 30-day free trial. No card required to start.

Getting started — the fast path

When you first arrive on the dashboard, you can ask a question immediately — before setting up a project record. Type your challenge in the Ask PM Mentor box and press Enter. The adviser responds straight away using streaming, so you see the answer build in real time.

After your first response, you're invited to create a project record. This takes about 3 minutes and unlocks methodology-specific advice, conversation history, and the decision log.

Your project record

The project record is what the AI adviser knows about your project. Create one from the dashboard by clicking New project. Fill in as much as you can: name, organisation, sector, description, methodology, current phase, dates, budget range, and team size.

The description is the most important field — a clear plain-language summary gives the adviser the context it needs to give you relevant, specific guidance. You can edit all fields at any time from the project's Overview tab.

Choose your methodology from Waterfall, Agile, Hybrid, or Corporate Standard (Organisation tier only). Not sure which to pick? Click Not sure? Ask PM Mentor next to the methodology field and the adviser will ask you up to 8 focused questions, then recommend the best fit. You can override its recommendation at any time.

Starting a conversation

Open a project and click the Conversations tab, then New conversation. Each conversation is a separate thread linked to your project record. You can run as many conversations as you like — use separate threads for distinct topics or challenges.

Type your message and press Enter (or Shift+Enter for a new line). Messages are limited to 4,000 characters. Once sent, messages cannot be edited or deleted — this is by design, so your conversation history remains a reliable record of what was discussed and when.

Working with your adviser

Describe your situation in plain language. The adviser will give you a clear assessment, numbered next steps, and a "Why this works" note for judgement calls. It may ask one clarifying question if more detail would materially improve its response.

The adviser draws on a curated knowledge base of PM literature — PMI, APM, Agile Alliance, HBR, and other sources — and injects relevant guidance automatically based on your question. When it does, it cites the source so you can verify or read further.

For situations involving legal obligations, employment decisions, or significant financial commitments, the adviser will note that specialist advice may be needed. It does not replace a solicitor, HR professional, or financial adviser.

Interface mode — text and avatar

Text mode (default) shows the adviser as "PM Mentor." Avatar mode lets you choose a named persona — Alex, Ciara, Marcus, or Priya — each with a different conversational style. Advice quality is identical in both modes. Change your preference at any time in Settings.

The decision log

After any AI response, click Mark as decision basis to record what you decided to do. PM Mentor captures a snapshot of your project record and the AI's advice at that moment. You can add an outcome note later. Export the full decision log as a PDF from the project view.

Project sharing

Share a project with colleagues at Viewer or Commenter level. Viewers can read; Commenters can also send messages. Project conversations remain private to the project owner and invited collaborators.

Understanding methodology

• Waterfall — sequential phases, fixed requirements, formal milestone sign-offs.
• Agile — iterative sprints, evolving requirements, working output each sprint.
• Hybrid — Waterfall governance structure with Agile delivery within phases.
• Corporate Standard — Organisation tier. Defers to your organisation's framework.

Understanding ECCSR

ECCSR (Ethical, Collaboration, Creating, Sustainable, Results) is the values framework behind PM Mentor's advice, developed by Joe Houghton. The adviser references it when a specific pillar is genuinely at stake — not in every response. Learn more: Project Management Made Easy: The ECCSR Approach

When PM Mentor is not enough

PM Mentor advises on PM best practice. Seek qualified specialist advice for:

• Legal disputes, contracts, or regulatory investigations
• Employment decisions — dismissal, disciplinary, redundancy, grievance
• Major financial loss, fraud, or significant financial commitments
• Health and safety incidents
• Data breaches requiring legal notification
• Highly regulated sector compliance — financial services, healthcare, aviation, nuclear, defence

PM Mentor's adviser will also tell you when it reaches the limits of what PM best practice can sensibly address — and will say so directly.

Fair-use limits

• Individual: 300 AI messages per month
• Team: 1,500 messages per month (shared across team)
• Organisation: Monitored; enterprise pricing

At 80% usage you see an amber warning. At 100% a soft notice. At 120% input is disabled until the next month or you upgrade.

Privacy and your data

Your project data and conversations are never used to train AI models. See the full Privacy Policy for retention periods, sub-processors, and your GDPR rights. Export all your data in JSON format from Settings at any time.

Troubleshooting

What's new