In the sixth of an eight part series on the humble project management toolkit for better results in an uncertain world, I describe the second and third of the toolkit’s ‘compartments’ – “Understand the Project’s Ecosystem” and “Manage in Alignment with the Project’s Ecosystem” in which I outline the importance of developing adaptive management systems that take account of: the landscape in which the project is embedded; the project’s objectives and the processes implemented to contribute to these objectives; and organizational practices.