diff --git a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/DefaultLifecycleExecutor.java b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/DefaultLifecycleExecutor.java
index a4c794ed21..ab16ddedd1 100644
--- a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/DefaultLifecycleExecutor.java
+++ b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/DefaultLifecycleExecutor.java
@@ -532,52 +532,64 @@ public class DefaultLifecycleExecutor
         // if NEVER, don't blacklist
         return false;
     }
-    
-    public TaskValidationResult isTaskValid( String task, MavenSession session, MavenProject rootProject )
+
+    public TaskValidationResult isTaskValid( String task,
+                                             MavenSession session,
+                                             MavenProject rootProject )
     {
-        if ( LifecycleUtils.isValidPhaseName( task ) )
+        //jvz: have to investigate plugins that are run without a root project or using Maven in reactor mode. Looks like we
+        // were never validating these anyway if you look in the execution code.
+
+        if ( rootProject != null )
         {
-            return new TaskValidationResult();
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            MojoDescriptor mojo = null;
-            // definitely a CLI goal, can use prefix
-            try
+            if ( !LifecycleUtils.isValidPhaseName( task ) )
             {
-                mojo = getMojoDescriptorForDirectInvocation(
-                    task,
-                    session,
-                    rootProject );
+                MojoDescriptor mojo = null;
+                // definitely a CLI goal, can use prefix
+                try
+                {
+                    mojo = getMojoDescriptorForDirectInvocation(
+                        task,
+                        session,
+                        rootProject );
 
-                return new TaskValidationResult();
-            }
-            catch ( PluginLoaderException e )
-            {
-                // TODO: shouldn't hit this, investigate using the same resolution logic as
-                // others for plugins in the reactor
+                    return new TaskValidationResult();
+                }
+                catch ( PluginLoaderException e )
+                {
+                    // TODO: shouldn't hit this, investigate using the same resolution logic as
+                    // others for plugins in the reactor
 
-                return new TaskValidationResult( task, "Cannot find mojo descriptor for: \'" + task
-                        + "\' - Treating as non-aggregator." );
-            }
-            catch ( LifecycleSpecificationException e )
-            {
-                String message =
-                    "Invalid task '"
-                        + task
-                        + "': you must specify a valid lifecycle phase, or"
-                        + " a goal in the format plugin:goal or pluginGroupId:pluginArtifactId:pluginVersion:goal";
+                    return new TaskValidationResult(
+                        task,
+                        "Cannot find mojo descriptor for: \'" + task
+                            + "\' - Treating as non-aggregator." );
+                }
+                catch ( LifecycleSpecificationException e )
+                {
+                    String message =
+                        "Invalid task '"
+                            + task
+                            + "': you must specify a valid lifecycle phase, or"
+                            + " a goal in the format plugin:goal or pluginGroupId:pluginArtifactId:pluginVersion:goal";
 
-                return new TaskValidationResult( task, message );
+                    return new TaskValidationResult(
+                        task,
+                        message );
 
-            }
-            catch ( LifecycleLoaderException e )
-            {
-                String message = "Cannot find plugin to match task '" + task + "'.";
+                }
+                catch ( LifecycleLoaderException e )
+                {
+                    String message = "Cannot find plugin to match task '" + task + "'.";
 
-                return new TaskValidationResult( task, message );
+                    return new TaskValidationResult(
+                        task,
+                        message );
+                }
             }
         }
+
+        return new TaskValidationResult();
     }
 
     private List segmentTaskListByAggregationNeeds( final List tasks,
diff --git a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/PluginParameterExpressionEvaluator.java b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/PluginParameterExpressionEvaluator.java
index 16a7817266..e47d04167b 100644
--- a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/PluginParameterExpressionEvaluator.java
+++ b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/plugin/PluginParameterExpressionEvaluator.java
@@ -355,11 +355,7 @@ public class PluginParameterExpressionEvaluator
 
         if ( value == null )
         {
-            // Check POM-level properties before we default over to system properties.
-            if ( project != null && project.getProperties() != null )
-            {
-                value = project.getProperties().getProperty( expression );
-            }
+            // The CLI should win for defining properties
 
             if ( value == null && properties != null )
             {
@@ -370,6 +366,12 @@ public class PluginParameterExpressionEvaluator
 
                 value = properties.getProperty( expression );
             }
+
+            if ( value == null && ( project != null && project.getProperties() != null ) )
+            {
+                value = project.getProperties().getProperty( expression );
+            }
+
         }
 
         if ( value instanceof String )