By Russell D. Archibald & Darci Prado Introduction to a SERIES of ARTICLES on Maturity of Organizations in Project Management This is the first of a series of articles on this important subject. This article provides a
general introduction to the topic of measuring project management (PM) maturity, the benefits that this measurement can provide, and identifies some of the models that are being used for that purpose. Subsequent articles in this series with cover these topics: Measuring the maturity of an enterprise regarding its program/project management success capabilities has become an important subject. Hundreds of "Project Management Maturity Models" have been developed and used in the past two decades with the objective of measuring the level of project management maturity within all types of enterprises and for most of the many
categories of projects. These models range from simple to very complex. The most widely used of these models have been developed primarily for large, complex organizations, and these have become excellent sources of business for specialized consultants. The purposes of these models are to: Project Management Maturity Can Be Viewed from Three Perspectives These three perspectives are: Importance of and Benefits from Measuring Project, Program, and Portfolio Management (PPPM) Capability Maturity This maturity assessment identifies the need for and opportunities to improve these capabilities within the
organization for each project category, and also enables world-wide comparison and benchmarking with similar organizations and for similar project categories. Research now shows conclusively that increasing an enterprise´s PPPM maturity produces greater success in selecting, planning and executing its projects, and this in turn produces greater success of the enterprise. Project Management Maturity Models o Identify where Project
Management improvements are required. o Enable benchmarking corporate PM performance against others, o Give clear indications of strengths and weaknesses. o Can lead to significant competitive advantages if follow-up Properly assessing the organization´s PPPM management maturity enables developing a realistic plan of action to improve these capabilities
and to increase your rate of successful projects and your overall competitiveness. There are many PM maturity models to choose from, including these widely used models: The following text describes the five first models. Since its release in 2003, the Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3®) has been used by organizations around the world to minimize
risk, drive the right projects, and align investments to accelerate organizational success. Organizations turn to OPM3® because it helps them bridge the gap between strategy and individual projects, and provides a way to advance strategic interests through the application of project management principles and practices. Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3®) - Third Edition is the result of years of development and continues to build on the foundation formed by the input of hundreds of project management practitioners and consultants from countries around the world. This newest edition not only delivers the latest best practices, it also encompasses multiple expansions and changes, including: OPM3 - MATURITY EVALUATION:DimensionsThrough a questionnaire, it is possible to assess how mature the organization is on the Best Practices. This questionnaire applies to the following dimensions:
Assessment: The QuestionnaireThe questionnaire to assess the maturity level of an organization consists of 120 questions (Version 2), with answers like "Yes" or "No", as follows:
Each question is subdivided into 4 parts to measure:
The Evaluation ResultsThe questionnaire is filled out using an Interactive Computerized System available on a CD. The program evaluates the answers and provides the results, as the following example (see Figure 1):
Figure 1: OPM3: Example of Presentation of Evaluation Results (partial). Improvement PlanThe program that is available on CD provides, in addition to assessment results, an Improvement Plan that addresses the best practices that the organization has demonstrated gaps. Note that, to OPM3, a Best Practice is split into Capabilities and the program also identifies which capabilities the organization needs to improve. There are approximately 600 Best Practices in Database Best Practice and each consists of two or more capabilities. In addition, each capability is associated with a form of measurement of results that would be produced if the organization owned it. Implementation PlanAfter identifying the Improvement Plan, it is the organization responsibility to create its Implementation Plan. The Interactive Computerized System, available on CD, provides guidance to trace the Implementation Plan. KERZNER - PMMMKerzner's model[3], released in 1998, contains 183 questions. It allows you to measure how the organization is positioned at six levels, but does not provide a final note, that is, provides only the percentage of achievement of each level. The levels are (Figure 2):
Figure 2. The Kerzner Project Management Maturity Model. A more detailed description of the levels is presented below: Level 1 - Common Language
Level 2 - Common Process
Level 3 - Unique Methodology
Level 4 - Benchmarking
Level 5 - Continuous Improvement
IPMA - Delta Model(from the official site of IPMA http://ipma.ch/certification/certify-organisations/deltacompetence-classes/) IPMA Delta's model, released in 2011, integrates state-of-the-art know-how covering a 360° perspective of organisational competence in project management. It uses the IPMA Competence Baseline to assess the competence of selected individuals (module I) and the IPMA Project Excellence Model to assess the PM competence and results in selected projects and programmes (module P). Module O is used to assess the Organisational Competence in Managing Projects based on the IPMA Organisational Competence Baseline. All modules are cross-referenced and interlinked (Figure 3). Figure 3. The IPMA Delta Project Management Maturity Model. IPMA Delta offers five competence classes: initial, defined, standardised, managed, optimising. These competence classes describe an organisation´s current project management competence. Class 1: Initial The achievements of project management are at a personal level. There are individuals who perform well, but the performance is coincidental. The organization has no formal PM standards, structures and processes in place. Class 2: Defined There are partially defined P standards, structures and processes in place, which are partially applied in the organization. Class 3: Standardized There are fully defined PM standards, structures and processes in place, which are mostly applied throughout the organization. Class 4: Managed There are fully defined PM standards, structures and processes in place, which are fully applied throughout the organization, which the management actively controls. Class 5: Managed There are fully defined PM standards, structures and processes in place, which are fully applied throughout the organization, which the management actively controls and continuously develops. IPMA offers the best way to identify possible development of an organisation´s project management competence. Since organisations determine the competence class they want to reach, IPMA Delta shows how to develop from one class to the next, from one dimension to the next, for the organisational Delta Effect. PRINCE2 Maturity Models (from the official PRINCE2 web site at http://www.prince2.com/prince2-maturity-models):PRINCE2 Maturity Model (P2MM) 1. Carried out by a PRINCE2 Registered Consultant (P2RC) 2. Enables organisations to gauge, by assessment, their maturity in the use of PRINCE2
3. Provide a focus for improvement 4. Provide verified evidence of maturity at three levels
Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3©)1. Carried out by a Programme and Project Management Registered Consultant (PPMRC) 2. The overarching P3M3 model is made up of three sub-models
3. Consists of five maturity levels, seven perspectives, attributes and generic attributes 4. External assessment process providing verified evidence of maturity at five levels
5. Perspectives considered are:
6. Developed from the SEI model Prado PMM Model (Brazil): |