Project Management Maturity Models Research Articles

PROJECT MANAGEMENT MATURITY MODELS. A REVIEW OF CURRENT CRITICISM AND OPPORTUNIEIS

Project management maturity models (PMMMs) have evolved significantly over the years, eliciting both enthusiasm and critique from professionals in the field. The former reflects the promising prospects for enhancing organizational value through the adoption of refined practices, while the latter underscores concern regarding the associated costs, applicability challenges, and the resilience of these models. This paper embarks on a comprehensive exploration, surveying the landscape of established models while pinpointing the principal obstacles linked with their implementation. Acknowledging both the significance and the shortfall of current models, there is a growing consensus within the literature regarding the imperative for further advancements in project management practices. Criticisms directed towards existing models often revolve around economic feasibility hurdles, inflexibility, scalability issues, and overly prescriptive frameworks. This paper undertakes a critical examination, contemplating the integration of digital capabilities as a means to mitigate these drawbacks and refine project management maturity models. Central to our paper is the notion of leveraging digital affordances to enhance the efficacy of PMMMs. By amalgamating technological innovations with established methodologies, we endeavor to address prevalent criticisms and propel the evolution of project management frameworks. Our approach is multifaceted, encompassing a thorough exploration of the technological substrates underpinning PMMMs. In delineating the technological landscape, we identify three primary layers of technology integration in PMMM development: Microsoft Excel, Online Questionnaires, and Advanced Platformization Initiatives. Each layer presents distinct opportunities and challenges, underscoring the complexity inherent in modernizing PMMMs. Proposing a forward-looking strategy, we advocate for the development of PMMMs that capitalize on the latest digital affordances. By prioritizing user-friendly interfaces and streamlining the completion process, we aim to foster greater engagement and uptake among stakeholders. This approach promises to transcend the limitations of traditional models, catalyzing a paradigm shift towards more dynamic and responsive project management practices.

Statistical Predictors of Project Management Maturity

Global scenarios of organizations show investments wasted in projects with poor performances in more than 11 percent of cases, according to the Project Management Institute. This research aims to guide organizations in assertively investing in the right pertinent factors to improve project success rates and speed up project management maturity at a higher accuracy level using statistical predictions. Challenging existing drivers for project management maturity models and expanding their current practical view will be the result of a quantitative methodology based on a survey supported by data collection targeting the project management community in Brazil. The originality and value of this research are in contributing to the development of new project maturity models statistically supported by the increasing rate of maturity accuracy, which can be continually improved by confident data input into the model. The results show a high correlation between the performance measurement system and the project success rate associated with project management maturity. In addition, this research contemplates the relationship between organizational culture, business type, and project management office and project management maturity.

Project Management Maturity in Renovation and Remodelling Construction Firms

Project Management Maturity Models (PMMM) are considered practical tools to deal with poor Project Management (PM) performance, an issue that concerns academics and practitioners. However, the models that exist are something close to “one size fits all”. This means that those models might not be suitable for activity sectors with specific requirements, such as construction, in particular, the renovation and remodelling construction firms. The present research proposes a PMMM to assess the PM capabilities of Portuguese renovation and remodelling Project-Based Firms (PBF). To achieve this goal, the authors developed documental research, followed by exploratory research through qualitative analysis. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews and performed a content analysis of the fully transcribed interviews. Compared with the literature review’s findings, qualitative analysis results made it possible to find closure on previous research that indicated two models to have the best fit for an assessment project on construction PBFs: the OPM3 from the PMI and the MMGP-Prado. Based on those findings, the latter has the best fit for an assessment project on construction PBF. However, the model needs adjustments to fit the Portuguese context of renovation and remodelling organisations. This article presents a new PMMM for Portuguese renovation and remodelling construction firms based on obtained results. Furthermore, regarding construction PM, this article is among the few that studied PMMM on renovation and remodelling construction companies. Unlike large construction companies, these are small organisations that academics do not target for research.

Assessment of Project Management Maturity Models Strengths and Weaknesses

The purpose of this article is to analyze the most popular maturity models in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Research conducted by international project management communities such as Software Engineering Institute (SEI), Project Management Institute (PMI), International Project Management Association (IPMA), Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) showed that organizations with high managerial maturity are more likely to achieve their planned project goals than those that do not identify and standardize their best management practices. This circumstance has encouraged scientists from all over the world to start developing various models that can measure and evaluate managerial maturity in projects. Nowadays, the variety of models created has led to considerable difficulty in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each model. To solve this problem, the article authors conducted a critical analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the most popular project management maturity models. The results obtained will be of interest to project managers, members of project teams, heads of organizations, project offices and everyone involved in the development of project activities. Based on the analysis, it was found that the most developed maturity models are based on international codes of knowledge of project management. Most maturity models ignore the presence of structural and infrastructural elements, such as a workplace, the necessary equipment and software, the availability of professional standards, instructions, regulations, etc. It was also revealed that there are no processes for assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of using the best practices in the maturity models.

Project Management Maturity Models: Proposal of a Framework for Models Comparison

With the evolutions of projects, it is necessary that companies understand the importance of project management, since this idea allows them to plan and monitor a project properly, through a set of knowledge, techniques, and tools. However, the implementation of project management alone is not enough. It is necessary that there is a continuous improvement in project management and an increase in maturity that accompanies the changes and needs of companies. These improvements and increases in maturity level are possible with the application of maturity models in project management. When well used, they allow companies to understand where they fail and where they need to improve. And if the measures taken from the models are applied, companies benefit positively in the delivery of the intended results, on time and on budget. As well as, in standing out compared to other companies in the market. Therefore, this study proposed a framework to compare project management maturity models. It allows the consideration of a set of variables when choosing a model. The results show that the Prado PMMM is typically the most suitable model for evaluation.

An Exploratory Study on Two-Dimensional Project Management Maturity Model

Based on the analysis of the existing project management maturity models and software capability maturity models, this study proposes a novel two-dimensional project management maturity (TPMM) model, which emphasizes the project business management (PBM) and information technology application (ITA) simultaneously. It is the first to present the TPMM concept with PBM maturity and ITA maturity, and the first to evaluate ITA maturity based on the 49 processes of PMBOK. After the PBM and ITA maturities of 49 management processes are obtained using an expert evaluation method, the two-dimensional maturity of the knowledge area and enterprise layers can be calculated by statistical method. The comparison of maturities at three layers and two dimensions is helpful for enterprises to find problems in PBM and ITA, and to find the right direction for advancement. It is also helpful for enterprises to take corresponding improvement measures. The integrated framework provides a new perspective on improving the efficiency and capability of project management through positive cycle development between PBM and ITA. The application case sets an example for other enterprises to improve their project management capability and efficiency along a maturity ladder.

Research on BIM Application Two-Dimensional Maturity Model

The existing project management maturity models and BIM maturity models have obvious deficiencies in evaluating the management level of engineering projects with BIM applications. This study aimed to use accepted assessment indexes to design an innovative BIM application maturity model suitable for different projects with BIM applications. This study proposes the concept of BIM Application Two-Dimensional Maturity (BATM), which simultaneously emphasizes the project business management (PBM) and project BIM application (PBA) maturities. The BATM model assesses the PBM and PBA maturities based on eight performance domains and 37 desired outcomes of PMBOK 7th edition. The application case shows that the use of the BATM model is simple and its effect is obvious. This study is the first to assess the BIM application maturity from the two dimensions of PBM and PBA, and provides new insights into the project BIM application maturity assessment. The application case sets an example for other companies to assess and improve their BATM.

Will knowledge infrastructure capabilities elevate the project management maturity? An empirical study

PurposeThe factors for higher education institutions’ (HEIs) project management failure have been studied for several years. One of the issues is a lack of tools to combine their knowledge infrastructure capabilities (KIC) with project management (PM) to examine these infrastructures and monitor maturity. There are several project management maturity (PMM) models available. However, there are just a few empirical studies that support the three knowledge infrastructure capabilities and PMM integrations. As a result, the current research aims to suggest a new conceptual model, KIC-knowledge management (KM), and assess a research model that includes the three knowledge infrastructure capabilities as a prerequisite to elevate the PMM.Design/methodology/approachPartial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used to evaluate the proposed research model. The study’s hypotheses were also examined using a sample of 352 respondents from PM departments at ten Yemeni public universities.FindingsThe study found that if the three key knowledge infrastructure capabilities integrate into the PMs, then it will help HEIs to perform project tasks more effectively and efficiently. Also, it will improve the PM maturity level if all the three capabilities positively effect PMM.Research limitations/implicationsThe study findings cannot be generalized to other industries because the collected date were with the Yemeni public universities’ context. Also, the new proposed model can be assessed in various sectors to increase the validity of the model. One more thing, future academics can conduct qualitative research study to validate again the proposed model.Practical implicationsProject managers can develop and improve their organization’s effectiveness and performance by focusing on these findings and using the developed model. Also, the findings of this study can be used as a benchmark for evaluating initiatives and knowledge-based governmental entities.Social implicationsIt is an opportunity for knowledge-based governmental entities particularly and other organizations to elevate most of projects to achieve a supreme level of maturity. Also, this study will assist employees to understand the relationship between KICs and projects within HEIs in Yemen.Originality/valueThis paper is among the first to empirically study the impact of the three knowledge infrastructure capabilities toward PMM. It links between two important domains: KM and PM.

A maturity model for assessing sustainable project management knowledge areas: A case study within a logistics firm

Currently, the use of maturity models is widespread for evaluating the success of project management (PM) processes. Project management maturity models (PMMM) are valuable methodologies to improve the project management processes. In this context, this present paper seeks an answer to these questions: Which maturity levels are aimed for an organization to make the sustainable PM sound? Which propositions are made based on the obtained maturity levels? This paper aims to propose a PMMM by analysing PM knowledge areas. In response to this objective, nine dimensions and twenty seven maturity items are handled using of PM Solutions’ PMMM. In order to evaluate the maturity levels, Weighted Maturity Score Calculation Model (WMSC) approach based on survey questionnaires of two experts is used first for the PM knowledge areas. Weighted average score of all maturity items is obtained using Likert-scale and criteria weights are first calculated using Hesitant Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (HF-AHP). Practicality of these approaches is illustrated through a real data in a logistics organization. As a result, computational results indicate that risk management dimension with the level 1,4 has the lowest rating of all nine dimensions. The high maturity level 3,5 is observed in the quality management, as the maturity items in this dimension such as Quality Plan Preparation and Quality Plan Employment can have a favourable impact on the PM maturity. The findings reveal the effectiveness of the proposed method, which ensures practical and theoretical insights for organizations to determine their current and expected sustainable project maturity levels.

Project Management Maturity Models for Construction Firms

This paper aims to identify and analyze project management maturity models in order to identify those best suited to be adopted in construction firms. To do so, models from papers available in academic repositories were analyzed. To be successful, the construction business deeply depends on projects outcomes; thus, the implementation of project management maturity models is important for this sector. A maturity model is a valuable technique to assess project management capabilities within a single part of an organization or to assess an organization as a whole. Its main purpose is to provide a means to create a more organized and predictable way for organizations to achieve their goals, increasing their chances of success regarding the outputs, outcomes, and benefits. In this paper, documentary research was performed to identify available project management maturity models and togather information about their performance. The information gathered was used to find elements to be compared with the identified models. Reviewing the literature, 39 project management maturity models were identified. The authors selected two PMMMs that were well fitted to assess the project management capabilities in construction firms: OPM3 and MMGP Prado.

Assessment of knowledge process capabilities toward project management maturity: an empirical study

PurposeThe reasons behind the project management failure of higher education institutions (HEIs) have been researched for the past few years. One of the reasons is the lack of tools to integrate their knowledge process capabilities (KPC) with their project management (PM) to measure maturity by assessing these capabilities. Various project management maturity (PMM) models exist. Yet, there is a limited number of empirical studies that support the four integrations of KPC and PMM. Therefore, this study aims to propose a new heretical model, namely, KPC-knowledge management (KM) and evaluates a research model that includes the four KPC as an antecedent to PMM.Design/methodology/approachThe suggested research model is assessed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Furthermore, the study's hypotheses were examined based on a sample of 352 respondents from the project management departments in 10 public universities in Yemen.FindingsAnalysis revealed that the derived PMM status could be benchmarked with the project management maturity model. Also, the study found that integrating the KPC into PM enables the institutions to perform critical tasks and value chain activities and enhance the PM maturity level as well. In contrast, if one of the capabilities does not positively impact PMM, it affects the maturity level of the entire project.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are obtained concerning data collected from public universities and represent the Yemeni context, limiting the generalization on a different geographical area. Also, this proposed model can be evaluated in a practical way like conducting a focus group, a set of interviews with specialists, a case study or action research. The qualitative research will help academics to validate our proposal for future research purposes.Practical implicationsThe proposed approach may be adapted to the characteristics of organizations involved in projects as external performers (project-based organizations) and not just the HEIs projects. This study provides managers and policymakers with insights into assessing PMM and improving their organizational effectiveness when deciding which KPCs to focus on in the future.Social implicationsThis study contributes to the current PM awareness in Yemen and facilitates its success using the knowledge processes capabilities in Yemen's HEIs. It encourages organizations to take this opportunity to revive the projects and achieve a maximum level of maturity.Originality/valueThis study provides new insights into two domains through the link between knowledge management and PM. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is among the first to empirically study the impact of the four KPC toward PMM. It enriches the theoretical perspective of PM. Also, it contributes to the literature on the success factor of KPC, which can be considered to improve organizational performance.

Rethinking project management maturity models for the South African power sector

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the current Project Management Maturity Models (PMMM) described in the literature are suitable for the South African (SA) power sector. The research objective of this paper is to map the main PMMM to address the suitability for the SA power sector. The research question this paper addresses is: “How are the main maturity models in project management for the SA power sector?” The study is based on a literature review. The literature search is categorized over a 19-year period from 2000 to 2019 using 28 databases. The analysis covered data from published papers, conference papers, government white papers, books, and relevant materials of the institutions. This analysis was undertaken to decide whether there was a need to develop a PMMM for SA's power sector. The paper establishes characteristics of the SA power sector through a literature review and a PESTLE analysis. The findings of the study indicate that the bulk of the models were adaptations of existing models. The ones that are not direct adaptions are discussed in this paper. The findings indicate that the current models are not completely suitable for SA's power sector. Large multinational projects taking place in SA need to consider the SA environment before entering SA markets in the power sector. The current literature indicates that there is a gap pertaining to a PMMM for SA's power sector. The theoretical contribution of the paper identifies the characteristics of SA power sector; lists the current maturity models and provides an analysis of 28 models and assesses the suitability of the current PMMM for the SA power sector. The major contribution of this study provides a PESTLE analysis for SA's power sector. The sector specific factors have also been provided.

Project Management Maturity Models: Literature Review and New Developments

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different Project Management Maturity Models (PMMM) and give suggestions on how to select or develop a model to assess the Project Management Maturity of an organization. While it seems consolidated to classify PMMM into 5 levels, it would be useful to evaluate separately as “determinants of maturity”: a. the individuals (project managers and team members), b. the projects and how they are managed (with extension to portfolio and programs too), and c. the organization as a whole and its capacity to deploy and apply Project Management. This paper is the most recent, complete review on PMMM.

An Approach Based on Bayesian Network for Improving Project Management Maturity: An Application to Reduce Cost Overrun Risks in Engineering Projects

The project management field has the imperative to increase the success probability of projects. Experts have developed several Project Management Maturity (PMM) models to assess project management practices and improve the project outcome. However, the current literature lacks models that allow experts to correlate the measured maturity with the expected probability of success. The present paper develops a general framework and a method to estimate the impact of PMM on project performance. It uses Bayesian networks to formalize project management experts’ knowledge and to extract knowledge from a database of past projects. An industrial case concerning large projects in the oil and gas industry is used to illustrate the application of the method to reduce the risk of project cost (or budget) overruns.

Project management maturity in construction consulting services: Case of Expo in China

For many years, project management maturity models (PMMM) derived from the software industry have brought immeasurable benefits. However, the adoption and investigation of PMMM in the construction field have been weak and insufficient, particularly in construction consulting services (CCS). Moreover, professionals have gradually realized the importance of non-process factors (e.g., teamwork, culture, leadership) in the evaluation of PMMM. This study describes the construction of PMMM for CCS that considers non-process factors and combines them with CCS-specific process factors. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed model, we conduct a case study on the overall project management consultancy for China’s 2010 Winter Expo. The results would fill in the PMMM research gap in CCS and provide practitioners with ideas to improve their performance.

Project management maturity in Pakistan: An empirical investigation

This research assesses the current level of PMM in Pakistan, evaluates the gaps in the prevalent project management practices and formulates a framework to improve PMM level in Pakistan. 123 Pakistani organizations were assessed for their levels of PMM and project performance using standard project management maturity models. The average PMM level in Pakistan was found to be 2.32 (on the scale of 1 to 5) and only 24% of the projects carried out were found to be successful. This means that the prevalent project management practices are not yet fully institutionalized. Furthermore, project management training, use of project management software and establishment of PMO were also found to be positively influencing project performance and PMM level. The findings of this research can be useful to all stakeholders of projects being carried out in Pakistan especially under foreign direct investments. Global PMM level can be improved, if more similar studies are conducted with customized recommendations to improve the PMM level.

Research of the toolkit features for the evaluation and development of project-oriented management in a full cycle engineering company

Introduction. Analysis of existing foreign and Russian project management maturity models revealed the absence of tools for assessing the maturity of project management, which would take into account the specifics of the functioning of engineering companies and the implementation of engineering projects. The uniformity of such models limits the list of evaluated aspects of project management, which does not allow to fully cover the project management processes operating in engineering companies. Such processes should include engineering, management of intangible assets, control and acceptance of the results of engineering works, management of construction and installation works, and so on. To solve the problem, it is necessary to develop special tools for the assessment and development of project management, which will take into account engineering-specific processes. The toolkit will allow to quantify the degree of implementation of the project approach to the activities of an engineering company and to plan the continuous improvement of the processes and tools of project management in it. The subject of the research is the development of tools for assessing and developing project-oriented management in a full-cycle engineering company.
 Materials and methods. Applied the method of comparative analysis, survey method and method of semi-structured interviews.
 Results. The article formulates the features of project management in engineering companies. The main types of maturity models of project management are considered, their distinctive features are revealed. Tools for the evaluation and development of project management for the Russian engineering company full cycle are formulated. The assessment of the levels of formalization of project management processes was carried out, their current and target states were determined. Set of measures for the development of processes and tools of project management is planned.
 Conclusions. The toolkit for project management evaluation and development proposed in the article allows to carry out structural analysis of project management processes and the level of their formalization, to implement improvements based on the results of evaluation not only in the engineering company under consideration, but also in project-oriented organizations implementing similar projects.

Elaboración de planes de entrenamiento cruzado a personal clave en proyectos: el caso de una empresa de ingeniería

The research proposes a strategy to develop cross-training plans to be implemented in engineering companies that carry out multidisciplinary projects. Through empirical data collected by the application of the case method, the study performs an analysis to determine the activities and tasks that can be performed by specialists from different but complementary areas. The study is based on different existing theories, such as job rotation, project management maturity models, intellectual capital and motivational and leadership theories. As a result, each specialist obtains a holistic vision on the management of interdisciplinary projects, contributing to their development and improving the coordination of different areas. The application of these cross-training plans to key personnel in multidisciplinary projects benefits the interpersonal relationships among the project team and, consequently, collaborates in obtaining projects with better performance.

Exploring the impact of knowledge management (KM) best practices for project management maturity models on the project management capability of organizations

ABSTRACTThis study aims to identify and validate best practices to capture, organize, and share knowledge-of-projects management; and to suggest how to enhance the capabilities of project management maturity models by making them capable of assessing the extent to which an organization is following practices for managing knowledge-of-projects. To achieve these objectives, a mixed methods multiphase approach has been adopted. In the first phase, best practices for managing the knowledge of projects are qualitatively identified. The second phase of the study involves an analysis and assessment of the impact of the identified best practices on the project management capability of organizations. Finally, we recommend a set of best practices that have been found to be effective in managing the knowledge-of-projects, and that could be incorporated in any project management maturity model. Validation of the identified best practices through data collected internationally makes the results globally applicable.Abbreviations KM: Knowledge Management; IT: Information Technology; PMC: Project Management Capability

Project Management Maturity Models

In today's highly dynamic and rapidly changing business landscape, project constraints are continuously increasing regarding cost, time, level of customer satisfaction, and return on investment. Project-related issues are also increasing due to increased complexity, increased number of stakeholders, and extensive parameters. Recently, the project management community has shown interest in developing methodologies for project management to increase success in business organizations. Several project management models are introduced. In this article, different project management maturity models are analyzed and compared to determine any overlap or discrepancies between them. Moreover, the article aims to reveal the needs for the project to start, and the needs to evolve. The design of new maturity models on both team and organizational levels are used as a roadmap to pursue an organizational project. Finally, this article presents and outlines a uniform maturity model that unifies the best elements of all of the common singular maturity models.