Capability Maturity Models - Using P2MM & P3M3 to Improve Performance
The Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3) is a reference guide for structured best practice. It breaks down the broad disciplines of portfolio, programme and project management into seven perspectives.
Research from Carnegie Mellon University demonstrates that ROI from process improvement using a maturity model approach is greater than 4:1, with the more mature organisation enjoying 85% less defects and 75% reduced costs compared to immature ones. Schedule variance has proven to reduce from 145% (level 1 maturity) to 15% (level 4 maturity).
Other benefits include:
- increased productivity
- improved quality (as measured by defects)
- increased customer satisfaction
- improved employee morale
- reduced cost of quality
Outperform is licensed by the APM Group to assess organisations against the OGC's PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) and the new Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3). Assessments are conducted by Registered Consultants.
Once you understand your current capability, Outperform can guide you through your improvement journey by applying Six Sigma™ change management techniques to help institutionalise your increased capability.
What Are Maturity Models?
“A maturity model is a structured collection of elements that describe characteristics of effective processes. A maturity model provides:
- a place to start
- the benefit of a community’s prior experiences
- a common language and a shared vision
- a framework for prioritizing actions
- a way to define what improvement means for your organization
A maturity model can be used as a benchmark for assessing different organizations for equivalent comparison.” - Wikipedia 2007
The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) developed the first Capability Maturity Model® (CMM®) back in the 1980s based on earlier work by quality guru Phil Crosby. This was a result of research that indicated the quality of software applications were directly related to the quality of the process used to develop them.
CMM® was originally intended as a government tool to evaluate the ability of contractors to deliver a software project. Though it originates from the software development industry it is widely used as a general model of the maturity of processes (e.g. Project Management).
Maturity models have five levels:
- Aware (chaotic, ad hoc, heroic) - the starting point for use of a new process.
- Repeatable (process discipline) - the process is used repeatedly.
- Defined (embeded) - the process is defined/confirmed as a standard business process.
- Managed (quantified) - process management and measurement takes place.
- Optimised (process improvement) - deliberate process optimisation/improvement.