Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Write You - Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model - a Guide to Improving Performance
Very easily, Six Sigma is your best bet for maximizing return on investment, more so in troubled economic times. However, the success of implementation depends much on its achieved degree of alignment with the problems. Ifs and buts not withstanding, there are stories to support both sides of the issue. First let’s consider the negative side of the story.Why Do We Hear Failures To Achieve Projected ROIs On Six Sigma Investments?We hear failure stories not just because they are reported but because they occur. Now, why do they occur so much as to be heard in the open? The first reason any practitioner can give is the lack of support from the top management. Considering long implementation periods, commitment levels sometimes wither away and consequently the effects percolate down the line of the organization. And project implementation turns into a ritual exercise. The claims of $1 million per Black Belt in ROI can appear more and more unrealistic.It is not enough to blame top management alone. Champions and Master Black Belts on their parts could scale down the projects that result in slashed expenses. High returns can be realized in this scenario by driving projects initially through the internal market to gain much-needed support. Things are subjective to multiple aspects but a complete turnaround is not impossible.What Critical Factors Help Bring About Satisfactory ROI?There are three more critical factors barring project selection that play a role in ROI. Obviously, these are:1. Lowering the investment 2. Maximizing the returns 3. Reducing the time to returnBut things are more complex than meets the eye! Interrelated variables such as quality of personnel and training, support of management and magnitude of the opportunity, function in unison. Apart from these, aligning the management (and stakeholders’) initiatives to the Six Sigma initiatives must be given due importance. All good programs will launch from
Procurement professionals also give more weight to an organisational certificate than they do an individual’s certificate (currently organisations submit PRINCE2™ practitioner certificates with their proposal as an indicator of project management capability. With 200,000 PRINCE2™ practitioners worldwide it is difficult for buyers to differentiate between them).
Certification against P3M3 is now possible. The OGC’s accreditation partner APM Group Ltd (APMG) have taken the OGC models and established an accreditation process for gauging the maturity level of organisations for their portfolio, programme and project management activities.
Depending on the scope of the assessment certificates can be awarded for:
Certificates are awarded for the maturity level obtained, although few if any organisations would want a certificate for level 1 maturity. The highest awarded certificate to date (April 2006) is for Level 3 in Project Management.
Using P3M3 for Skills Development
A recent web search revealed some 300+ separate training modules relating to portfolio, programme and project management. The UK’s National Occupational Standards for Project Management shows some 51 separate competencies for project management.
A common dilemma which faces many HR professionals is deciding how to spread a finite training budget across a myriad of competencies. Which ones will yield the greatest impact on performance within this financial year?
As part of the accreditation assessment method, APMG mapped the levels of process maturity to levels of people maturity (i.e. the portfolio, programme and project management skills).
Using P3M3 and the APMG’s competency map it is now possible to identify a roadmap of training modules that relate to your organisation’s capability (e.g. there’s little point in investing in training related to level 4 KPAs if your organisation is at level 2).
Today there are numerous skills assessment tools available for HR teams to benchmark the people in their organisation. A common feature across all such tools is the ability to structure the assessment around a competency framework.
Combining skills assessments with organisational assessment means that it is now possible to identify and sequence both the organisational changes and
Product Research Basic Principles IntroductionOf all the questions we receive here at Doba, the question of what to sell is far and away the most frequently asked. Many of our customers ask us to tell them exactly which products to sell. Though we may give an example here or there, we generally shy away from telling people exactly what products we think will sell well.Why? Because what sells well is whatever is in high demand and low supply, and in retail, the supply and demand changes as often as the tides.Instead of telling you which products to sell, we would rather empower you to discover products on your own—products that you can most effectively market. To achieve that goal, this tutorial presents four articles that reveal basic research principles and techniques:This opening article, "Principles of Product Research," introduces the guiding principles of effective product research and selection."Online Auction Research" reveals techniques for finding products that may sell well on eBay and other online auctions."Website Research" presents techniques and tools for researching products to sell on your webstore."Alternate Sales Venues" suggests other sales venues to consider during your research.Read More Website research Conducting your business off eBay can mean higher profit margins per sale, but also presents the challenge of getting traffic to your site. eBay already gets millions of interested shoppers to their site every day, but to get consumers to visit your site it is important to choose the right products and employ a good marketing strategy. This section of the tutorial won't cover the marketing aspect, but will focus on finding the right products to sell on your website.The same basic principles apply and so we'll focus on finding products, determining supply and demand, and analyzing your competitors.
The 1990’s saw a dramatic increase in the number of people with the job title Project Manager as organisations addressed the problem of an ever changing world through Managing by Projects. Many organisations adopted the PRINCE2™ method as a means to gain some consistency of project management approach across their now swelling ranks of project managers.
With both an increasing need for Project Managers and an increasing number of people claiming to be Project Managers, many organisations based their recruitment and development strategies on certification of project management competence. Having a PRINCE2™ Practitioner certificate became an indication of competence (even though it is only an indicator of knowledge).
Experience has shown that successful implementation of a project management method requires more than just training your project managers. A successful organisation requires processes, technology, policies and standards for project management - which also need to be integrated with other management systems for them to work effectively and efficiently.
In the absence of an organisation wide project infrastructure, project results depend entirely on the availability of certain high performing individuals. This does not necessarily provide the basis for long-term or consistent project performance.
However, such infrastructure doesn’t establish itself overnight. It may take several years; it may take a programme of change to institutionalise. Therefore it is not surprising that the more advanced organisations are now asking themselves, “Where have we got to and what more do we need to do?”
This is where maturity modelling can help. Project and programme management maturity models describe the project and programme related activities within Key Process Areas (KPAs) that contribute to achieving successful outcomes.
A good model, such as the OGC’s P3M3, recognises not only the project management activities being carried out at the individual project level, but also those activities within an organisation that build and maintain a programme and project infrastructure of effective project approaches and management practices.
By undertaking a maturity assessment against an industry standard model, such as P3M3, an organisation will be able to verify what they have achieved, where their strengths and weaknesses are, and then identify a prioritised action plan to take them to an improved level of 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 maturity model can be used as a benchmark for assessing different organizations for equivalent comparison.” - Wikipedia
The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) developed the first Capability Maturity Model® (CMM®) back in the 1980s. This was a result of research that indicated the quality of software applications were directly related to the quality of the processes 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 and Programme Management).
Maturity models have five levels:
1. Initial (chaotic, ad hoc, heroic) - the starting point for use of a new process.
2. Repeatable (process discipline) - the process is used repeatedly.
3. Defined (institutionalised) - the process is defined/confirmed as a standard business process.
4. Managed (quantified) - process management and measurement takes place.
5. Optimising (process improvement) - deliberate process optimisation/improvement.
Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3)
The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is a department within the UK Government with a remit to help public sector organisations improve their efficiency, gain better value for money from procurements and deliver improved success from programmes and projects. They are the owners of PRINCE2™, Managing Successful Programmes (MSP), Management of Risk (M_o_R®) and the IT best practice framework, ITIL®.
In 2003 the OGC released their first draft of a Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3). The model was refined and formally published in February 2006 after incorporating latest maturity modelling practices and after consultation with interested consultants, practitioners and their accreditation partner APM Group.
The P3M3 describes the portfolio, programme and project-related activities within process areas that contribute to achieving a successful project outcome. The levels described within the P3M3 indicate how key process areas can be structured hierarchically to define a progression of capability which an organisation can use to set goals and plan their improvement journey.
The levels facilitate organisational transitions from an immature state to become a mature and capable organisation with an objective basis for judging quality and solving programme and project issues.
The distinct yet connected disciplines of portfolio, programme and project management are nested within the P3M3 model:
Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity (P3M3) Programme and Project Management Maturity (P2M3) Project Management Maturity (P1M3)
This means that organisations can use the model to evolve their maturity across all disciplines in an integrated approach or by addressing Project Management then Programme Management and then Portfolio Management in sequence.
Using Maturity Models for Performance Improvement
The beauty of maturity models is that they enable organisations to breakdown a broad process improvement goal into manageable tasks. The lower level KPAs need to be in place for the higher level KPAs to be effective. Therefore the lower level KPAs should be addressed first.
Step 1 – Where Are You Today?
In order to identify a prioritised roadmap for process improvement it is important to understand what KPAs you currently do well and what KPAs are causing you performance issues. Maturity modelling applies the concept that there’s little point in fixing things that are not broken or that are not causing problems. Additionally, for large organisations it is likely that you have islands of good practice. What is it that department X does differently to department Y or Z? It may be that you have many of the KPAs covered but not universally across the organisation. Adopting good practice from within your own organisation can significantly accelerate adoption rates and hence performance improvement.
The best way to understand current capability is to conduct a baseline assessment against the maturity model through a process of inspection and structured interviews.
Step 2 – Where Do You Want To Be?
Not all organisations need to be at Level 5 maturity. The ideal maturity level for an organisation will depend on how important programmes and projects are to their overall performance.
If you are a R&D organisation, say developing aerospace technology for governments, then your organisation’s performance is likely to be highly dependent on your programme and project management capability.
If you are a retailer by contrast then your organisation’s overall performance is likely to be less dependent on programme and project management capability.
The output from Step 1 will help identify some realistic goals. For example, there are 13 KPAs that need to be addressed to get to level 2 maturity. If the initial assessment has shown that 8 of the 13 are ok then a realistic goal would be to change the 5 weak KPAs to strong KPAs within 6 months to consolidate at level 2 before addressing how to get to level 3.
With an estimated 90% of organisations operating at Level 1 or Level 2 maturity, setting targets by the quantity of strong KPAs is more inspiring than aiming to be level 2 of 5 in capability. For example “We will be in the top 10% of corporate organisations by achieving a strong capability in 25 Key Process Areas”
Step 3 – How Will You Get There
Experience has shown that it takes between 3 and 12 months to raise maturity by one level.
A recommended approach to improve process capability is to appoint process owners for the KPAs to be addressed. For example you could appoint one person to drive improvement for Business Case Development and Benefits Management KPAs and another person to drive improvement for Requirements Management and Configuration Management KPAs. An improvement roadmap should be produced showing the priority of the KPAs to be addressed and the set of initiatives which will improve them. The improvement roadmap should be used to drive and measure progress.
It is important to recognise that if you are changing processes, policies, standards, job descriptions or reporting structures then you will be changing how some people will work. Therefore, as with any initiative that affects people’s current working practices, power or authority, it should be treated as a change initiative. If the change is likely to be significant, it is recommended to establish a change programme to help with the transition. Using change methods such as Six Sigma™ help to structure the roadmap and ensure that the solution sticks.
Step 4 – How Will You Know?
To increase capability organisations need to collect metrics in order to provide a platform for continuous improvement.
Therefore regardless of your baseline maturity it is recommended that the improvement roadmap identifies what metrics should be collected to demonstrate performance improvement.
The establishment of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will not only enable organisations to determine when they have achieved their goal but can also be used to prove the Business Case for the process improvement journey (i.e. what is your return on the capability investment?).
If your KPIs are showing that you have achieved your current maturity goal then you may wish to consider gaining accreditation for that level of maturity (for recognition or for marketing purposes) or wish to repeat the exercise to determine what is required to get to the next level of maturity.
Using P3M3 for Benchmarking
The first maturity model was developed as a means for the US Government to make better procurement decisions by comparing contractors’ capabilities. P3M3 can be used in the same way. If you tender for government business then procurement professionals give more credence to an independently awarded certificate than a company’s own claims of capability.
Procurement professionals also give more weight to an organisational certificate than they do an individual’s certificate (currently organisations submit PRINCE2™ practitioner certificates with their proposal as an indicator of project management capability. With 200,000 PRINCE2™ practitioners worldwide it is difficult for buyers to differentiate between them).
Certification against P3M3 is now possible. The OGC’s accreditation partner APM Group Ltd (APMG) have taken the OGC models and established an accreditation process for gauging the maturity level of organisations for their portfolio, programme and project management activities.
Depending on the scope of the assessment certificates can be awarded for:
Certificates are awarded for the maturity level obtained, although few if any organisations would want a certificate for level 1 maturity. The highest awarded certificate to date (April 2006) is for Level 3 in Project Management.
Using P3M3 for Skills Development
A recent web search revealed some 300+ separate training modules relating to portfolio, programme and project management. The UK’s National Occupational Standards for Project Management shows some 51 separate competencies for project management.
A common dilemma which faces many HR professionals is deciding how to spread a finite training budget across a myriad of competencies. Which ones will yield the greatest impact on performance within this financial year?
As part of the accreditation assessment method, APMG mapped the levels of process maturity to levels of people maturity (i.e. the portfolio, programme and project management skills).
Using P3M3 and the APMG’s competency map it is now possible to identify a roadmap of training modules that relate to your organisation’s capability (e.g. there’s little point in investing in training related to level 4 KPAs if your organisation is at level 2).
Today there are numerous skills assessment tools available for HR teams to benchmark the people in their organisation. A common feature across all such tools is the ability to structure the assessment around a competency framework.
Combining skills assessments with organisational assessment means that it is now possible to identify and sequence both the organisational changes and
The growing brotherhood of youth hunting for better job prospects in cities all over the world is pointing to the lack of entrepreneurial skills among youth. If job sites or advertisements are offering any information pertaining to employment, then it is only illustrative of the jobs that are available in a section of the industry. In fact, this young generation approaches such job offers with anticipation and desperation to try to target and identify possible job opportunities. With the advent of sites that are giving information on jobs, there are fewer adverts in the print media than ever.The promising words and descriptions force many young job applicants to seriously consider and aspire to them. After making a few attempts at reaching the management or any of their representatives over phone, the applicants try not to lose a positive frame of mind.Writing resumes and letters according to a formula works wonders when done well. If there is a need for writing such winning resumes or detailed letters for others, then some well-qualified young people can find good work in their neighborhoods. Similarly, people who are into a professional course may look around the marketplace to get an idea as to how to start their own business.Some job descriptions are evolving into an obsolete category however, as many young people are acquiring a number of skills before jumping into the job arena. Having multi-skills ensures better placements to the young, thus leaving out some who are pursuing a single line of subject as their career. Research jobs are another area that is being neglected by a large number of students in preference of more exciting-sounding jobs. However, some young people pursuing research jobs are able to find places in some good institutions, although the competition is also fierce there. It requires a lot of perseverance and patience for the young to move ahead in their lives; but strong determination will win out in the end.
A maturity model can be used as a benchmark for assessing different organizations for equivalent comparison.” - Wikipedia
The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) developed the first Capability Maturity Model® (CMM®) back in the 1980s. This was a result of research that indicated the quality of software applications were directly related to the quality of the processes 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 and Programme Management).
Maturity models have five levels:
1. Initial (chaotic, ad hoc, heroic) - the starting point for use of a new process.
2. Repeatable (process discipline) - the process is used repeatedly.
3. Defined (institutionalised) - the process is defined/confirmed as a standard business process.
4. Managed (quantified) - process management and measurement takes place.
5. Optimising (process improvement) - deliberate process optimisation/improvement.
Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3)
The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is a department within the UK Government with a remit to help public sector organisations improve their efficiency, gain better value for money from procurements and deliver improved success from programmes and projects. They are the owners of PRINCE2™, Managing Successful Programmes (MSP), Management of Risk (M_o_R®) and the IT best practice framework, ITIL®.
In 2003 the OGC released their first draft of a Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3). The model was refined and formally published in February 2006 after incorporating latest maturity modelling practices and after consultation with interested consultants, practitioners and their accreditation partner APM Group.
The P3M3 describes the portfolio, programme and project-related activities within process areas that contribute to achieving a successful project outcome. The levels described within the P3M3 indicate how key process areas can be structured hierarchically to define a progression of capability which an organisation can use to set goals and plan their improvement journey.
The levels facilitate organisational transitions from an immature state to become a mature and capable organisation with an objective basis for judging quality and solving programme and project issues.
The distinct yet connected disciplines of portfolio, programme and project management are nested within the P3M3 model:
Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity (P3M3) Programme and Project Management Maturity (P2M3) Project Management Maturity (P1M3)
This means that organisations can use the model to evolve their maturity across all disciplines in an integrated approach or by addressing Project Management then Programme Management and then Portfolio Management in sequence.
Using Maturity Models for Performance Improvement
The beauty of maturity models is that they enable organisations to breakdown a broad process improvement goal into manageable tasks. The lower level KPAs need to be in place for the higher level KPAs to be effective. Therefore the lower level KPAs should be addressed first.
Step 1 – Where Are You Today?
In order to identify a prioritised roadmap for process improvement it is important to understand what KPAs you currently do well and what KPAs are causing you performance issues. Maturity modelling applies the concept that there’s little point in fixing things that are not broken or that are not causing problems. Additionally, for large organisations it is likely that you have islands of good practice. What is it that department X does differently to department Y or Z? It may be that you have many of the KPAs covered but not universally across the organisation. Adopting good practice from within your own organisation can significantly accelerate adoption rates and hence performance improvement.
The best way to understand current capability is to conduct a baseline assessment against the maturity model through a process of inspection and structured interviews.
Step 2 – Where Do You Want To Be?
Not all organisations need to be at Level 5 maturity. The ideal maturity level for an organisation will depend on how important programmes and projects are to their overall performance.
If you are a R&D organisation, say developing aerospace technology for governments, then your organisation’s performance is likely to be highly dependent on your programme and project management capability.
If you are a retailer by contrast then your organisation’s overall performance is likely to be less dependent on programme and project management capability.
The output from Step 1 will help identify some realistic goals. For example, there are 13 KPAs that need to be addressed to get to level 2 maturity. If the initial assessment has shown that 8 of the 13 are ok then a realistic goal would be to change the 5 weak KPAs to strong KPAs within 6 months to consolidate at level 2 before addressing how to get to level 3.
With an estimated 90% of organisations operating at Level 1 or Level 2 maturity, setting targets by the quantity of strong KPAs is more inspiring than aiming to be level 2 of 5 in capability. For example “We will be in the top 10% of corporate organisations by achieving a strong capability in 25 Key Process Areas”
Step 3 – How Will You Get There
Experience has shown that it takes between 3 and 12 months to raise maturity by one level.
A recommended approach to improve process capability is to appoint process owners for the KPAs to be addressed. For example you could appoint one person to drive improvement for Business Case Development and Benefits Management KPAs and another person to drive improvement for Requirements Management and Configuration Management KPAs. An improvement roadmap should be produced showing the priority of the KPAs to be addressed and the set of initiatives which will improve them. The improvement roadmap should be used to drive and measure progress.
It is important to recognise that if you are changing processes, policies, standards, job descriptions or reporting structures then you will be changing how some people will work. Therefore, as with any initiative that affects people’s current working practices, power or authority, it should be treated as a change initiative. If the change is likely to be significant, it is recommended to establish a change programme to help with the transition. Using change methods such as Six Sigma™ help to structure the roadmap and ensure that the solution sticks.
Step 4 – How Will You Know?
To increase capability organisations need to collect metrics in order to provide a platform for continuous improvement.
Therefore regardless of your baseline maturity it is recommended that the improvement roadmap identifies what metrics should be collected to demonstrate performance improvement.
The establishment of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will not only enable organisations to determine when they have achieved their goal but can also be used to prove the Business Case for the process improvement journey (i.e. what is your return on the capability investment?).
If your KPIs are showing that you have achieved your current maturity goal then you may wish to consider gaining accreditation for that level of maturity (for recognition or for marketing purposes) or wish to repeat the exercise to determine what is required to get to the next level of maturity.
Using P3M3 for Benchmarking
The first maturity model was developed as a means for the US Government to make better procurement decisions by comparing contractors’ capabilities. P3M3 can be used in the same way. If you tender for government business then procurement professionals give more credence to an independently awarded certificate than a company’s own claims of capability.
Procurement professionals also give more weight to an organisational certificate than they do an individual’s certificate (currently organisations submit PRINCE2™ practitioner certificates with their proposal as an indicator of project management capability. With 200,000 PRINCE2™ practitioners worldwide it is difficult for buyers to differentiate between them).
Certification against P3M3 is now possible. The OGC’s accreditation partner APM Group Ltd (APMG) have taken the OGC models and established an accreditation process for gauging the maturity level of organisations for their portfolio, programme and project management activities.
Depending on the scope of the assessment certificates can be awarded for:
Certificates are awarded for the maturity level obtained, although few if any organisations would want a certificate for level 1 maturity. The highest awarded certificate to date (April 2006) is for Level 3 in Project Management.
Using P3M3 for Skills Development
A recent web search revealed some 300+ separate training modules relating to portfolio, programme and project management. The UK’s National Occupational Standards for Project Management shows some 51 separate competencies for project management.
A common dilemma which faces many HR professionals is deciding how to spread a finite training budget across a myriad of competencies. Which ones will yield the greatest impact on performance within this financial year?
As part of the accreditation assessment method, APMG mapped the levels of process maturity to levels of people maturity (i.e. the portfolio, programme and project management skills).
Using P3M3 and the APMG’s competency map it is now possible to identify a roadmap of training modules that relate to your organisation’s capability (e.g. there’s little point in investing in training related to level 4 KPAs if your organisation is at level 2).
Today there are numerous skills assessment tools available for HR teams to benchmark the people in their organisation. A common feature across all such tools is the ability to structure the assessment around a competency framework.
Combining skills assessments with organisational assessment means that it is now possible to identify and sequence both the organisational changes and
More and more, I hear brand new truck drivers contemplating the lease purchase programs many companies are now advocating. It never ceases to amaze me how these companies will target new drivers. Swift Transportation and Prime Trucking are two of the most aggressive lease purchase companies out there, but it seems all of the companies have jumped on the band wagon.After all, why wouldn't a trucking company want to pass along the costs of fuel, purchasing a truck, truck maintenance, truck insurance, permits and health insurance? Not to mention, they no longer are expected to provide a 401k plan with company match. And they get to charge the driver much higher prices than market value for a truck that won't be worth much at the end of the lease.I have heard of drivers buying a used, plain-jane Freightliner century or classic through lease purchase programs and paying in the range of $700 per week. That's $2,800 per month. If you talk to owners of big bunks (the large custom sleepers with showers, toilets, and bells and whistles the average truck driver would never think of), they're paying the same per month- and that's with very little down. Keep in mind, there's a huge difference between a brand new big bunk and a late model truck with a factory sleeper.Here are some things to think about when contemplating a lease purchase agreement:1. Trucking is unpredictable. If you don't have the cash or credit to buy a truck on your own, what makes you think you will be able to float through the rough times? Accidents, injuries and illnesses happen. And when they do, you're payments won't stop to wait for you. Trucking companies are in the business of making money, not providing charity.2. You don't own your truck. If you're leasing your truck from a company, THEY own it- which means you can't leave. It means that no matter what they do to you- drop your miles, load around you, lie to you, charge you more and more for "incidentals"- you can't just
The distinct yet connected disciplines of portfolio, programme and project management are nested within the P3M3 model:
Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity (P3M3) Programme and Project Management Maturity (P2M3) Project Management Maturity (P1M3)
This means that organisations can use the model to evolve their maturity across all disciplines in an integrated approach or by addressing Project Management then Programme Management and then Portfolio Management in sequence.
Using Maturity Models for Performance Improvement
The beauty of maturity models is that they enable organisations to breakdown a broad process improvement goal into manageable tasks. The lower level KPAs need to be in place for the higher level KPAs to be effective. Therefore the lower level KPAs should be addressed first.
Step 1 – Where Are You Today?
In order to identify a prioritised roadmap for process improvement it is important to understand what KPAs you currently do well and what KPAs are causing you performance issues. Maturity modelling applies the concept that there’s little point in fixing things that are not broken or that are not causing problems. Additionally, for large organisations it is likely that you have islands of good practice. What is it that department X does differently to department Y or Z? It may be that you have many of the KPAs covered but not universally across the organisation. Adopting good practice from within your own organisation can significantly accelerate adoption rates and hence performance improvement.
The best way to understand current capability is to conduct a baseline assessment against the maturity model through a process of inspection and structured interviews.
Step 2 – Where Do You Want To Be?
Not all organisations need to be at Level 5 maturity. The ideal maturity level for an organisation will depend on how important programmes and projects are to their overall performance.
If you are a R&D organisation, say developing aerospace technology for governments, then your organisation’s performance is likely to be highly dependent on your programme and project management capability.
If you are a retailer by contrast then your organisation’s overall performance is likely to be less dependent on programme and project management capability.
The output from Step 1 will help identify some realistic goals. For example, there are 13 KPAs that need to be addressed to get to level 2 maturity. If the initial assessment has shown that 8 of the 13 are ok then a realistic goal would be to change the 5 weak KPAs to strong KPAs within 6 months to consolidate at level 2 before addressing how to get to level 3.
With an estimated 90% of organisations operating at Level 1 or Level 2 maturity, setting targets by the quantity of strong KPAs is more inspiring than aiming to be level 2 of 5 in capability. For example “We will be in the top 10% of corporate organisations by achieving a strong capability in 25 Key Process Areas”
Step 3 – How Will You Get There
Experience has shown that it takes between 3 and 12 months to raise maturity by one level.
A recommended approach to improve process capability is to appoint process owners for the KPAs to be addressed. For example you could appoint one person to drive improvement for Business Case Development and Benefits Management KPAs and another person to drive improvement for Requirements Management and Configuration Management KPAs. An improvement roadmap should be produced showing the priority of the KPAs to be addressed and the set of initiatives which will improve them. The improvement roadmap should be used to drive and measure progress.
It is important to recognise that if you are changing processes, policies, standards, job descriptions or reporting structures then you will be changing how some people will work. Therefore, as with any initiative that affects people’s current working practices, power or authority, it should be treated as a change initiative. If the change is likely to be significant, it is recommended to establish a change programme to help with the transition. Using change methods such as Six Sigma™ help to structure the roadmap and ensure that the solution sticks.
Step 4 – How Will You Know?
To increase capability organisations need to collect metrics in order to provide a platform for continuous improvement.
Therefore regardless of your baseline maturity it is recommended that the improvement roadmap identifies what metrics should be collected to demonstrate performance improvement.
The establishment of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will not only enable organisations to determine when they have achieved their goal but can also be used to prove the Business Case for the process improvement journey (i.e. what is your return on the capability investment?).
If your KPIs are showing that you have achieved your current maturity goal then you may wish to consider gaining accreditation for that level of maturity (for recognition or for marketing purposes) or wish to repeat the exercise to determine what is required to get to the next level of maturity.
Using P3M3 for Benchmarking
The first maturity model was developed as a means for the US Government to make better procurement decisions by comparing contractors’ capabilities. P3M3 can be used in the same way. If you tender for government business then procurement professionals give more credence to an independently awarded certificate than a company’s own claims of capability.
Procurement professionals also give more weight to an organisational certificate than they do an individual’s certificate (currently organisations submit PRINCE2™ practitioner certificates with their proposal as an indicator of project management capability. With 200,000 PRINCE2™ practitioners worldwide it is difficult for buyers to differentiate between them).
Certification against P3M3 is now possible. The OGC’s accreditation partner APM Group Ltd (APMG) have taken the OGC models and established an accreditation process for gauging the maturity level of organisations for their portfolio, programme and project management activities.
Depending on the scope of the assessment certificates can be awarded for:
Certificates are awarded for the maturity level obtained, although few if any organisations would want a certificate for level 1 maturity. The highest awarded certificate to date (April 2006) is for Level 3 in Project Management.
Using P3M3 for Skills Development
A recent web search revealed some 300+ separate training modules relating to portfolio, programme and project management. The UK’s National Occupational Standards for Project Management shows some 51 separate competencies for project management.
A common dilemma which faces many HR professionals is deciding how to spread a finite training budget across a myriad of competencies. Which ones will yield the greatest impact on performance within this financial year?
As part of the accreditation assessment method, APMG mapped the levels of process maturity to levels of people maturity (i.e. the portfolio, programme and project management skills).
Using P3M3 and the APMG’s competency map it is now possible to identify a roadmap of training modules that relate to your organisation’s capability (e.g. there’s little point in investing in training related to level 4 KPAs if your organisation is at level 2).
Today there are numerous skills assessment tools available for HR teams to benchmark the people in their organisation. A common feature across all such tools is the ability to structure the assessment around a competency framework.
Combining skills assessments with organisational assessment means that it is now possible to identify and sequence both the organisational changes and
Tired of sending the boring white envelope over and over again? Why not spice it up with colorful return address labels? Your recipient will surely be amused by your creativity, and you will definitely find mail work a lot more fun.Why use stick-on return address labels?You are not required to put a return address on every letter you send out, but it is still best to label your letters so that the post office can resend it to you (in case it gets rejected or undelivered for any reason).A legible, well-made return address label also lets your recipient understand your address and send you a reply.Thousands of themes to choose fromThere are literally hundreds upon hundreds of return address label deigns and sizes available to fit any personality, any mood, or any occasion. Among the best sellers are floral prints, fold foil, and special interest prints such as teddy bears or ships. You can either buy these from online stores, print shops, or even make them yourself. The possibilities are endless – all you need is a good printer, precut sticker sheets, and your imagination!If you are using the address label for formal letters or work-related mail, it is best to stick to classic minimalist designs. This does not just mean boring white, of course – you can have a blue, green or what here background you want for as long as you keep the font professional-looking and easily readable. Avoid using scripts and other fancy letters, because unless you work in the creative industry, they just look very amateurish and can be difficult to decipher.It’s also a good idea to have a number of different return address labels to choose from for different occasions, so that your letter is always ‘dressed for the part.’ Have at least one specific design for the following events: Christmas, Thanksgiving, children’s parties, weddings, Hanukah, Halloween, and others. Imagine the amusement of your when they see an orange return address label with a pumpk
With an estimated 90% of organisations operating at Level 1 or Level 2 maturity, setting targets by the quantity of strong KPAs is more inspiring than aiming to be level 2 of 5 in capability. For example “We will be in the top 10% of corporate organisations by achieving a strong capability in 25 Key Process Areas”
Step 3 – How Will You Get There
Experience has shown that it takes between 3 and 12 months to raise maturity by one level.
A recommended approach to improve process capability is to appoint process owners for the KPAs to be addressed. For example you could appoint one person to drive improvement for Business Case Development and Benefits Management KPAs and another person to drive improvement for Requirements Management and Configuration Management KPAs. An improvement roadmap should be produced showing the priority of the KPAs to be addressed and the set of initiatives which will improve them. The improvement roadmap should be used to drive and measure progress.
It is important to recognise that if you are changing processes, policies, standards, job descriptions or reporting structures then you will be changing how some people will work. Therefore, as with any initiative that affects people’s current working practices, power or authority, it should be treated as a change initiative. If the change is likely to be significant, it is recommended to establish a change programme to help with the transition. Using change methods such as Six Sigma™ help to structure the roadmap and ensure that the solution sticks.
Step 4 – How Will You Know?
To increase capability organisations need to collect metrics in order to provide a platform for continuous improvement.
Therefore regardless of your baseline maturity it is recommended that the improvement roadmap identifies what metrics should be collected to demonstrate performance improvement.
The establishment of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will not only enable organisations to determine when they have achieved their goal but can also be used to prove the Business Case for the process improvement journey (i.e. what is your return on the capability investment?).
If your KPIs are showing that you have achieved your current maturity goal then you may wish to consider gaining accreditation for that level of maturity (for recognition or for marketing purposes) or wish to repeat the exercise to determine what is required to get to the next level of maturity.
Using P3M3 for Benchmarking
The first maturity model was developed as a means for the US Government to make better procurement decisions by comparing contractors’ capabilities. P3M3 can be used in the same way. If you tender for government business then procurement professionals give more credence to an independently awarded certificate than a company’s own claims of capability.
Procurement professionals also give more weight to an organisational certificate than they do an individual’s certificate (currently organisations submit PRINCE2™ practitioner certificates with their proposal as an indicator of project management capability. With 200,000 PRINCE2™ practitioners worldwide it is difficult for buyers to differentiate between them).
Certification against P3M3 is now possible. The OGC’s accreditation partner APM Group Ltd (APMG) have taken the OGC models and established an accreditation process for gauging the maturity level of organisations for their portfolio, programme and project management activities.
Depending on the scope of the assessment certificates can be awarded for:
Certificates are awarded for the maturity level obtained, although few if any organisations would want a certificate for level 1 maturity. The highest awarded certificate to date (April 2006) is for Level 3 in Project Management.
Using P3M3 for Skills Development
A recent web search revealed some 300+ separate training modules relating to portfolio, programme and project management. The UK’s National Occupational Standards for Project Management shows some 51 separate competencies for project management.
A common dilemma which faces many HR professionals is deciding how to spread a finite training budget across a myriad of competencies. Which ones will yield the greatest impact on performance within this financial year?
As part of the accreditation assessment method, APMG mapped the levels of process maturity to levels of people maturity (i.e. the portfolio, programme and project management skills).
Using P3M3 and the APMG’s competency map it is now possible to identify a roadmap of training modules that relate to your organisation’s capability (e.g. there’s little point in investing in training related to level 4 KPAs if your organisation is at level 2).
Today there are numerous skills assessment tools available for HR teams to benchmark the people in their organisation. A common feature across all such tools is the ability to structure the assessment around a competency framework.
Combining skills assessments with organisational assessment means that it is now possible to identify and sequence both the organisational changes and
All of us want to make a glorious, fantastic and stunning career. We dream of earning a lot of money and at some definite moment delegating our business to our children. We plan spending the rest of our lives somewhere at the sea shore, in the country of the bright sun, warm climate, delicious fruit and cheerful people. Each of us has a desire to work and progress, we are full of ambitions, we are patient enough, we are fast learners, smart, energetic… With all these qualities we are a dream of every employer. But never make hasty decisions about joining a new company. First of all you should find out if your work in this company will be rewarding, harmonious and convenient for you, in brief, how well this company suits you.Psychologists distinguish four main managing styles: authoritative, marketing, bureaucratic and participative. Being aware of the peculiarities of every style will help you to play cards right when sending out your curriculum vitae to this or that company. The company with authoritative style has a strictly hierarchical structure: relations between the directors and subordinates are predetermined. This is a company for those who like fulfilling particular orders, those who prefer fixed system of relations and count on long term growth perspective. This is your world if you are used to take into account the slightest details and be satisfied with a definite position in the company. In marketing – oriented staff everyone pursues his own benefits. Units of brokers’, associations of managers’ refer to this category. These organizations are temporary and their aim is to make the highest possible profit in the shortest period of time. The basic law here is efficiency and the main aim is profitability. An employee should be independent, self- confident and have his own ideas for making money. Not everyone can stand such a tension. In these companies they value the opinion of every person but only in the sphere of his project. Sometimes your idea
Procurement professionals also give more weight to an organisational certificate than they do an individual’s certificate (currently organisations submit PRINCE2™ practitioner certificates with their proposal as an indicator of project management capability. With 200,000 PRINCE2™ practitioners worldwide it is difficult for buyers to differentiate between them).
Certification against P3M3 is now possible. The OGC’s accreditation partner APM Group Ltd (APMG) have taken the OGC models and established an accreditation process for gauging the maturity level of organisations for their portfolio, programme and project management activities.
Depending on the scope of the assessment certificates can be awarded for:
Certificates are awarded for the maturity level obtained, although few if any organisations would want a certificate for level 1 maturity. The highest awarded certificate to date (April 2006) is for Level 3 in Project Management.
Using P3M3 for Skills Development
A recent web search revealed some 300+ separate training modules relating to portfolio, programme and project management. The UK’s National Occupational Standards for Project Management shows some 51 separate competencies for project management.
A common dilemma which faces many HR professionals is deciding how to spread a finite training budget across a myriad of competencies. Which ones will yield the greatest impact on performance within this financial year?
As part of the accreditation assessment method, APMG mapped the levels of process maturity to levels of people maturity (i.e. the portfolio, programme and project management skills).
Using P3M3 and the APMG’s competency map it is now possible to identify a roadmap of training modules that relate to your organisation’s capability (e.g. there’s little point in investing in training related to level 4 KPAs if your organisation is at level 2).
Today there are numerous skills assessment tools available for HR teams to benchmark the people in their organisation. A common feature across all such tools is the ability to structure the assessment around a competency framework.
Combining skills assessments with organisational assessment means that it is now possible to identify and sequence both the organisational changes and people changes as part of a coherent improvement plan.
Using P3M3 for Benefits Management
Since P3M3 describes a hierarchy of Key Process Areas (KPAs) that correlate to improved performance, it provides an excellent framework for assessing the impact of improvement projects. For example, if you are considering implementing an enterprise planning tool (such as Primavera) you can use the P3M3 model to assess how the tool contributes to the KPAs that are important to your organisation. Knowing what KPAs you need to target will help you scope which features to buy and/or implement. If you are introducing features that do not improve any of your target KPAs then it should prompt questions as to why those features are being introduced at all.
Understanding your current capability against the P3M3 model also enables you to do a ‘before’ and ‘after’ assessment to quantify the impact of introducing such tools.
P3M3 can also be used to address the impact of:
Benefits
A maturity model such as P3M3 provides a framework for identifying and prioritising those changes which will yield the greates impact on your organisation. It helps set expectations as to what is required in what sequence and in what timescale.
Benefits from using the P3M3 as a basis for process improvement are:
See www.outperform.co.uk for more information.
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.writeyou.net/article/22757/writeyou-Portfolio-Programme-and-Project-Management-Maturity--Model--a-Guide-to-Improving-Performance.html">Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model - a Guide to Improving Performance</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.writeyou.net/article/22757/writeyou-Portfolio-Programme-and-Project-Management-Maturity--Model--a-Guide-to-Improving-Performance.html]Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model - a Guide to Improving Performance[/url]
Related Articles:
Getting the Right Business Accounting Software
Overcoming the Glass Ceiling for Moms
Top 6 Ways to Get An Angry Customer To Back Down
Bookmark it:
|