Mind the Gap: Mastering Project Management Maturity

  Governance   PM Network  

Companies are on the prowl for answers. Almost everyone’s feeling the pinch of the global economic tailspin, and project management maturity is looking like a pretty good way to improve project performance and boost the bottom line—or at least stop the hemorrhaging.

Yet there’s a gaping maw between perception and reality when it comes to organizations gauging where they stand. Establishing the right procedures and tools is a great start, but it doesn’t necessarily result in instant maturity. And still, many companies just don’t see it that way.

That misperception often comes down to a poorly defined focus, explains John Schlichter, president, OPM Experts LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

“There is a difference between creating a standard and achieving standardization. The former is just a document, whereas the latter is the result of effective governance, policies that distinguish what is important, training in which users experience their competence and a compliance function,” he says. “Typically organizations get this wrong at the very beginning of their maturity journey, as they focus on a methodology instead of governance.”

The gap also occurs when the organization’s leaders ask questions that fail to probe deep enough. It’s not enough, for example, to determine if a governance structure is in …

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