Using the Project Management Maturity Model, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER 12 How to Conduct a Project Management Maturity Assessment¹

Introduction

Once you’ve decided that a PM maturity assessment is right for your organization, you’ll be faced with the somewhat daunting realization that now you’ve got to actually plan, organize, and implement the assessment. Where do you start? And how do you turn all that assessment data into a meaningful action plan? In this chapter, you will be provided with some helpful guidelines and checklists.

Find Ways to Bypass the Corporate Immune System

Even though what you’re doing is for the good of the organization, you may encounter cultural resistance as you prepare to implement a PM maturity assessment. That’s because any organization is like a biological organism. It will tend to reject anything that is new and unfamiliar (like the body’s immune system rejecting a life-saving transplant). Intellectually the organization will appreciate the value of the assessment, but the company’s culture can be a troublemaker. So be sure to take specific steps to prevent “rejection” and to ensure success:

• Recognize and anticipate that there will be pockets of resistance because people may fear the results will end up removing them from their comfort zone.
• Acknowledge the fear factor: the apprehension that you may be doing things wrong.
• Identify the specific cultural issues that might cause resistance. Are there personal issues involved (concern about status, job security, or advancement opportunities)?
• Are there ...