PMO Maturity Dimension #5: Process

Process is the final, and arguably most complex, dimension we included in our Maturity Model.  Process maturity covers the creation, implementation, and measurement of process across the PMO.  Just having processes is not enough, your PMO and project stakeholders need the training to understand your processes and the benefits they bring. 

If you have been following our articles you already know the path we recommend, incremental adoption.  When building your process catalog, start with the problems you want to solve, determine the order you want to tackle those processes in, and then start building and training.  You could have an idea for the greatest risk management process in the world but if you don’t have a consistent way to manage your action items and issues yet, risk is probably not the best starting point. 

Once you have a good set of processes being utilized consistently it’s time to move into the feedback and iteration loop.  Having status reports is great but if nobody is reading them you want to have a method to identify that feedback and determine how to adjust your reporting. 

Here is the overview of the Maturity Model Process dimension. 

PMO Project Maturity Matrix

Level 1: Ad Hoc Project Management Organization 

• Projects are approached on a case-by-case basis. 

• Lack of standard processes or documentation. 

Level 1 means little to no process or documentation.  If you have just hired your first project manager, and they are jumping right into the fray, this is likely where you will be.  That PM will bring some basic methodologies and artifact templates from prior organizations, but they probably won’t have the time to roll them out organizationally. 

At this level any consistent process is better than none, embrace what your team brings to the table and evaluate whether it is worth using as a baseline for your process rollout. 

Moving from Level 1 to Level 2: Determine the problems you want to solve with process implementation, and the outcomes you want.  Let who, what, where, when, and why be your overall guide.  From a project management perspective things like RAID logs and status reports are the basic table stakes, your situation may vary but these are nearly universal concepts in the PMO world.  You also don’t need to start from zero, there are plenty of examples of templates and processes you can lightly customize for your use case and start rolling with. 

Level 2: Basic Project Management Organization 

• Basic project management processes introduced. 

• Effort to standardize some project stages or elements. 

Level 2 is your process starting point.  You will have some basic consistency in how you run your projects and the artifacts you will be using.  In this phase you will also start looking at future process priority and the velocity you want to use to implement new process. 

As part of our PMO Accelerator, we really recommend any brand new PMO start with the classic five phases of project management, defining what happens in each of the phases and what documents you use in each.  At a minimum start with tracking action items and issues, hold some type of status call, and have a basic report for each project.  It’s simple to build from there. 

Transitioning from Level 2 to Level 3: Iterate and educate.  This phase is about consistency and education.  Build your process catalog to the point that it covers all aspects from Initiation to Closing.  Educate both your team and stakeholders on your project management process so they can see the benefits of your consistent approach. 

Level 3: Standardized Project Management Organization 

• Standardized processes across projects. 

• Best practices are documented and shared. 

Level 3 Process is another common maturity stopping point in our experience.  At Level 3 your PMO has a solid method and is known for consistent delivery.  From Initiation to Execution your stakeholders know exactly what to expect with each project.  A Level 3 PMO is a valued partner in your organization and if your process standards are maintained it will continue to be. 

Evolving from Level 3 to Level 4: Analysis and adjustment are the keys to moving to Level 4.  You want to take your static Level 3 PMO and start to apply a consistent method to analyze and evaluate how effective your process suite is. 

Level 4: Enterprise Project Management Organization 

• Process performance is measured and analyzed. 

• Regular reviews and refinements based on performance data. 

Level 4 is where we achieve consistency with our PMO process suite.  At a minimum you can look at your full process catalog annually and determine how effective it is.  Are your communications being utilized, are your project teams using your artifacts, are there manual processes you could be automating?  The key to Level 4 is to have a plan for regular evaluation and improvement. 

Moving from Level 4 to Level 5: This move is another evolutionary step.  You will go from a set evaluation cadence to continually asking if a process or method can be improved.  This is a point where you also may look at moving from a single implementation process to several well-defined situational options, selected based on that project’s requirements. 

Level 5: Project Management Organization Center of Excellence 

• Continuous process improvement is embedded in operations. 

• Agile and adaptable processes to meet changing organizational needs. 

At Level 5 your team is continuously evaluating the effectiveness of their methods, and your organization is open to continuous adjustments, supported by measurement and evaluation. 

There is an opportunity at Level 5 to also build more than a single well-defined path to project success.  While all projects can be managed with a five-phase method, it may not be the best way to tackle them all.  Once you have your PMO process foundation built you can start to experiment with alternatives. 

Closing 

Taking the time to define and improve Process is one of those basic things every PMO knows they need, it just feels like a big undertaking.  It’s easy to get hung up on trying to define, create, and train everything you think you need as a PMO.  In addition to the amount of work it takes, process work often gets a much lower priority than actually executing projects so it can stall out easily. 

Don’t try to build your whole PMO in one shot.  Determine what your basic needs are and implement them first, then pause.  Follow this first set of processes for a few months until they just become habits, then tackle the next set of process improvements. 

Way too often we see a new PMO leader come into an organization, excited and full of great ideas to improve their new team.  That excitement grinds into frustration as they try to implement all of their ideas at the same time and see inconsistent adoption.  Take into account that survival (just getting projects done) will always be a personal priority for your project managers.  Make the new process adoption simple enough that you are not competing with your own project completion.