Project Management Maturity Model (PMMM)

The Project Management Maturity Model (PMMM) adapt the five-level Capability Maturity Model (CMM) to the process and practice of the project management. It provides a validated foundation for the improvement of both the process of project management and practice of using and adopting that process.

1. Level 1: Initial Process
   There are no standards and project management processes are adhoc. There may be an awareness of practices followed by other projects, but their use is entirely at the discretion of the project manager.
   The characteristics of the Initial Process:
   
   • There is no defined and documented process in place.
   • Project managers and team act in an adhoc manner when process activities are needed.
   • Processes and practices may be taken from prior experiences or knowledge possessed by one of the team members.
2. Level 2: Structured Process
   Some project management processes exist within the organization and most are documented. However, there is no requirement that projects use these practices. Project teams will use these processes when it suits their needs even though management encourages their use. Status reporting of project progress against plans is adhoc and not consistent across projects.
   The characteristics of the Structured Process:
   
   • There are defined and documented processes in place for team use.
   • Project managers and teams use the defined processes at their discretion.
   • Critical mission projects are often required to use the documented processes.
3. Level 3: Institutionalized Process
   The standard allows for the adaptation of the processes and practices to the particular characteristics of the project.
   The characteristics of the Institutionalized Process:
   
   • There is a comprehensive defined and documented process in place that is used by all projects.
   • There is support available to teams needing help with the standard processes.
   • There is a monitoring and control function in place to assure compliance with standard process.
4. Level 4: Managed Process
   Project management and other corporate management systems are integrated. There are metrics in place to compare performance across the project portfolio. Senior management understands its role in managing the project portfolio.
   The characteristics of the Managed Process:
   
   • The process is integrated into other business processes and practices.
   • Management decisions on individual projects have an organizational perspective.
   • Lesson learned and best practices are captured and made available to other projects.
5. Level 5: Optimizing Process
   The level 5 maturity is focus on improvement of the project management process. Processes are in place to identify and take action on performance issues related to the process, and to incorporate best practices and lessons learned as feedback to project management process improvement.
   The characteristics of the Optimizing Process:
   
   • Project performance is collected and used to identify areas for improvement initiatives.
   • There is a program in place to continuously collect and analyze process performance data and use it to improve process.
   • Lesson learned and best practices are used to improve the process.