PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) Assessments for your organisation

KPS Consultants' P2MM Assessment Service is currently undergoing a quality review.

Whilst many organisations are increasingly adopting the PRINCE2 project management method to deliver their products and services more successfully, one of the fundamental problems they face is the difficulty of knowing how well they are doing compared with other organisations or industry wide PPM best practices. This problem gave rise to the concept of “maturity models” such as P2MM, the PRINCE2 Maturity Model. KPS Consultants Ltd was one of the first organisations worldwide assessed by the APM Group (APMG) to carry out P2MM Assessments in accordance with OGC's PRINCE2 Maturity Model (P2MM). Having had our QMS assessed and our consultants skills, experience and knowledge of PRINCE2 proven by undertaking a face to face assessment with an APMG panel of auditors, our directly employed consultants became fully qualified to undertake P2MM Assessments.

In 2000/2001 OGC identified the need for an organisational level assessment service, based on a formal project management maturity model. OGC had received a number of requests from both public and private sector organisations wishing to use a recognised 'quality mark', such as the PRINCE2™ logo, to demonstrate their achievement of standards relating to project management.

In response to this need, OGC developed a maturity model focusing on project management capability, the Project Management Maturity Model (PMMM). The PMMM used a similar approach to maturity as the well-recognised Carnegie-Melon Maturity Model (CMMM), but it was also based on input from a number of different project management bodies of knowledge, as well as OGC's own existing portfolio, programme and project management best practice standards. Further work has continued and OGC has launched the Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3) and the PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM).

What is the PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM)?

The use of the PRINCE2 maturity model allows an organisation to have its methods and processes assessed according to management best practice, against a clear set of external benchmarks. PRINCE2 Maturity is indicated by the award of a particular "Maturity Level". The PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) itself is derived from the following:

Portfolio, Programme & Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3)
OGC’s Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2™
APMG process for establishing a P2MM/P3M3 maturity level

There are three levels of maturity within the PRINCE2 Maturity Model (P2MM), each level focuses on a limited set of “Key Process Areas”. The PRINCE2 Maturity Model (P2MM) describes the “Key Practices” related to each of the process area in terms of what an organisation should be doing. It is designed to assess how an organisation can implement and use PRINCE2™ shifting the implementation focus from the individual to the organisation. This new shift of emphasis has enabled organisations to build robust end to end project management process frameworks, understand and fill gaps in their existing processes and plot road maps towards improving organisational capability using PRINCE2™.

P2MM Assessment - Initial Level - Does the organisation recognise projects and run them differently from its ongoing business? (Projects may be run informally with no standard process or tracking system).
P2MM Assessment - Repeatable Level - PRINCE2™ is adopted by projects within the organisation, but is applied inconsistently across projects within the organisation.
P2MM Assessments - Defined Level - PRINCE2™ has been tailored to align to other organisational processes and is the adopted standard for all projects within the organisation.

How could PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) Assessments help your Organisation

The following identifies how PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) Assessments will help your organisation to improve.

If you are implementing the PRINCE2™ method, consider using the maturity model as a basis for shaping the approach.
If you have problems running successful projects, a maturity model based health check will give structure to the investigative approach and focus recommendations on sustainable measurable improvement.
If you bid for work in the public sector, you may wish to establish a commercial advantage by demonstrating your level of maturity in PRINCE2™.

Key Benefits of the PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) Assessments

There are many benefits for your organisation to undertake PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) Assessments some are identified below:

For organisations about to adopt PRINCE2™, P2MM enables a road map to help them obtain a quicker adoption and therefore obtain the benefits of PRINCE2™ more rapidly.
For organisations already committed to using PRINCE2™, P2MM sets a baseline of where you are and recommendations on strengths and a road map for further improvements.
For customer organisations, the ability to choose your supplier organisation as a result of an organisational assessment, not an individuals ability to pass an exam.
The ability to have a benchmark of good practice and the ability to assess understanding of PRINCE2™ in key project roles.
P2MM Assessments increase organisational productivity.
P2MM Assessments can improve the project management communities morale within your organisation.
P2MM Assessments are conducted in accordance with an independently held set of "benchmarks".
P2MM Assessments enable organisations to compare their PRINCE2 Maturity Level with other organisations, or other parts of their own organisation.

How can your Organisation undertake PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) Assessments or obtain P2MM Accreditation?

KPS Consultants are qualified and accredited by APM Group (APMG) to provide PRINCE2 Maturity Model (P2MM) assessments being an APMG ACO (Accredited Consulting Organisation) and recommended by the APMG and OGC to provide organisations PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) Assessment Services. PRINCE2 Maturity Model (P2MM) assessments are carried out by our qualified APMG PRINCE2™ Registered Consultants who have been independently assessed for their knowledge, experience, impartiality and are fully equipped to advise clients on how to develop, grow and mature further in the use of PRINCE2 at the organisational or departmental level.

The PRINCE2 Maturity Model (P2MM) assessments are broken down into the following stages:

PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) Assessments (start up)

An initial P2MM Assessment 'start up' activity will be carried out to:

Explain the format of the P2MM Assessments.
Ascertain how many projects within your organisation are running.
Determine the timeframe, disciplines and PRINCE2 maturity level / P2MM assessments to be conducted.
Review the list of projects identifying names of the assigned Project Executives and Projects Managers.
Select interviewees from a proposed list of candidates provided by you (this will be based on a range of projects).
To gain your commitment for arranging the series of interviews / P2MM assessments.

PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) Assessments (Interviews)

PRINCE2 Maturity Model (P2MM) Assessments entails a number of interviews depending on the size and scale of your organisation and how many projects you are running. Each interview is conducted with two KPS Consultants which will last between 1.5 to 2 hours, a maximum of 4 interviews can be conducted in one working day. The interview will comprise of a set of questions that are Organisational and Project related. These questions are designed to draw out evidence of the presence or absence of the 'Key Process Areas' (KPA's). The information gathered will determine your organisations existing practices, strengths, and areas that require improvement.

Examples of the roles to be interviewed are as follows:

Head of Project Office (PSO) / Head of Projects
Project Executives / Sponsors
Project Managers

Our PRINCE2 consultants are not expecting to see individuals with job titles matching the above roles, but instead those individuals with corresponding responsibilities.

After each interview or at the end of the interview day our consultants will score, record and articulate each interviewee response and our findings.

PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) Assessments (Reporting)

On completion of the PRINCE2™ Maturity Model (P2MM) assessment KPS Consultants will:

Review each of the interviewee results and determine the organisation's overall maturity level.
Write up a PRINCE2 Maturity Model (P2MM) Level Report based on our findings. The report will include the following:
- Your organisations level of maturity.
- Your organisations gaps, strengths and areas of improvements.
- A road map to obtain higher level of maturity or if your organisation has achieved a level 3 then suggestions for further development.
- A recommended audit programme.