Advancing Project Management Maturity Results in Improved Organizational Performance; Research conducted by PM Solutions' Center for Business Practices shows clear link between level of maturity and organizational success.

HAVERTOWN, Pa. -- Improving an organization's level of project management maturity results in significant performance benefits. This conclusion is among the findings released in the latest research from the Center for Business Practices (CBP), the research arm of project management consultancy PM Solutions, in the first study to find a direct correlation between organizational performance improvement and project management maturity.

The CBP's study, "Project Management Maturity: A Benchmark of Current Best Practices," polled 81 project management practitioners about their organizations' management practices and business results in the following eight performance areas:

--Schedule performance

--Budget performance

--Customer satisfaction

--Resource allocation optimization 

--Strategic alliance

--Estimating quality

--Employee satisfaction

--Portfolio optimization

The study found that high-performing organizations are 38% more mature in their project management practices than organizations in general, and that improving the level of project management maturity in an organization results in significant performance increases, particularly in the area of customer satisfaction. Nearly half of all respondents reported more than 10 percent performance improvement across all eight areas measured.

Despite these tangible benefits, however, organizations are still relatively low in project management maturity; nearly 90% of organizations are at Level One or Two, on a Five-level scale.

"With overall maturity still so low, there is definite room for improvement," said Jim Pennypacker, director of the CBP. "This research demonstrates marked value as organizations become more mature in their project management practices."

Editors Note: For a complete copy of the study, contact Megan Maguire Kelly at 610-269-2100, ext. 225 or [e-mail].

Advancing Project Management Maturity

To help organizations improve their project management maturity, PM Solutions offers Project Management Maturity Advancement services using its acclaimed Project Management Maturity Model (PMMM) as the framework for conducting organizational maturity assessments. Maturity Advancement services also include the development and implementation of a PM Improvement Plan that defines actions that need to be taken in order to establish a sustainable project management culture. Providing ongoing support through the plan's deployment, PM Solutions' experts work in partnership with organizations to coach and assist project teams in applying best practices and improving project delivery capabilities. Reassessments are also conducted at regular intervals to measure progressive maturity advancement.

About the Center for Business Practices(R)

The Center for Business Practices (www.cbponline.com) is the research and publishing arm of the management consulting and training organization PM Solutions. The CBP promotes effective strategy execution through sound portfolio, program, project, and performance management by capturing best practice knowledge and integrating it into actionable, fact-based information available through research reports, books, and benchmarking events.

About PM Solutions

PM Solutions is a management consulting, training, and research firm dedicated to helping companies optimize business performance and successfully execute their strategies through project management improvement initiatives. Core services include on-demand project and program staffing, remote project controls support, project portfolio management, organizational project management maturity assessments, process and methodology development, project office deployment and enhancement, value measurement, and corporate training delivered through the PM College(R) (www.pmcollege.com). Headquartered near Philadelphia, Pa., USA, PM Solutions' diverse client roster includes some of the world's leading organizations. For more information, visit www.pmsolutions.com.