One thing we like to do in the PMO world is measure maturity. I'm not sure of the benefit to knowing your PMO maturity as a stand alone measure, rather I prefer to place maturity on a continuum so that we see how mature you are relative to other measures.
There are quite a few maturity models out there for PMO leaders to use. I've participated in these maturity sessions both as a client and a consultant and I can say I'm not sure they are all that effective. Assessments tend to focus on the big items;
- Do you conduct Portfolio Governance? How do you do that?
- Do you have Resource Management processes in place?
- Do you complete Business Cases before approving a project?
These are just a few of the standard questions you might run into during a maturity assessment. The challenge with these questions is that they aren't really measuring maturity. When done properly these maturity assessments need to analyze the small things.
Do you have resource management processes in place? Yes. How long have they been in place? 5 years. Do you have an automated system to track allocations and assignments? Yes. Do managers need to approve resource assignments? Yes. All valid questions but none of the answers give a real perspective on resource management maturity.
The key to maturity with a PMO is to understand how consistent the PMO is with the small stuff. Having a documented process is a good start, and necessary. However, when was the last time the process was reviewed and updated? Do managers need to approve resource assignments? Yes, but only about 10% of requests are reviewed and approved in a timely manner. That paints a different story.
The small stuff might also include something along the lines of...Yes, we have a process and it is followed 90% of the time. This includes;
- PM submits the request in the system.
- Manager responds in the agreed upon SLA
- PM assigns resource and notifies the team member of the assignment
- Time entry system updated to assign resource to project
- Resource added to team roster, distribution list and communication plan
- Resource Reports updated to reflect new team assignments
- Validation within system resource rates, allocation, and demographics correct
PMO Maturity doesn't equate to a fancy methodology document or Yes/No response to assessment questions. It's the silent observance that things are happening the way they are supposed to happen. That people know what to do, when to do it and then they actually do it consistently.
How is your PMO doing? Are you a mature PMO?
