INTRODUCTION
In this simple guide to project management I will use the analogy of the Project Management Office being like Air Traffic Control for projects and change. The Project Management Office [PMO] will want confidence that any significant project or change is clear about passengers and crew (participants), fuel (budget), destination (outcome) and route (plans). For each initiative we want to be able to give it a thumbs-up or guidance on what is required for permission to take-off or indeed a safe journey: on-time, on-budget, to-specification, low-risk and high-communication.
This simple guide is based on a blend of Waterfall approach (plan before action eg PRINCE2) and Agile (work it out as you do eg SCRUM)
ATC MATURITY MATRIX
| Level1 | Level2 | Level3 | |
| Management Control | Project management terminology is used by some members of the organization but not consistently and possibly not understood by all stakeholders. Projects will be conducted and managed according to individual preferences. | The concepts of project management will have been grasped by the organization, and there may be local experts, such as experienced project managers, working on key projects. | There is a centrally defined and documented approach to a project management life cycle and controls, and it is applied in all projects by capable staff who support project teams. |
| Benefits Management | There is some recognition that the concept of benefits can be differentiated from project outputs. | Benefits are recognized as an element within project business cases. There may be some documentation regarding who is responsible for particular benefits and their realization, but this is unlikely to be followed through or consistent. | There is a centrally managed and consistent framework for defining and tracking the realization of benefits from project outputs. |
| Financial Management | There is little or no financial control at project level. There is a lack of accountability and monitoring of project expenditure. | Project business cases are produced in various forms and the better and more formal cases will present the rationale on which to obtain organizational commitment to the project. Overall cost of the project is not monitored or fully accounted for. | There are centrally established standards for the preparation of business cases and processes for their management throughout the project life cycle. Project managers monitor costs and expenditure in accordance with organizational guidelines and procedures, with defined interfaces with other financial functions within the organization. |
| Stakeholder Engagement | Stakeholder engagement and communication is rarelyused by projects as an element of the delivery toolkit. | Projects will be communicated to stakeholders, but this is linked more to the personal initiative of projectmanagers than to a structured approach being deployed by the organization. | There is a centrally managed and consistent approach to stakeholder engagement and communications used by all projects. |
| Risk Management | There is minimal evidence of risk management being used to any beneficial effect on projects. There may be evidence of risks being documented but little evidence of active management. | Risk management is recognized and used on projects, but there are inconsistent approaches, which result in different levels of commitment and effectiveness. | Project risk management is based on a centrally defined process that is cognizant of the organizations policy for the management of risks and is used consistently. |
| Organisational Governance | Some informal governance of projects exists but has undefined links to broader organizational controls. Roles are unlikely to be formally defined. | Project management from an organizational perspective is beginning to take shape but with ad hoc controls and no clear strategic control. Roles and responsibilities will be inconsistent, as will reporting lines. | Centrally defined organizational controls are applied consistently to all projects, with decision-making structures in place and linked to organizational governance. |
| Resource Management | There is some recognition within the organization of the need to manage resources effectively to enable successful delivery of projects, but little evidence of resource acquisition, planning or management. | Resources are being deployed across the organization and individual projects have an approach to resource acquisition, planning or management. However, there is little evidence of consistency of approach. | The organization has a centrally defined and adopted set of procedures and management processes for acquiring, planning and managing project resources. |
USEFUL LINKS AND REFERENCES
About Agile
https://www.guru99.com/waterfall-vs-agile.html
About Waterfall and the leading approach to Waterfall which is PRINCE2
https://prince2.wiki/
ABOUT THE BLOG
This is a series of coaching blogs that eventually will become a book. By blogging each item I hope to share each element in easy to read bite size chunks, maybe invite some people to subscribe to see the next posting and hopefully encourage some comments, feedback and suggestions which will improve the content for the blog and eventually the book. All comments and feedback are therefore welcome.
