Organizational
Project Management
Maturity Model
(OPM3)
Knowledge Foundation
Organizational
Project Management
Maturity Model
(OPM3)
Knowledge Foundation
Project Management Institute, Inc.
Newtown Square, Pennsylvania USA
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Project Management Institute.
Organizational project management maturity model (OPM3).
p.
cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-930699-40-9 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Project management—Standards. 2. Project management—Mathematical models. I.
Title.
HD69.P75P76164 2003
658.4’04—dc22
2003064795
ISBN: 1-930699-04-2 (Overview)
ISBN: 1-930699-08-5 (Knowledge Foundation)
ISBN: 1-930699-43-3 (The Standard-Single User Version)
ISBN: 1-930699-07-7 (The Standard-Network Version)
Published by: Project Management Institute, Inc.
Four Campus Boulevard
Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073-3299 USA
Phone: 610-356-4600 or Visit our website: www.pmi.org
E-mail: pmihq@pmi.org
© 2003 Project Management Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Organization (Z39.48—1984).
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Contents
List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xiii
SECTION ONE: INTRODUCTION TO OPM3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Chapter 1—Foundational Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
OPM3 Purpose and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Implementing Strategy through Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Organizational Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Organizational Maturity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Chapter 2—User Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
How the Standard is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Knowledge, Assessment, and Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Introduction to OPM3 Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
SECTION TWO: UNDERSTANDING THE MODEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Chapter 3—Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
3.1 What are Best Practices? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
How Best Practices can be Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
3.2
Capabilities, Outcomes, and Key Performance Indicators . . . . . . . .15
3.3
3.4
Dependencies among Best Practices and Capabilities . . . . . . . . . .16
Categorization of Best Practices and Capabilities within OPM3 . . . .19
3.5
Chapter 4—The Organizational Project Management Processes . . . . . . .21
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Project, Programs, and Portfolios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Project Management Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Program Management Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Portfolio Management Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
How Portfolio, Program, and Project Management Processes Constitute
the Organizational Project Management Process . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
SECTION THREE: USING THE MODEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Chapter 5—The OPM3 Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Explanation of the Directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Sample Directory Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Chapter 6—The OPM3 Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Diagram of the OPM3 Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Steps of the OPM3 Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
6.1
6.2
6.3
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
2.1
2.2
2.3
5.1
5.2
5.3
©2003 Project Management Institute, Four Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA
v
SECTION FOUR: APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Appendix A: The Project Management Institute Standards-Setting
Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Appendix B: Evolution of the Organizational Project
Management Maturity Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Appendix C: Contributors and Reviewers of OPM3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Appendix D: OPM3 Self-Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Appendix E: Comprehensive Assessment: Detailed Sub-Steps . . . . . . . .87
Appendix F: Best Practices Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Appendix G: Capabilities Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Appendix H: Improvement Planning Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Appendix I: Program and Portfolio Management Process Models . . . .127
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
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©2003 Project Management Institute, Four Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA
List of Figures
Figure ES-1: OPM3 bridges the gap between organizational strategy
and successful projects ...........................................................................xiv
Figure ES-2: Knowledge drives Assessment, which, in turn, drives Improvement ................xv
Figure 1-1: Projects and Programs are part of a Project Portfolio ...................................4
Figure 1-2: Organizational Project Management Maturity increases along a continuum......6
Figure 2-1: Elements of the OPM3 Standard: Knowledge, Assessment, Improvement .......8
Figure 2-2: The OPM3 Cycle.......................................................................................9
Figure 3-1: Best Practices are dependent upon Capabilities and their
associated Outcomes .............................................................................14
Figure 3-2: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) confirm the attainment of Outcomes........16
Figure 3-3: Dependency may involve a series of Capabilities ........................................17
Figure 3-4: Dependency can also exist between Best Practices ....................................18
Figure 3-5: Sometimes there is joint dependency among Best Practices' Capabilities ......18
Figure 4-1: Projects and Programs are all part of an organization's Project Portfolio.........22
Figure 4-2: The 5 Project Management Process Groups...............................................23
Figure 4-3: Organizational Project Management Processes depend on Project Management,
Program Management, and Portfolio Management .....................................27
Figure 4-4: OPM3 Process Construct.........................................................................28
Figure 5-1: Sample page of Best Practices Directory ...................................................33
Figure 5-2: Sample page of Capabilities Directory .......................................................34
Figure 5-3: Sample page of Improvement Planning Directory........................................34
Figure 6-1: OPM3 Cycle...........................................................................................36
Figure 6-2: Identifier numbering................................................................................42
Figure 6-3: Graphical representation of an organization's overall position on a continuum of
organizational project management maturity..............................................43
Figure 6-4: Spider diagram showing the organization's maturity in terms of each domain.43
Figure 6-5: Spider diagram showing the organization's maturity in terms of each process
improvement stage.................................................................................44
Figure 6-6: Bar chart representation of the organization's maturity by domain and process
improvement stage.................................................................................44
©2003 Project Management Institute, Four Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA
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