(Pmi, 2008) - Opm3 - Seconded
(Pmi, 2008) - Opm3 - Seconded
(Pmi, 2008) - Opm3 - Seconded
ISBN: 978-1-933890-54-8
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Figure 3-1. Elements of the OPM3 Standard: Knowledge, Assessment, and Improvement ..............15
Figure 5-1. Best Practices are Dependent upon Capabilities and their Associated, Measurable
Outcomes Shown by Means of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). ...............................26
Figure 5-2. The Processes in each Process Group within Domains are Achieved by a Logical
Path of Improvement of Standardize, Measure, Control, and Continuously Improve .....29
Figure 5-3. Dependency Can also Exist between the Capabilities of Different Best Practices .........32
In originally seeking to develop a standard for applying project management principles at the organizational
level, PMI initiated the development of OPM3 with the premise of creating a framework within which
organizations can examine their pursuit of strategic objectives by means of Best Practices in organizational
project management. Subsequent feedback and research has taken this initial offering and further enhanced
the second edition of OPM3. This standard identifies and organizes a substantial number of generally accepted
and proven project management practices, and provides a means to assess an organizations application of
project management against the Best Practices identified within it. The results of such an assessment allow an
organization to decide whether to plan for improvements, and how to approach those improvements.
OPM3 is comprised of three general elements: Knowledge, presenting the contents of the standard;
Assessment, providing a method for comparison with the standard; and Improvement, setting the stage for
possible organizational changes. As with other PMI standards, OPM3s intent is not to be prescriptive by telling
the user what improvements to make or how to make them. Rather, the intent is simply to offer the standard
as a basis for study and self-examination, and to enable an organization to make its own informed decisions
regarding potential initiatives for change. Practitioners and consultants using OPM3 may have an interest in
exploring further possibilities for assessment and for managing organizational changes that are implied by the
assessment. Their work will contribute to the growing understanding of how project management can support
effective achievement of improved business performance and organizational strategy.
OPM3 is designed to provide a wide range of benefits to organizations, senior management, and those
engaged in project management activities. Some of the benefits derived from using OPM3 are as follows:
Strengthens the link between strategic planning and execution, so project outcomes are predictable,
reliable, consistent, and correlate with organizational success;
Identifies the Best Practices which support the implementation of organizational strategy through
successful projects;
Identifies the specific Capabilities which make up the Best Practices, and the dependencies among
those Capabilities and Best Practices;
Updating the standard has involved an enormous, broad-based commitment and effort over time. A summary
of key changes made during the revision process is provided in Appendix A. As organizations continue to study
OPM3, assess themselves against it, and consider plans for improvement, PMI will no doubt continue to receive
a wealth of feedback. This feedback will pave the way for adjustments and/or refinements that will further
develop the next edition of OPM3. Those who apply OPM3 within their organizations will not only be receiving
its immediate benefits, they will build upon the pioneering work that initially brought the standard to the project
management community and contributed to this updated edition, and they will contribute immeasurably to the
value of future iterations.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 OPM3Organizational Perspective
Successful implementation of a new organizational strategy can turn a good organization into a great one.
Conversely, strategies that fail or generate poor results can quickly damage the organizations reputation and
brand, internally and externally. Effective strategy execution is the responsibility of all levels of management,
who must be involved actively and consistently to orchestrate required organizational changes and to manage
the portfolio of investments that underpin these change initiatives.
The Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) is a framework that provides an
organization-wide view of portfolio management, program management, and project management to support
achieving Best Practices within each of these domains. This holistic perspective is a powerful tool enabling
successful execution of organizational strategies, portfolios, programs, and projects, especially when these
transcend functional and hierarchical boundaries. Moreover, OPM3 global Best Practices, applied to the
execution of strategy, can drive superior and sustainable results. Effective strategy execution is the responsibility
of the organizations strategic planning and governance structures, which must be involved accurately and
consistently to orchestrate required organizational changes. They manage the portfolio of investments that
underpin these change initiatives.
These Best Practices are fully aligned with all other PMI standards, including A Guide to the Project
Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) Fourth Edition, The Standard for Program Management
Second Edition, and The Standard for Portfolio Management Second Edition. The OPM3 Best Practices are
also compatible with other global standards relating to projects, programs, and portfolios. OPM3 includes some
Best Practices aligned with the Project Manager Competency Development Framework (PMCDF).
The OPM3 Second Edition describes the most important components of PMIs Organizational Project
Management Maturity Model. This document also describes how to plan for organizational improvements
through the systematic achievement of Best Practices in the management of portfolios, programs, and projects.
Figure 1-1 provides a high-level view, showing the major components within OPM3. These are summarized in
the following sections and described in more detail throughout the remaining chapters of the OPM3 Second
Edition (Knowledge Foundation).
As illustrated in Figure 1-2, organizational governance is the force that drives the attainment of organization-
level goals and realization of strategies through portfolios, programs, and projects. These efforts are enabled
through overarching organizational structures, policies, procedures, and other governance mechanisms. OPM3
contains governance-related Best Practices designed to guide the organization to those projects that will
support the execution of strategy.
During execution, an organization actualizes, or puts into action, its strategic planning decisions, and
allocates resources to portfolio investments. OPM3 contains Best Practices designed to ensure organizations
execute their strategies using initiatives and investments that best support achievement of their goals.
Enveloping all investments within a single portfolio, an organization can consider its investments to ensure
that together they address strategic business objectives and project interdependencies. OPM3 contains Best
Practices designed to help an organization identify and manage the appropriate mix of investments that best
meets its execution strategies.
OPM3 is a framework made up of three interrelated components: (1) Best Practices, (2) Capabilities, and (3)
Outcomes, all within the portfolio, program, and project management domains.
1. SMCI Best Practices [Standardize, Measure, Control, and continuously Improve] and
2. Organizational Enabler Best Practices [structural, cultural, technological, and human resource].
SMCI Best Practices are classified by their stage of process improvement within portfolio, program, and
project management domains. Organizational Enablers (OE) Best Practices underpin the implementation of
SMCI Best Practices. The relative position of Organizational Enablers in Figure 1-3 portrays their foundational
role in the adoption of SMCI Best Practices because they both anchor and sustain advances in organizational
maturity.
1.3.2 Capability
A Capability is a specific competency that must exist in an organization in order for it to execute project
management processes and deliver project management services and products. Capabilities are incremental
steps leading up to one or more Best Practices. These Capabilities, in the context of the Best Practices, form
the criteria in OPM3 for assessing organizational maturity and for planning future improvements. In turn, the
existence of an organizational Capability is signified by the presence of a set of observable organizational
Outcomes.
1.3.3 Outcome
An Outcome is a tangible or intangible result of applying a Capability. In the OPM3 framework, a Capability
may have multiple Outcomes. The degree to which an Outcome is achieved is measured by a key performance
indicator (KPI).
Accelerate organizational success and minimize unnecessary risk by using proven best practices;
Drive the identification and selection of projects that support execution of strategy;
Ensure that project/portfolio management includes the appropriate mix of investments that best
supports the organizations execution strategies and risk tolerance;
Sense, analyze, and respond to incremental changes occurring within the organization, or changes
precipitated by external factors like competition or regulatory requirements;
Assure alignment between the project portfolio and the organizations goals and strategies;
Increase the understanding and transparency of project portfolio cost, risks, and benefits, thereby
enabling better-informed management decisions;
Provide more effective data to support project governance measures; and
Reduce the risk of high-impact failures at the project, program, or portfolio levels.
(3) Specific stages of process improvement (standardize, measure, control, or continuously improve).
OPM3 maturity assessments help organizations identify which Best Practices, Capabilities, and Outcomes
they currently exhibit. Figure 1-4 shows an example of an assessment and how it displays an organizations
maturity. The flexibility of the maturity assessment process permits an organization to focus on specific domains
(project, program, and/or portfolio) or Organizational Enablers, or on a specific stage of maturity (standardize,
measure, control, or continuously improve). These assessments can help the organization identify what Best
Practices, Capabilities, or Outcomes it may currently exhibit. Figure 1-4 shows an example of what such an
assessment may reveal about an organizations maturity.
While there are various methods of administering an OPM3 assessment, the immediate focus here shall be
on either self-administered or Certified OPM3 Assessor-administered OPM3 maturity assessments. One self-
administered assessment focuses exclusively on high-level Best Practices while another self-administered
assessment focuses on more detailed Capabilities and Outcomes. The high-level, self-administered assessment
instrument is part of the Knowledge Foundation, while the more comprehensive and detailed self-administered
assessment instrument is provided with the OPM3 Online tool. For a certified OPM3 assessment, an OPM3
Certified OPM3 Assessor uses a robust set of tools and methods available through OPM3 ProductSuite.
Figure 1-4 shows the results of a hypothetical organizational maturity assessment. The shaded area in the
bottom cell labeled Organizational Enablers represents the extent to which the organization has adopted
those Best Practicesstructural, cultural, technological, and human resource-relatedthat are foundational
to implementing SMCI Best Practices (see Section 2.4.2 for more information. The cells in the upper portion
of the figure, then, represent the organizations maturity at each SMCI stage (standardize, measure, control,
continuously improve) within each domain (portfolio, program, and project). For example, the figure shows
that the organization has implemented more than half of the Best Practices, Capabilities, or Outcomes at the
standardize maturity stage for the project domain. Conversely, the amount of white space within each cell
indicates the level of opportunity that remains for improving maturity within each domain and stage.
The OPM3 framework provides organizations with the flexibility to focus improvement efforts vertically in
specific PPP (Project, Program, and Portfolio) domains, horizontally across domains at various degrees of SMCI
maturity in each domain, as best suited to organizational needs and goals.
OPM3 Online provides an interactive database to assist organizations with developing their improvement
plans. The database contains all the OPM3 Best Practices, Capabilities, and Outcomes, as well as hundreds
of known dependencies among the OPM3 components. OPM3 Online also provides information to help
organizations map steps to achieve their maturity improvement goals. OPM3 ProductSuite contains additional
automated tools that will accelerate the maturity improvement planning process.
As shown in Figure 1-3, continuous improvement is an iterative process involving cycles of organizational
assessment followed by improvements in organizational performance. Generally speaking, as an organization
concludes one successful iteration of the OPM3 improvement cycle, it will simultaneously plan the next
iteration.
OPM3 Best Practices can also guide an organization in how to sustain the maturity improvements it has
already attained. OPM3 organizational governance Best Practices (see Figure 1-2) provide the greatest overall
leverage in this effort by creating necessary new structures, as well as processes for decision-making and
resource allocation. OPM3 organizational governance Best Practices (see Figure 1-2) provide leverage in this
effort by creating processes for decision-making and resource allocation. The organization can further promote
sustainable improvements by providing tools, technologies, and ongoing training to develop the requisite
knowledge and behaviors throughout its workforce.
CHAPTER 2
FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS
2.1 OPM3 Purpose and Scope
This chapter describes OPM3, a project management maturity model based on the Project Management
Institute (PMI) standards for project, program and portfolio management. OPM3 aligns these standards within
a context of organizational strategic planning and execution.1 The model is comprised of accumulated project
management practitioner knowledge, Best Practices, and a disciplined, repeatable process for assessing
organizational project management maturity to guide improvements. Chapter 3 describes the assessment and
improvement plan portion of the model in detail.
OPM3 provides a model for improvements in maturity, which will enable an organization to execute its
strategies successfully by adopting a structured project, program, and portfolio (PPP) management approach
appropriate to the organizations size, industry type, and culture.
The term organization does not necessarily refer to an entire company, agency, association, or society. It
can refer to business units, functional groups, departments, or sub-agencies within the whole. While individual
projects may be considered tactical, OPM is, by definition, strategic. Organizational project management
includes an organizations business execution strategy, providing a high-level perspective to focus the selection
of projects and assignment of critical resources to implement goals through initiatives that directly impact
financial results.
The assessment can determine how mature each process is, with informal processes at the lower end of
the maturity scale and formal processes at the upper end of the scale. This continuum represents a linear
progression to mature practices. While a variety of models have been developed, several propose five levels of
increasing maturity ranging from initial to repeatable, defined, managed, and ultimately optimized or
continuously improved.
OPM is based on the idea that Best Practices are composed of specific, prerequisite capabilities. Adopting
or attaining Best Practices then facilitates the achievement of an organizations clearly defined strategic
objectives. Development of OPM3 capabilities and the adoption of the resulting Best Practice will help enable
an organization to deliver the desired strategic outcomes in a predictable, controllable, and reliable manner.
Strong organizational commitment is required for Best Practice implementation.
2.4.1 Domains
OPM3 utilizes the construct of Project, Program, and Portfolio Management Domains, representing increasing
degrees of sophistication and control, and increasingly complex communities of practice as a fundamental
dimension within which OPM3 Best Practices are framed. This range of sophistication corresponds to the range
in complexity of an organizations strategic initiatives and its operational processes.
The Project Management Domain describes the Knowledge Areas and Process Groups that guide the conduct
of individual projects. Project management standards, such as PMIs A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) Fourth Edition, order and describe good practices that guide project management
processes. Depending on an organizations size, complexity, and maturity, it may initiate or manage multiple
and interacting projects simultaneously.
The Program Management Domain provides the processes to manage a group of related projects in a
coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually. Programs may
include elements of related work outside of the scope of the discrete projects in the program.
The Portfolio Management Domain encompasses the management of a collection of projects and/or
programs and other work which may not be related but which benefit from the overall control and allocation of
organizational priorities and resources.
Each of the OPM3 domains includes domain-specific processes that can be performed to achieve the control,
efficiency, and consistency required to implement strategic initiatives and to achieve the desired organizational
results.
The term organization does not necessarily refer to an entire company, agency, association, or society.
It can refer to business units, functional groups, departments, or sub-agencies within the whole. While
individual projects may be considered tactical, organizational project management is, by definition, strategic.
Organizational project management includes an organizations business execution strategy, providing a high-
level perspective to focus the selection of projects and assignment of critical resources to implement goals
through initiatives that directly impact financial results.
Within the three existing domains, OPM3 introduces the concept of Organizational Enablers (OE).
Organizational Enablers are Best Practices which facilitate the implementation of Best Practices, but also help
make organizational improvements sustainable. The presence of Organizational Enablers indicates that an
organization has matured to the point of establishing a stable OPM practice environment and has embraced
the disciplines of project, program and portfolio management to achieve this.
Contained in Figure 2-1 is the utilization of OPM3 to assess the organizations maturity resulting in an
improvement plan. This organization improvement loop includes deployment of Project Management Office
(PMO) Best Practices and lessons learned. It also illustrates the maturation cycle of organizational strategic
planning, supported by a performance management system, to achieve increasing success through adopting
OPM and OE Best Practices.
One dimension involves assessing in terms of the process improvement cycle (SMCIstandardize,
measure, control, and continuously improve). The cycle moves from standardizing processes, to measuring
the effectiveness of these processes in achieving the desired outcomes. Successful processes lead to a
controlling stage and the consistent, reliable, application of Best Practices. After standardized, measured, and
controlled processes are in place, the cycle moves to continuously improving the adoption and application of
Best Practices to achieve more successful project outcomesthe right project, done correctly, each time.
The OPM3 Assessment identifies where in the cycle to start to move towards process improvement for any
process or group of processes within each domain. Reassessment throughout the SMCI cycle provides an
ongoing benchmark to ensure that processes remain dynamic, and reflect evolving business environments and
emerging Best Practices (see Chapter 3 for a full explanation of this concept).
Another dimension involves assessing the domains in terms of the progression of Best Practices associated
with each domain (see Chapter 4), first addressing project management, then program management, and
finally, portfolio management.
Within these two dimensionsPPP and SMCI or PPP/Best Practicesis an extension of the model, the
progression of incremental Capabilities leading to each Best Practice. Taken as a whole, these dimensions
constitute valuable reference points when an organization assesses its maturity in organizational project
management and considers possible plans for improvement. In addition to the dimensions described above,
OPM3 also categorizes the Best Practices in terms of their association with PPP management Process Groups.
This permits an organization to focus on attaining a more mature PPP management practice in a select set of
processes, rather than requiring that all processes mature at the same pace.
The OPM3 approach to assessing maturity across multiple dimensions encourages flexibility in applying
the model to the unique needs of an organization. This approach produces a more robust and holistic body of
information to support plans for improving OPM processes, compared to step-like linear models.
Each of these dimensions is a continuum along which organizations can evolve their OPM processes to
provide the best support for the execution of their strategy. The adaptable and flexible framework of OPM3
enables organizations to gain the benefits that provide the best value for effort, in achieving effective project
management practices.
The OPM3 model extends the organizational project management maturity definition to include the focus
on OPM practice as an extension of business strategy execution. An organization that implements OPM3 can
improve its processes by adopting recognized Best Practices to achieve consistent project, program, and
portfolio success in support of strategic goals.
CHAPTER 3
THE OPM3 CYCLE
3.1 Knowledge, Assessment, and Improvement
OPM3 consists of three interlocking elementsknowledge, assessment, and improvementas depicted
in Figure 3-1.
Figure 3-1. Elements of the OPM3 Standard: Knowledge, Assessment, and Improvement
The knowledge element provides the organization with descriptive information regarding Best Practices,
Capabilities, Outcomes, and other organizational project management maturity components. The assessment
element enables the organization to determine its current location on a continuum of organizational project
management maturity. The improvement element employs the results of the assessment to plan initiatives
leading to increased organizational project management maturity.
3.2.1 Knowledge
.1 Step One: Prepare for Assessment
The first step is for the organization to prepare for the process of assessing its organizational
project management maturity in relation to the model. This involves two levels of understanding
which varies from organization to organization. The first is an understanding of the organizations
strategic objectives and the degree of maturity needed to execute these objectives. The second is an
understanding of the components of OPM3 and how to use them to attain the organizations maturity
goals. Contents of the model include the following:
The Knowledge Foundation (this standard), consisting of the narrative text describing OPM3,
including a table of Best Practices, appendices, and a glossary.
Self-Assessment Method (SAM), consisting of a high-level and a comprehensive assessment
process. The high-level assessment is provided in an appendix of the Knowledge Foundation
and in the OPM3 Online tool. The OPM3 Online tool also contains a directory of Capabilities and
an Improvement Planning tool for performing the comprehensive assessment.
Detailed directories in the OPM3 Online Tool, providing a database of the Best Practices,
Capabilities, and an Improvement Planning tool.
3.2.2 Assessment
.1 Step Two: Perform High-Level Assessment
The next step is to assess the organizations degree of maturity in organizational project
management. To do this, an organization must be able to compare the characteristics of its current
maturity state with those described by the model. The first phase of assessment is to review which
Best Practices in OPM3 are and are not currently demonstrated by the organization, and to identify
the organizations general position on a continuum of organizational project management maturity.
The high-level assessment process can be conducted by using the SAM questionnaire in Appendix D,
using the SAM questionnaire in the OPM3 Online tool, utilizing a PMI Certified OPM3 Assessor using
the OPM3 ProductSuite toolset, or using an assessment method devised by the organization itself. The
high-level assessment produces a list of Best Practices that are available. In the future, these may
become the organizations targeted Best Practices for development, depending on its improvement
strategy.
The results of the high-level assessment give the organization a basis from which to scope areas
for improvement. For instance, the organization may decide to focus on one organizational project
management domain, such as the Program Domain, and a particular process improvement stage, such
as standardize, to use as a starting point. The organization may also decide to work on Organizational
Enabler Best Practices that can help support their organizational project management improvement
strategy. This scoping of Best Practices for improvement helps make the subsequent comprehensive
assessment smaller and more manageable.
To perform the comprehensive assessment, the assessment team refers to the Improvement
Planning Directory (available in the OPM3 Online tool) to view the series of Capabilities aggregating
to each targeted Best Practice. The organization then determines which of the identified Capabilities
already exist within the organization. This involves studying each Capability and determining
whether or not its associated Outcomes exist and are observable in the organization as evidence
of the Capability (usually by means of some artifact). This evaluation is done through the use of the
Capabilities Directory, which shows the required Outcomes for each Capability. In general, a Capability
can be said to exist when all of the listed Outcomes have been observed. Similarly, a Best Practice can
be said to exist when all its listed Capabilities exist.
The results of the assessment step may lead an organization to plan for improvements, repeat the
assessment, or exit the process. If an organization elects to exit, a periodic revisiting of the assessment
step is recommended, to monitor and report Capabilities and ensure they are sustained.
3.2.3 Improvement
.1 Step Three: Plan for Improvements
For those organizations choosing to pursue organizational improvements, the results of the
previous step will form the basis for an improvement plan. The documentation of which Capabilities
the organization does and does not haveincluding the dependencies among thempermits a
ranking of needed Capabilities and Outcomes according to their priority for the organization. This
information enables the development of a specific plan to achieve the Outcomes associated with the
Capabilities of targeted Best Practices.
advance on the path to increased organizational project management maturity. Organizations may
consider spending 90 % of their total effort in the improvement phase of an OPM3 cycle.
As shown in Figure 3-2, following the first round of assessments, a greater familiarity with the Best
Practices and their constituent Capabilities, combined with a more realistic view of the organization,
may result in more informed answers to the assessment process and a more accurate outcome the
second time.
CHAPTER 4
THE ORGANIZATIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESSES
4.1 Introduction
As a subset of general organizational processes, the subject of Organizational Project Management (OPM)
includes specific processes concerned with OPM within organizational governance, strategy execution, portfolio
management, program management, and project management. This subset of organizational processes
outlines the scope and proper context of OPM3 and provides a perspective on the challenges encountered
during assessment and improvement initiatives.
As mentioned in Chapter 1, each layer of the OPM3 model contains relational and functional attributes
that are useful during organizational maturity assessment and improvement activities. One of several OPM3
attributes designates domain typeproject, program, or portfoliofor each Best Practice and Capability. There
is also an attribute that maps each Best Practice and Capability to one or more Domains: Project, Program, or
Portfolio. These processes are described in detail in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK Guide) Fourth Edition, The Standard for Program Management Second Edition, and The Standard
for Portfolio Management Second Edition.
The following sections describe the management processes incorporated by OPM3 as illustrated in Figure
1-3:
Initiating. Defines and authorizes the program or a project within the program, and produces the
program benefits statement for the program.
Planning. Plans the best alternative courses of action to deliver the benefits and scope that the
program was undertaken to address.
Executing. Integrates projects, people, and other resources to carry out the plan for the program and
deliver the programs benefits.
Monitoring and Controlling. Requires that the program and its component projects be monitored
against the benefit delivery expectations and that their progress be regularly measured, to identify
variances from the program management plan. This Process Group also coordinates corrective
actions to be taken when necessary to achieve program benefits.
Closing. Formalizes acceptance of a product, service, or benefit/result, and brings the program or
program component (e.g., project) to an orderly end.
Aligning. Determines how components will be categorized, evaluated, and selected for inclusion,
and managed in the portfolio.
Monitoring and Controlling. Reviews performance indicators periodically for alignment with strategic
objectives and verifying the benefits to the organization from the components of the portfolio.
CHAPTER 5
THE OPM3 CONSTRUCT
Chapter 4 introduced the domains of organizational project managementProject, Program, and Portfolio,
as well as the Process Groups within each domain. The domains and their Process Groups and the stages of
process improvement described in Chapter 2 are the building blocks of the OPM3 Construct. Each domain
contains Best Practices and Capabilities which constitute the potential maturity an organization can achieve.
As described in Chapter 4, the domains are not independent, although the organization may choose to pursue
the Best Practices of each domain independently. This chapter explains the construction of Best Practices in
detail, including their constituent components: Capabilities, Outcomes, and key performance indicators. It also
introduces the idea of dependencies among Best Practices and Capabilities, as well as various categories of
Best Practices, which group Best Practices and Capabilities with similar characteristics. Further, the chapter
describes Organizational Enabler Best Practices and how they can support an organizations improvement plan
for achieving project management maturity.
In OPM3, an organization is said to achieve a Best Practice when it has consistently demonstrated its
supporting Capabilities. A Capability is attained when the organization has observed the measurable Outcomes
associated with that Capability, as evidenced by key performance indicators (KPIs), illustrated in Figure 5-1.
The Best Practices are decomposed into Capabilities that aggregate to each of those Best Practices. Each
Best Practice is made up of two or more Capabilities. A Best Practice is attained only through achievement
of all its Capabilities. In other words, if the organization demonstrates achievement of all the aggregated
Capabilities except one, it cannot claim achievement of the Best Practice. However, even if an organization has
not completely achieved the Best Practice, the organization may still have realized maturation benefits that
meet the organizations needs. To understand more about Capabilities, see Section 5.1.1.
Figure 5-1. Best Practices are Dependent upon Capabilities and their Associated, Measurable
Outcomes Shown by Means of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
OPM3 identifies a number of Best Practices that facilitate the path to maturity. The full set of Best Practices
in OPM3 covers the scope of Organizational Project Management. Organizations generally do not exhibit all
Best Practices, and rarely can an organization achieve a new Best Practice quickly. See Chapter 6 and Table
6-1, for a list of the Best Practices defined by OPM3.
An example of a Best Practice, from the OPM3 Best Practices as listed in Table 6-1 is number 1020:
The name of the Best Practice, Standardize Develop Project Management Plan Process, is described as
follows: Develop Project Management Plan Process standards are established. It has four Capabilities (as
described in the Capabilities Directory of OPM3 Online) that the organization should demonstrate to claim
achievement of the Best Practice.
1. SMCI Best Practices. The Capabilities follow the process improvement path of Standardize, Measure,
Control, and continuously Improve (SMCI).
2. Organizational Enablers (also known as OEs). The Capabilities do not follow the SMCI process
improvement path. They are structural, cultural, technological, and human-resource practices that can
be leveraged to support and sustain the implementation of Best Practices.
See Section 5.2 for further description and examples of SMCI and Organizational Enabler Best Practices.
5.1.1 Capabilities
A Capability is a competency that must exist in an organization in order for it to execute OPM processes and
deliver OPM outcomes. Capabilities are incremental steps leading to attainment of one or more Best Practices.
The Capabilities do not need to be achieved in exact order, but they all do need to be achieved for the entire
Best Practice to be achieved. Each Best Practice is made up of two or more Capabilities. The Capabilities of
OPM3 are described in the OPM3 Online tool in the Capabilities Directory.
An example of the first of four Capabilities for Best Practice 1020 cited previously is Process Management
Governing Body which is described as Process-oriented governing bodies have been established, and
the appropriate people have been assigned to them. They meet on a regular schedule to discuss process
management issues and suggestions for improvements.
See Section 5.2 for further description and examples of SMCI and Organizational Enabler Best Practices.
Capabilities aggregate for achievement of a Best Practice, and at times, a Capability from one Best Practice
may be a predecessor for achieving another Best Practice. See Section 5.3 for a further description and
illustration of Best Practice dependencies.
5.1.2 Outcomes
The existence of a Capability is demonstrated by the existence of one or more corresponding Outcomes.
Figure 5-1 illustrates a Capability that has one Outcome and a Capability that has two Outcomes. Outcomes
are the tangible or intangible result of applying a Capability. The degree to which an Outcome is achieved is
measured by a KPI (key performance indicator). See Section 5.1.3 for more information about key performance
indicators.
An example of a Capability and its Outcome in the case of the Best Practice cited earlier would be as follows:
Outcomes can be demonstrated through observation, documentation, or any other method that an
organization believes demonstrates that the outcome is achieved.
An example of an Outcome and its KPI, in the case of the Best Practice cited earlier, would be as follows:
The organization may establish the KPI measure according to its needs. When a key performance indicator
is quantitative, such as an error count, it can be measured directly and objectively. Something intangible, such
as customer satisfaction, must first be made tangiblefor example, through a survey resulting in ratings on
a scalebefore it can be measured. The measure can be binary (something exists or does not exist as in the
example above), it can be more complex (such as a scaled rating), or it can be monetary (such as financial
return).
Figure 5-2. The Processes in each Process Group within Domains are Achieved by a Logical Path of
Improvement of Standardize, Measure, Control, and Continuously Improve.
The concept of process improvement is to mature a process through the sequential stages of standardize,
measure, control, and improve (also known as continuously improve). The sequence implies a prerequisite
relationship between the stages, in that the most advanced stage, continuous improvement, is dependent on a
state of control which is in turn, dependent on measurement, which is dependent on standardization.
To demonstrate progress within each improvement stage, an organization needs to attain the Capabilities
within the stage. For example, to achieve standardization, not only should the organization show that the
Capability related to the process management governing body discussed in Section 5.1.2 is documented,
it should also show that the organization actually has such a governing body and has communicated and
implemented the Capability.
The following Capability Outcomes should be demonstrated for full achievement of each process improvement
stage. For each Capability identified for a Portfolio, Program, and Project (PPP) process the organization should
demonstrate:
Standardize:
Active process governing body,
Documented,
Communicated, and
Standardized (consistently implemented and repeatable).
Measure:
Customer requirements incorporated in measurements,
Identified critical characteristics,
Measured critical characteristics,
Inputs related to results, and
Measured critical inputs.
Control (note that the control is tied to the measurements established previously):
Control plan developed,
Control plan implemented, and
Stability achieved.
Improve:
Problems identified,
Improvements implemented (indicated by widespread participation), and
Sustainable improvements.
Although the Capabilities for the SMCI Best Practices are extensive, understanding the pattern will help the
organization select their path toward maturity in an organized fashion.
To illustrate the SMCI pattern, the following four Best Practices are related to the Develop Project Management
Plan processes:
Similar Best Practices for each of the Process Groups exist within each domain using the SMCI pattern. The
SMCI approach demonstrates an orderly, ascending plan for achieving Best Practice maturity. This approach
is not all-or-none and while achieving the control or improvement stage is encouraged, OPM3 methodology
encourages flexibility that aligns with organizational objectives.
For example, implementing the Capabilities relating to the Best Practice of Recognize the Value of Project
Management will help an organization achieve its project management maturity goals, although it is not
directly linked to the project management process improvement path.
The Capabilities of the OE Best Practices describe some of the general management processes that should
be developed in an organization to support project management. An organization is influenced by many systems
and cultural factors that are part of its business environment. These factors are made of Best Practices around
training, implementing project management methodologies, and techniques and other practices that dont
appear directly in the process standards published by PMI, but are a part of the organizational context of each
domain and all domains of organizational project management.
The Best Practices Directory in OPM3 Online and Table 6-1 contain the OE Best Practices.
An example of an Organizational Enabler Best Practice is 5240, Establish Internal Project Management
Communities. Its Capabilities are:
One type of dependency is represented by the series of Capabilities leading to a single Best Practice. In
general, each Capability builds upon preceding Capabilities, as illustrated in Figure 5-1.
Continuing the example used earlierBest Practice 1020, Standardize Develop Project Management Plan
Processthe series of four interdependent Capabilities is as follows. They are listed here as they would
appear in the Improvement Planning Directory of OPM3 Online, in sequence from least dependent to most
dependent:
4. Adopt the Develop Project Management Plan ProcessThe Develop Project Management Plan
process is consistently implemented and practiced across the organization.
There may be situations where dependencies are mutual in nature. A Capability may generate an output
that becomes an input to another Capability. This, in turn, updates a work product as an input into a Capability
within the same sequence as the first Capability. In such situations, it may be best to approach improvements
to the two processes in parallel. Figure 5-3 illustrates this kind of dependency, where a Capability within Best
Practice 13 depends on a Capability in Best Practice 7. As a result, at least one of the Capabilities within Best
Practice 13 depends on the existence of one of the Capabilities within Best Practice 7.
Figure 5-3. Dependency Can also Exist between the Capabilities of Different Best Practices
For example, Best Practice 1000, Establish Organizational Project Management Policies, is a Best Practice
that helps achievement of the rest of the SMCI Best Practices. The description of the Best Practice is, the
organization has policies describing the standardization, measurement, control, and continuous improvement
of organizational project management processes. So, before the organization attempts to standardize,
measure, control, and continuously improve the project management processes, it would help to have policies
established for doing so. The definition description of the first Capability, 1000.010 Established Standardization
Policies is the organization has policies explaining which organizational project management processes must
be standardized. So 1000.010 should exist before you can start on Best Practice 1020 which standardizes the
project plan development processes.
Breaking down each Best Practice into its constituent Capabilities, and showing the dependencies among
them, reveals a sequence that provides a basis for decisions related to improvement.
Domain. This category refers to the three domains of Project, Program, and Portfolio Management as
described in Chapter 4. Each Best Practice and Capability in OPM3 may be mapped to one or more
of these domains of organizational project management.
SMCI stage. This category of Best Practices refers to the stages of process improvement. Each
Best Practice and Capability in the OPM3 Standard is associated with one or more of these process
improvement stages.
Organizational Enablers (OE). This category of Best Practices helps an organization achieve the
SMCI Best Practices. An organization could increase maturity by achieving the SMCI Best Practices,
but actually implementing those practices would be difficult without putting into place the processes
which the OE Best Practices describe. For instance, the Organizational Enabler Establish OPM
Leadership Program will help sustain a group of leaders who can champion OPM3 improvement
plans. See Section 5.2.2 for more about OE Best Practices.
Process Groups. This category groups Capabilities within each domains Process Group. See Chapter
4 for the list of Process Groups for each domain.
Knowledge Area. A Knowledge Area is another category of Best Practices that describes an
identified area of project management, defined by its knowledge requirements. These requirements
are described in terms of component processes, practices, inputs, outputs, tools, and techniques
as defined in the PMI standards for portfolio, program, and project. For instance, the program and
project standards use the Risk Management Knowledge Area to group processes. An organization
could decide to work on the Best Practices within the Risk Management Knowledge Area for both the
Project and Program domains.
Project predictability. This category identifies the Best Practices that support an organizations
ability to accurately forecast any deviations in the outcome of the project.
Resource optimization. This category identifies the Best Practices that provide the ability to identify,
deploy and release project resources that deliver customer value.
Balanced scorecard. This subset of Best Practices supports an organization in the development
and execution of uniform reporting and tracking mechanisms (such as a balanced scorecard) so that
strategy execution is measured consistently and objectively.
As illustrated in Table 5-1, categorization of Best Practices helps an organization plan an improvement
path based on areas that offer the most value, or require the most work to achieve organizational goals. As an
example, an organization might select to work on the standardization Best Practices for the Planning processes
within the Project and Program domains.
First, Best Practices are a set of process Capabilities that must be achieved to demonstrate the Best
Practice. Each Best Practice is associated with one or more domains as illustrated in Figure 5-4.
Each Best Practice also lies within either a process improvement (SMCI) category or an Organizational
Enabler (OE) category. The processes within each domain are linked to each other through flows of information
(depicted in Figure 5-5 as arrows). Similarly, the domains themselves are linked through flows of information.
Achieving the SMCIs in a progression from Standardize, Measure, Control and continuously Improve (though
not required), facilitates increased organizational project management maturity. The OEs help support this
achievement. Figure 5-6 illustrates how the organization increases maturity by pursuing the SMCIs.
Finally, the entire process model describes the dependencies and interrelationships of the OPM3 components.
These components include the three domains of portfolio, program, and project management, the Process Groups
for each domain and their four stages of process improvement, as well as enablers that support organizational
project management. The constructs components are further decomposed into Best Practices, Capabilities and
their respective Outcomes and KPIs to complete the process model. Every Best Practice and Capability within
OPM3 is mapped to one or more locations within the OPM3 Construct illustrated in Figure 5-7.
CHAPTER 6
THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
6.1 OPM3 Best Practices
Best Practices are optimal methods, currently recognized within a given industry or discipline, to achieve
a goal or objective. In the OPM3 context, a Best Practice is achieved when an organization demonstrates
consistent organizational project management processes evidenced by the achievement of the Capabilities and
Outcomes associated with each Best Practice.
Chapters 1 through 5 describe OPM3 and its components. This chapter lists the Best Practices themselves
and maps them to the two major categories within OPM3. The categories of Best Practices are:
An organization will use Table 6-1 after performing the high-level self-assessment method (SAM) to identify
Best Practices for any potential improvement effort. The table provides the name and a brief description of
each Best Practice, and maps each Best Practice to the appropriate OPM3 categories. The mapping allows
the organization to focus on those Best Practices related to the category or categories of greatest important to
them without having to complete the entire set of Best Practices.
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
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1000 Establish The organization has policies Project Program Portfolio Organizational Project
Organizational describing the standardization, Management Policy
Project Management measurement, control, and and Vision
Policies continuous improvement
of organizational project
management processes.
1005 Standardize Develop Develop Project Charter Process Project Standardize
Project Charter standards are established.
Process
1020 Standardize Develop Develop Project Management Project Standardize
Project Management Plan Process standards are
Plan Process. established.
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Process
1055 Control Monitor and Monitor and Control Project Work Project Control
Control Project Work Process controls are established
Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
1060 Standardize Project Project Sequence Activities Project Standardize
Sequence Activities Process standards are
Process established.
1065 Improve Monitor and Monitor and Control Project Project Improve
Control Project Work Work Process problem areas
Process are assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
1070 Standardize Project Project Estimate Activity Project Standardize
Estimate Activity Durations Process standards are
Durations Process established.
1075 Standardize Project Project Create WBS Process Project Standardize
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1100 Standardize Project Project Estimate Costs Process Project Standardize
Estimate Costs standards are established.
Process
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BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
1105 Improve Project Project Create WBS Process Project Improve
Create WBS Process problem areas are assessed, root
causes are identified, process
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improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
1110 Standardize Project Project Determine Budget Project Standardize
Determine Budget Process standards are
Process established.
1115 Standardize Project Project Estimate Activity Project Standardize
Estimate Activity Resources Process standards are
Resources Process established.
1120 Standardize Project Plan Risk Management Project Standardize
Project Plan Risk Process standards are
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
1150 Standardize Acquire Acquire Project Team Process Project Standardize
Project Team standards are established.
Process
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
1155 Standardize Manage Manage Project Team Process Project Standardize
Project Team standards are established.
Process
1160 Standardize Project Plan Communications Project Standardize
Project Plan Process standards are
Communications established.
Process
1165 Measure Manage Manage Project Team Process Project Measure
Project Team measures are established,
Process assembled, and analyzed.
1170 Standardize Project Project Identify Risks Process Project Standardize
Identify Risks standards are established.
Process
1175 Control Manage Manage Project Team Process Project Control
of the process.
1180 Standardize Project Project Perform Qualitative Risk Project Standardize
Perform Qualitative Analysis Process standards are
Risk Analysis established.
Process
1185 Improve Manage Manage Project Team Process Project Improve
Project Team problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
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Risk Analysis established.
Process
1195 Standardize Project Project Identify Stakeholders Project Standardize
Identify Stakeholders Process standards are
6
Process established.
1200 Standardize Project Project Plan Risk Responses Project Standardize
Plan Risk Responses Process standards are
Process established.
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44
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
1210 Standardize Project Project Plan Procurements Project Standardize
Plan Procurements Process standards are
Process established.
6
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1320 Standardize Project Project Verify Scope Process Project Standardize
Verify Scope Process standards are established.
1330 Standardize Project Project Control Scope Process Project Standardize
Control Scope standards are established.
Process
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
1340 Standardize Project Project Control Schedule Process Project Standardize
Control Schedule standards are established.
Process
1350 Standardize Project Project Control Costs Process Project Standardize
Control Costs standards are established.
Process
1360 Standardize Project Project Perform Quality Project Standardize
Perform Quality Control Process standards are
Control Process established.
1370 Standardize Project Project Monitor and Control Project Standardize
Monitor and Control Risks Process standards are
Risks Process established.
1380 Standardize Project Project Close Procurements Project Standardize
Close Procurements Process standards are
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competent, committed project
team members.
1430 Establish The organization establishes Project Competency
Project Manager a process to ensure project Management
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BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
1460 Apply Project The organization applies Project Program Portfolio Organizational
Management processes in a manner that is Project Management
Processes Flexibly relevant to each project. Practices
6
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The rules define the standard
processes for collaboration and
communication.
1700 Measure Develop Develop Project Charter Process Project Measure
Project Charter measures are established,
Process assembled and analyzed.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
1710 Measure Develop Develop Project Management Project Measure
Project Management Plan Process measures are
Plan Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
1720 Measure Project Collect Requirements Project Measure
Project Collect Process measures are
Requirements established, assembled, and
Process analyzed.
1730 Measure Project Project Define Scope Process Project Measure
Define Scope measures are established,
Process assembled, and analyzed.
1740 Measure Project Project Define Activities Process Project Measure
Define Activities measures are established,
Process assembled, and analyzed.
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Process analyzed.
1790 Measure Project Project Estimate Costs Process Project Measure
Estimate Costs measures are established,
Process assembled, and analyzed.
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BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
1810 Measure Project Plan Project Plan Risk Management Project Measure
Risk Management Process measures are
Process established, assembled, and
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analyzed.
1820 Measure Project Project Plan Quality Process Project Measure
Plan Quality Process measures are established,
assembled, and analyzed.
1840 Measure Acquire Acquire Project Team Process Project Measure
Project Team measures are established,
Process assembled, and analyzed.
1850 Measure Project Plan Project Plan Communications Project Measure
Communications Process measures are
Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
1920 Measure Direct and Direct and Manage Project Project Measure
Manage Project Execution Process measures
Execution Process are established, assembled, and
analyzed.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
1930 Measure Project Project Perform Quality Project Measure
Perform Quality Assurance Process measures
Assurance Process are established, assembled, and
analyzed.
1940 Measure Develop Develop Project Team Process Project Measure
Project Team measures are established,
Process assembled, and analyzed.
1950 Measure Project Project Distribute Information Project Measure
Distribute Process measures are
Information Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
1960 Measure Project Conduct Procurements Project Measure
Project Conduct Process measures are
Procurements established, assembled, and
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Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
2010 Measure Project Project Verify Scope Process Project Measure
Verify Scope Process measures are established,
6
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50
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2015 Control Project Project Identify Stakeholders Project Control
Identify Stakeholders Process controls are established
Process and executed to control the
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
analyzed.
2055 Control Project Project Manage Stakeholder Project Control
Manage Stakeholder Expectations Process controls
Expectations are established and executed
Process to control the stability of the
process.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2060 Measure Project Project Monitor and Control Project Measure
Monitor and Control Risks Process measures are
Risks Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
2065 Improve Project Project Manage Stakeholder Project Improve
Manage Stakeholder Expectations Process problem
Expectations areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
2070 Measure Project Project Close Procurements Project Measure
Close Procurements Process measures are
Process established, assembled, and
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2190 Benchmark The organization identifies Project Program Portfolio Benchmarking
Organizational external standards against which
Project Management they measure Organizational
Performance Against Project Management
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BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2240 Control Develop Develop Project Charter Process Project Control
Project Charter controls are established and
Process executed to control the stability
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of the process.
2250 Control Develop Develop Project Management Project Control
Project Management Plan Process controls are
Plan Process established and executed
to control the stability of the
process.
2260 Control Project Collect Requirements Project Control
Project Collect Process controls are established
Requirements and executed to control the
Process stability of the process.
2270 Control Project Project Define Scope Process Project Control
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Develop Schedule Process controls are established
Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2320 Control Project Project Develop Human Project Control
Develop Human Resource Plan Process controls
Resource Plan are established and executed
Process to control the stability of the
process.
2330 Control Project Project Estimate Costs Process Project Control
Estimate Costs controls are established and
Process executed to control the stability
of the process.
2340 Control Project Project Determine Budget Project Control
Determine Budget Process controls are established
Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
2350 Control Project Plan Project Plan Risk Management Project Control
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2400 Control Project Project Identify Risks Process Project Control
Identify Risks controls are established and
Process executed to control the stability
of the process.
6
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54
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2410 Control Project Project Perform Qualitative Project Control
Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis Process controls
Risk Analysis are established and executed
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
of the process.
2490 Control Project Project Distribute Information Project Control
Distribute Process controls are established
Information Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2500 Control Project Project Conduct Procurements Project Control
Conduct Process controls are established
Procurements and executed to control the
Process stability of the process.
2520 Control Project Project Administer Procurements Project Control
Administer Process controls are established
Procurements and executed to control the
Process stability of the process.
2530 Control Project Project Report Performance Project Control
Report Performance Process controls are established
Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
2540 Control Project Project Perform Integrated Project Control
Perform Integrated Change Control Process controls
process.
2550 Control Project Verify Project Verify Scope Process Project Control
Scope Process controls are established and
executed to control the stability
of the process.
2560 Control Project Project Control Scope Process Project Control
Control Scope controls are established and
Process executed to control the stability
of the process.
2570 Control Project Project Control Schedule Process Project Control
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2580 Control Project Project Control Costs Process Project Control
Control Costs controls are established and
Process executed to control the stability
of the process.
6
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56
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2600 Control Project Project Monitor and Control Risks Project Control
Monitor and Control Process controls are established
Risks Process and executed to control the
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
2660 Improve Project Project Define Scope Process Project Improve
Define Scope problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2670 Improve Project Project Define Activities Process Project Improve
Define Activities problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
2680 Improve Project Project Sequence Activities Project Improve
Sequence Activities Process problem areas are
Process assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
2690 Improve Project Project Estimate Activity Project Improve
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Process identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
6
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BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2720 Improve Project Project Estimate Costs Process Project Improve
Estimate Costs problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
6
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
2730 Improve Project Project Determine Budget Project Improve
Determine Budget Process problem areas are
Process assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
2740 Improve Project Plan Project Plan Risk Management Project Improve
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CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2780 Improve Project Plan Project Plan Communications Project Improve
Communications Process problem areas are
Process assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
2790 Improve Project Project Identify Risks Process Project Improve
Identify Risks problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
2800 Improve Project Project Perform Qualitative Risk Project Improve
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
6
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60
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2830 Improve Project Project Plan Procurements Project Improve
Plan Procurements Process problem areas are
Process assessed, root causes are
6
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and process improvements are
implemented.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2890 Improve Project Project Conduct Procurements Project Improve
Conduct Process problem areas are
Procurements assessed, root causes are
Process identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
2910 Improve Project Project Administer Procurements Project Improve
Administer Process problem areas are
Procurements assessed, root causes are
Process identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
6
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62
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
2950 Improve Project Project Control Scope Process Project Improve
Control Scope problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
6
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
2960 Improve Project Project Control Schedule Process Project Improve
Control Schedule problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
2970 Improve Project Project Control Costs Process Project Improve
Control Costs problem areas are assessed, root
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3000 Improve Project Project Close Procurements Project Improve
Close Procurements Process problem areas are
Process assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
3010 Improve Close Close Project or Phase Process Project Improve
Project or Phase problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
3030 Capture and Share The organization collects Project Program Portfolio PMIS and Knowledge
3050 Perform The organization uses the Project Program Portfolio Benchmarking
Benchmarking technique of benchmarking
to Improve to continually improve project
Performance performance.
3070 Encourage Risk The organization encourages Project Organizational
Taking project teams to take calculated Project Management
risks that enhance project Techniques
performance.
3120 Standardize Initiate Initiate Program Process Program Standardize
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Management Plan established.
Process
3140 Standardize Plan Plan Program Scope Process Program Standardize
Program Scope standards are established.
Process
6
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64
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3155 Standardize Develop Program Infrastructure Program Standardize
Develop Program Process standards are
Infrastructure established.
6
Process
3165 Measure Develop Program Infrastructure Program Measure
Develop Program Process measures are
Infrastructure established, assembled and
Process analyzed.
3175 Control Develop Develop Program Infrastructure Program Control
Program Process controls are established
Infrastructure and executed to control the
Process stability of the process.
3185 Improve Develop Develop Program Infrastructure Program Improve
Program Process problem areas are
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Process
3220 Standardize Budget Budget Program Costs Process Program Standardize
Program Costs standards are established.
Process
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3225 Measure Monitor Monitor and Control Program Program Measure
and Control Program Performance Process measures
Performance are established, assembled and
Process analyzed.
3230 Standardize Plan Plan Program Risk Management Program Standardize
Program Risk Process standards are
Management established.
Process
3235 Control Monitor and Monitor and Control Program Program Control
Control Program Performance Process controls
Performance are established and executed
Process to control the stability of the
process.
3240 Standardize Plan Plan Program Quality Process Program Standardize
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3270 Standardize Program Plan Communications Program Standardize
Program Plan Process standards are
Communications established.
Process
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66
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3275 Control Manage Manage Program Issues Process Program Control
Program Issues controls are established and
Process executed to control the stability
6
of the process.
3280 Standardize Identify Identify Program Risks Process Program Standardize
Program Risks standards are established.
Process
3285 Improve Manage Manage Program Issues Process Program Improve
Program Issues problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
3305 Standardize Define Define Program Goals and Program Standardize
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
process.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3335 Improve Define Define Program Goals and Program Improve
Program Goals and Objectives Process problem
Objectives Process areas are assessed, root
causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
3340 Standardize Direct Direct and Manage Program Program Standardize
and Manage Execution Process standards are
Program Execution established.
Process
3345 Standardize Develop Program Requirements Program Standardize
Develop Program Process standards are
Requirements established.
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
3370 Standardize Program Distribute Information Program Standardize
Program Distribute Process standards are
Information Process established.
3375 Standardize Develop Develop Program Architecture Program Standardize
6
67
68
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3385 Measure Develop Develop Program Architecture Program Measure
Program Architecture Process measures are
Process established, assembled, and
6
analyzed.
3395 Control Develop Develop Program Architecture Program Control
Program Architecture Process controls are established
Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
3400 Standardize Administer Program Program Standardize
Administer Program Procurements Process standards
Procurements are established.
Process
3405 Improve Develop Develop Program Architecture Program Improve
Program Architecture Process problem areas are
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Process executed to control the stability
of the process.
3440 Standardize Monitor Monitor and Control Program Program Standardize
and Control Program Scope Process standards are
Scope Process established.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3445 Improve Develop Develop Program WBS Process Program Improve
Program WBS problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
3450 Standardize Monitor Monitor and Control Program Program Standardize
and Control Program Schedule Process standards are
Schedule Process established.
3480 Standardize Monitor Monitor and Control Program Program Standardize
and Control Program Risks Process standards are
Risks Process established.
3490 Standardize Close Program Procurements Program Standardize
Close Program Process standards are
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Program Architecture Process controls are established
Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
6
69
70
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3535 Improve Manage Manage Program Architecture Program Improve
Program Architecture Process problem areas are
Process assessed, root causes are
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
3575 Improve Program Program Manage Component Program Improve
Manage Component Interfaces Process problem areas
Interfaces Process are assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3590 Measure Initiate Initiate Program Process Program Measure
Program Process measures are established,
assembled, and analyzed.
3600 Measure Develop Program Management Program Measure
Develop Program Plan Process measures are
Management Plan established, assembled, and
Process analyzed.
3605 Standardize Analyze Analyze Program Risks Process Program Standardize
Program Risks standards are established.
Process
3610 Measure Plan Plan Program Scope Process Program Measure
Program Scope measures are established,
Process assembled, and analyzed.
3615 Measure Analyze Analyze Program Risks Process Program Measure
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Process
3660 Measure Develop Develop Program Schedule Program Measure
Program Schedule Process measures are
Process established, assembled, and
6
analyzed.
71
72
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3665 Measure Conduct Program Procurements Program Measure
Conduct Program Process measures are
Procurements established, assembled, and
6
Process analyzed.
3670 Measure Manage Manage Program Resources Program Measure
Program Resources Process measures are
Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
3675 Control Conduct Conduct Program Procurements Program Control
Program Process controls are established
Procurements and executed to control the
Process stability of the process.
3680 Measure Estimate Estimate Program Costs Process Program Measure
Program Costs measures are established,
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Financial Framework are established.
Process
3710 Measure Plan Plan Program Quality Process Program Measure
Program Quality measures are established,
Process assembled, and analyzed.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3715 Measure Establish Establish Program Financial Program Measure
Program Financial Framework Process measures
Framework Process are established, assembled, and
analyzed.
3725 Control Establish Establish Program Financial Program Control
Program Financial Framework Process controls
Framework Process are established and executed
to control the stability of the
process.
3735 Improve Establish Establish Program Financial Program Improve
Program Financial Framework Process problem
Framework Process areas are assessed, root
causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
analyzed.
3765 Control Develop Develop Program Financial Plan Program Control
Program Financial Process controls are established
Plan Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
6
73
74
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3775 Improve Develop Develop Program Financial Program Improve
Program Financial Plan Process problem areas
Plan Process are assessed, root causes are
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
3835 Improve Monitor Monitor and Control Program Program Improve
and Control Program Financials Process problem areas
Financials Process are assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3840 Measure Program Program Distribute Information Program Measure
Distribute Process measures are
Information Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
3845 Standardize Identify Program Stakeholders Program Standardize
Identify Program Process standards are
Stakeholders established.
Process
3855 Measure Identify Program Stakeholders Program Measure
Identify Program Process measures are
Stakeholders established, assembled, and
Process analyzed.
3865 Control Identify Identify Program Stakeholders Program Control
Program Process controls are established
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Performance established, assembled, and
Process analyzed.
3885 Standardize Plan Plan Program Stakeholder Program Standardize
Program Stakeholder Management Process standards
Management are established.
6
Process
75
76
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3895 Measure Plan Plan Program Stakeholder Program Measure
Program Stakeholder Management Process measures
Management are established, assembled, and
6
Process analyzed.
3905 Control Plan Plan Program Stakeholder Program Control
Program Stakeholder Management Process controls
Management are established and executed
Process to control the stability of the
process.
3910 Measure Monitor Monitor and Control Program Program Measure
and Control Program Scope Process measures are
Scope Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
3915 Improve Plan Plan Program Stakeholder Program Improve
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Process analyzed.
3945 Control Engage Engage Program Stakeholders Program Control
Program Process controls are established
Stakeholders and executed to control the
Process stability of the process.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
3950 Measure Monitor Monitor and Control Program Program Measure
and Control Program Risks Process measures are
Risks Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
3955 Improve Engage Engage Program Stakeholders Program Improve
Program Process problem areas are
Stakeholders assessed, root causes are
Process identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
3960 Measure Close Program Procurements Program Measure
Close Program Process measures are
Procurements established, assembled, and
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Process to control the stability of the
process.
3995 Improve Manage Manage Program Stakeholder Program Improve
Program Stakeholder Expectations Process problem
Expectations areas are assessed, root
6
77
78
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4000 Control Initiate Initiate Program Process controls Program Control
Program Process are established and executed
to control the stability of the
6
process.
4005 Standardize Plan Plan and Establish Program Program Standardize
and Establish Governance Structure Process
Program Governance standards are established.
Structure Process
4010 Control Develop Develop Program Management Program Control
Program Plan Process controls are
Management Plan established and executed
Process to control the stability of the
process.
4015 Measure Plan and Plan and Establish Program Program Measure
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
4035 Standardize Plan Plan Program Audits Process Program Standardize
Program Audits standards are established.
Process
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4045 Measure Plan Plan Program Audits Process Program Measure
Program Audits measures are established,
Process assembled, and analyzed.
4065 Control Plan Plan Program Audits Process Program Control
Program Audits controls are established and
Process executed to control the stability
of the process.
4070 Control Develop Develop Program Schedule Program Control
Program Schedule Process controls are established
Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
4075 Improve Plan Plan Program Audits Process Program Improve
Program Audits problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
4105 Standardize Program Program Approve Component Program Standardize
Approve Component Initiation Process standards are
Initiation Process established.
4110 Control Plan Plan Program Risk Management Program Control
6
79
80
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4115 Measure Program Program Approve Component Program Measure
Approve Component Initiation Process measures are
Initiation Process established, assembled, and
6
analyzed.
4120 Control Plan Plan Program Quality Process Program Control
Program Quality controls are established and
Process executed to control the stability
of the process.
4125 Control Program Program Approve Component Program Control
Approve Component Initiation Process controls
Initiation Process are established and executed
to control the stability of the
process.
4135 Improve Program Program Approve Component Program Improve
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
stability of the process.
4200 Control Plan Program Plan Program Procurements Program Control
Procurements Process controls are established
Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4205 Standardize Program Program Provide Governance Program Standardize
Provide Governance Oversight Process standards are
Oversight Process established.
4215 Measure Program Program Provide Governance Program Measure
Provide Governance Oversight Process measures
Oversight Process are established, assembled, and
analyzed.
4220 Control Direct and Direct and Manage Program Program Control
Manage Program Execution Process controls
Execution Process are established and executed
to control the stability of the
process.
4225 Control Program Program Provide Governance Program Control
Provide Governance Oversight Process controls
process.
4235 Improve Program Program Provide Governance Program Improve
Provide Governance Oversight Process problem areas
Oversight Process are assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
4250 Control Program Program Distribute Information Program Control
Distribute Process controls are established
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Program Benefits Process standards are
Process established.
4265 Measure Manage Manage Program Benefits Program Measure
Program Benefits Process measures are
Process established, assembled, and
6
analyzed.
81
82
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4275 Control Manage Manage Program Benefits Program Control
Program Benefits Process controls are established
Process and executed to control the
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
process.
4325 Control the Control Monitor and Control Program Program Control
Program Changes Changes Process controls
Process are established and executed
to control the stability of the
process.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4330 Control Monitor and Monitor and Control Program Program Control
Control Program Schedule Process controls
Schedule Process are established and executed
to control the stability of the
process.
4335 Improve Control Monitor and Control Program Program Improve
Program Changes Changes Process problem areas
Process are assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
4355 Standardize Program Program Approve Component Program Standardize
Approve Component Transition Process standards are
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Approve Component Transition Process controls
Transition Process are established and executed
to control the stability of the
process.
4380 Control Close Close Program Process controls Program Control
6
83
84
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4385 Improve Program Program Approve Component Program Improve
Approve Component Transition Process problem areas
Transition Process are assessed, root causes are
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
implemented.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4470 Improve Manage Manage Program Resources Program Improve
Program Resources Process problem areas are
Process assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
4480 Improve Estimate Estimate Program Costs Process Program Improve
Program Costs problem areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
4490 Improve Budget Budget Program Costs Process Program Improve
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
6
85
86
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4540 Improve Program Plan Communications Program Improve
Program Plan Process problem areas are
Communications assessed, root causes are
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
and process improvements are
implemented.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4640 Improve Program Program Distribute Information Program Improve
Distribute Process problem areas are
Information Process assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
4670 Improve Administer Administer Program Program Improve
Program Procurements Process problem
Procurements areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Schedule Process are assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
6
implemented.
87
88
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4750 Improve Monitor Monitor and Control Program Program Improve
and Control Program Risks Process problem areas
Risks Process are assessed, root causes are
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
4815 Improve Portfolio Portfolio Identify Components Portfolio Improve
Identify Components Process problem areas are
Process assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4825 Standardize Portfolio Categorize Components Portfolio Standardize
Portfolio Categorize Process standards are
Components Process established.
4835 Measure Portfolio Portfolio Categorize Components Portfolio Measure
Categorize Process measures are
Components Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
4845 Control Portfolio Portfolio Categorize Components Portfolio Control
Categorize Process controls are established
Components Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
4855 Improve Portfolio Portfolio Categorize Components Portfolio Improve
Categorize Process problem areas are
Components Process assessed, root causes are
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
4895 Improve Portfolio Portfolio Evaluate Components Portfolio Improve
Evaluate Process problem areas are
Components Process assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
6
89
90
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4905 Standardize Portfolio Portfolio Select Components Portfolio Standardize
Select Components Process standards are
Process established.
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
stability of the process.
4970 Standardize Develop Develop Portfolio Risk Responses Portfolio Standardize
Portfolio Risk Process standards are
Responses Process established.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
4975 Improve Portfolio Portfolio Prioritize Components Portfolio Improve
Prioritize Process problem areas are
Components Process assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
4985 Standardize Balance Balance Portfolio Process Portfolio Standardize
Portfolio Process standards are established.
4995 Measure Balance Balance Portfolio Process Portfolio Measure
Portfolio Process measures are established,
assembled and analyzed.
5005 Control Balance Balance Portfolio Process Portfolio Control
Portfolio Process controls are established and
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
5035 Measure Portfolio Portfolio Authorize Components Portfolio Measure
Authorize Process measures are
Components Process established, assembled, and
analyzed.
6
91
92
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
5055 Improve Portfolio Portfolio Authorize Components Portfolio Improve
Authorize Process problem areas are
Components Process assessed, root causes are
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
5140 Standardize Monitor Monitor and Control Portfolio Portfolio Standardize
and Control Portfolio Risks Process standards are
Risks Process established.
5170 Use Common Project The organization uses a common Portfolio Organizational
Language language to describe project Project Management
activities and deliverables. Techniques
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
5180 Educate Executives The organization educates Project Program Portfolio Organizational Project
its executives on the benefits Management Policy
of organizational project and Vision
management.
5190 Facilitate The organization ensures project Project Program Portfolio Competency
Project Manager manager development. Management
Development
5200 Provide Project The organization provides project Project Program Portfolio Project Management
Management management training appropriate Training
Training for all roles within the project
hierarchy.
5210 Provide Continuous The organization provides Project Program Portfolio Project Management
Training continuous training in the use Training
of tools, methodology, and
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
associations or initiatives.
5260 Customize Project The organization customizes Project Organizational
Management a generally accepted project Project Management
Methodology management methodology Methodology
to meet organizational
6
requirements.
93
94
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
5270 Integrate Project The organization integrates Project Program Portfolio Organizational
Management the project management Project Management
Methodology with methodology with strategic, Methodology
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
5520 Collaborate on Goals People in different roles and Project Organizational Project
functions throughout the Management Policy
organization collaborate to define and Vision
and agree on common goals.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
5620 Establish Career The organization has progressive Project Program Portfolio Competency
Path for all career paths for organizational Management
Organizational project management related
Project Management roles.
Roles
5660 Manage Portfolio The organization manages the Portfolio PMIS and Knowledge
Value value of the portfolio. Management
5850 Measure Identify Identify Portfolio Risks Process Portfolio Measure
Portfolio Risks measures are established,
Process assembled, and analyzed.
5880 Measure Develop Develop Portfolio Risk Portfolio Measure
Portfolio Risk Responses Process measures
Responses Process are established, assembled, and
analyzed.
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
analyzed.
6120 Assess Competency The organization uses a formal Program Portfolio Competency
of Key Organizational assessment process to measure Management
Project Management the competency levels of
6
95
96
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
6360 Control Identify Identify Portfolio Risks Process Portfolio Control
Portfolio Risks controls are established and
Process executed to control the stability
6
of the process.
6390 Control Develop Develop Portfolio Risk Responses Portfolio Control
Portfolio Risk Process controls are established
Responses Process and executed to control the
stability of the process.
6450 Control Communicate Portfolio Portfolio Control
Communicate Adjustment Process controls
Portfolio Adjustment are established and executed
Process to control the stability of the
process.
6490 Control Review and Review and Report Portfolio Portfolio Control
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
6780 Improve Develop Develop Portfolio Risk Responses Portfolio Improve
Portfolio Risk Process problem areas are
Responses Process assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
implemented.
6840 Improve Communicate Portfolio Portfolio Improve
Communicate Adjustment Process problem
Portfolio Adjustment areas are assessed, root
Process causes are identified, process
improvement recommendations
are collected, and process
improvements are implemented.
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Risks Process are assessed, root causes are
identified, process improvement
recommendations are collected,
and process improvements are
6
implemented.
97
98
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
6980 Create an The organization creates a Portfolio Organizational Project
Organizational program to achieve project Management Policy
Maturity management maturity. and Vision
6
Development
Program
7005 OPM Leadership The organization has a leadership Project Program Portfolio Organizational Project
Program program for their OPM managers. Management Policy
and Vision
7015 Educate The organization educates Project Program Portfolio Organizational Project
Stakeholders in OPM stakeholders in OPM. Management Policy
and Vision
7025 Cultural Diversity Educate employees on cultural Project Program Portfolio Organizational Project
Awareness diversity, and empower them Management Policy
for working in a multicultural and Vision
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Organizational organizational project Structures
Project Management management support office
Support Office structure.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
7105 Manage the Holistic The project managers Project Program Portfolio Organizational Project
View of the Project understand stakeholder needs, Management Policy
project impacts to the overall and Vision
organization environment,
organizational structures both
formal and informal, politics and
uses emotional intelligence to
understand and explain others
action and attitudes.
7115 Manage the Project managers effectively Project Program Portfolio Competency
Environment manage project environment. Management
7125 The Organization The organization provides Project Program Competency
Manages Self project managers the ability to Management
Development effectively manage and develop
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Monitoring and in monitoring and controlling a
Controlling a Project project.
7175 Demonstrate Project managers are able to Project Competency
Competency in demonstrate their competencies Management
Closing a Project in closing a project.
6
99
100
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
7195 Demonstrate Project managers are able to Project Competency
Leading Competency demonstrate their leadership Management
competency.
6
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
Metrics Success Metrics to improve the Metrics
performance of Project, Program,
and Portfolio Management
against plans, and improve
realization of benefit to the
organization.
CHAPTER 6 THE OPM3 BEST PRACTICES
BP_Id BP_Name BP_Description Project Program Portfolio Standardize Measure Control Improve OE
7345 Verify OPM Success The organization ensures Project Program Portfolio Project Management
Metric Accuracy that OPM and benefit to the Metrics
organization data is valid and
accurate.
7355 Analyze and Improve The organization continuously Project Program Portfolio Project Management
OPM Success improves its OPM data collection Metrics
Metrics and use processes.
7365 Project Management The organization has a Project Program Portfolio PMIS and Knowledge
Information System mechanism for the storage, Management
retrieval, dissemination, and
reporting of organizational
project management information.
7375 Intellectual Capital Intellectual capital is stored and Portfolio PMIS and Knowledge
Reuse reused. Management
101
Licensed To: Payam Nikravesh PMI MemberID: 1409414
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
A
APPENDIX A
SECOND EDITION CHANGES
A.1 General Changes
The purpose of this appendix is to provide explanations of the changes made to the Organizational Project
Management Maturity Model (OPM3) Second Edition. Major changes not detailed under Section A.2 on
Structural Changes in this appendix include:
The OPM3 architecture was updated so that the Best Practices use the process names exactly as found in the
other PMI standards. Similarly, the Capabilities that aggregate to these Best Practices were also standardized
so that each process is comprised of 15 Capabilities. The processes from these other standards are often
referred to as process capabilities.
Among the significant changes is the approach to categorizing, or grouping, the Best Practices. The previous
edition of OPM3 organized the Best Practices by Domain, Process Group, and Process Improvement Stage. The Second
Edition introduces the new categories of Knowledge Areas, Organizational Enablers, and Business Outcomes.
Knowledge Areas allow greater continuity and consistency between Best Practices in the model and
the other PMI standards;
Organizational Enablers is a new term which identifies those specific Best Practices that make
project management and organizational improvements possible and sustainable;
Business Outcomes refers to Best Practices within the model that specifically help an organization
to achieve its strategic objectives.
Many of these changes basically reflect the user feedback based on how the model was being applied in the field.
Table A1 describes and displays a side-by-side comparison of the changes in each section.
Chapter 2, User Overview, was removed, and a new Chapter 1, Introduction, was added, emphasizing the
organizational perspective and the usability of the OPM3 Maturity Model as a way to assess and improve its
maturity in the execution of projects, programs, and portfolio management in support of the organizations
strategic objectives.
7/7/09 11:52:47 AM
APPENDIX A A
Appendix H on Improvement Planning has been removed as this information has been incorporated
elsewhere in the Second Edition.
Appendix I on Program and Portfolio Management Process Model has been removed because PMI has
published the standards on program and portfolio management since OPM3 was first published.
APPENDIX B
EVOLUTION OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT
MATURITY MODEL
In 1998, the Project Management Institute (PMI) chartered the OPM3 project to develop an organizational
project management maturity model to be a global standard for organizational project management.
Marge Combe and Paul Dinsmore were appointed as co-project managers. OPM3 was intended to guide the
development of capabilities necessary to execute organizational strategy through successful projectsas
distinguished from capabilities associated only with management of individual projects. Furthermore, OPM3
was to be usable by organizations of all sizes and types, in virtually any industry or culture.
In the process, existing models had to be examined. The concept of organizational maturity had been
popularized through the successful Capability Maturity Model for software development that was created
by the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie-Mellon University between 1986 and 1993. Integral to that
particular model is the concept that organizations exist at one of five levels of maturity and, if they choose to
do so, can improve themselves by advancing sequentially through these levels to a higher state of maturity.
The benefit of advancing to a higher level is an increasing software process capability, which results in
improved software productivity. Since software is developed through projects, it is natural that the concept of
organizational maturity would migrate from software development processes to project management (Peter
W.G. Morris, Researching the Unanswered Questions of Project Management, Project Management Research
at the Turn of the Millennium: Proceedings of PMI Research Conference 2000 [Project Management Institute,
2000], 87). Possibly as a result of this, a number of project management maturity models appeared during the
mid-90s that were more heavily influenced by the thinking of the project management profession. Some of
these incorporate concepts from the PMBOK Guide 2000 Edition.
An OPM3 Model Review Team, led by Peter Rogers and Marlies Egberding, was appointed to examine existing
approaches to assessing an organizations maturity in project management processes. A set of questions was
developed to provide a framework for the review process, covering five primary areas of examination:
Scope of the model being reviewed, including its boundaries, focus, origin, and purpose;
Capabilities of the model, including its coverage of the PMBOK Guide, the extent to which paths to
maturity are modeled, the working definition of maturity, and linkages to project success;
Methodology for assessing maturity and potential for organizational self-assessment;
Model structure, including the question of whether it is staged or continuous, and whether pre-
requisites are defined; and
Existence of an implementation plan to assist organizations desiring to become more mature in
project management processes.
The team identified and reviewed 27 contemporary models. Teams of 3 were assigned to examine 17 of
these in greater depth. Each team performed an independent model review and submitted a model review
report.
The analysis concluded that existing models left many important questions about project management
maturity unanswered and that the team should proceed with the development of an original model. Key
research conclusions included:
No existing maturity model satisfied the requirements elicited for the OPM3;
No existing model addressed all of the Best Practices identified for OPM3; and
No existing model addressed the constraints on organizational change that dictate how Best Practices
must be achieved incrementally.
The team agreed that maturity models are products designed to guide the process of achieving maturity.
They also agreed to explore designing a causal model or engineering model, based on the premise that the
Model must actually identify and document observable results within organizations. At this point the Guidance
Team was formed, to assist the program manager and deputy with decisions surrounding OPM3. This team
structure, developed at the beginning of the product, continued until the projects conclusion. In addition to the
core Guidance Team positions, the Team was made up of heads of several subteams, which were charged with
carrying out the countless tasks required to move the project forward. Throughout the life cycle of the project,
many volunteers held Guidance Team positions. For a listing of those volunteers who were on the Guidance
Team at the close of the project, refer to Appendix C.
In October 1999, Terry Cooke-Davies, then co-lead of the Research Team, became deputy to the Program
Manager, John Schlichter. Cooke-Davies held this deputy position until July 2001.
The strategy, up to this point in Q1 2000, had reflected largely a classic waterfall development approach:
initial research was to feed into design, design into build and test and so on. But there were difficulties associated
with the analysis of the qualitative research, and PMI asked the team to do everything possible to accelerate
the project timetable.
The OPM3 Guidance Team modified its strategy in two ways: to move away from the waterfall development
model towards a strategy that aligns more to rapid prototype development, and to involve members of the
project management profession as subject matter experts more closely in both the research and the design
of OPM3.
In a first round of brainstorming, participants were invited to suggest elements that constituted maturity
in organizational project management. Definitions for maturity were developed. This resulted in approximately
80 suggested elements, which were then consolidated down to 59 to reduce overlap and duplication.
In a second round, approximately 200 OPM3 volunteers were invited to review the elements and evaluate
them against three criteria scales:
The process resulted in the conclusion that the elements reviewed in the second round comprised a good
starting point for the designing of a first iteration of the new standard.
Up to this point, each elementor Best Practice, as they were later renamedwas written as a complex
statement containing multiple ideas. These were then decomposed into individual ideas. This process ultimately
resulted in the identification of approximately 170 Best Practices.
Because the Guidance Team and PMI had agreed on the development of a causal model, a model that
described causes and effects, they also agreed that the Capabilities being identified (leading to the Best Practices)
should produce Outcomes. The Design Cells were empowered to articulate the Outcomes corresponding to the
Capabilities that they had identified.
In the next face-to-face meeting of the Guidance Team, Bill Wright proposed that the team should develop
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to describe what a user should look for to determine whether an Outcome
corresponding to a Capability had been produced. The Guidance Team discussed this proposal and approved it.
This ultimately resulted in identification of thousands of Key Performance Indicators.
In May 2001, the OPM3 Project Team proposed that OPM3 could be positioned as a unique resource for
enabling rigorous diagnosis, planning, and prioritization of improvement efforts. In June 2001, PMI agreed.
The results indicated that OPM3 must be realistic, practical, easy to use, consistent, scalable, flexible,
accurate, focused on improvement, and clearly demonstrate the relationship between causes and effects.
In addition, 80 % of respondents said they wanted a direct relationship between OPM3 and the PMBOK
Guide. Of those surveyed, 86 % wanted a self-assessment component and third-party assessment. These and
the other findings from the surveys dictated which requirements OPM3 would satisfy.
In July 2001, the Research Team began to design alpha and beta testing approaches to validate OPM3.
Concurrently, PMI began to advertise the need for OPM3 beta testers. Everyone who expressed interest in the
testing was invited to work with the team to plan the testing effort.
A number of components were developed by the Integration and Process Model Teams during 2002 that all
came together to form the OPM3 Process Construct. In addition to the Best Practice work mentioned previously,
new Capabilities were developed to address the four process improvement stages of Standardize, Measure,
Control, and continuously Improve, for any process. After being reviewed and validated, these Capabilities
were later extended to each of the processes within each organizational project management domain (Project,
Program, and Portfolio). During the Guidance Teams next face-to-face meeting in October 2002, it was decided
that a Best Practice would be created for the achievement of each stage of process improvement, and for each
process in each domain, resulting in 468 additional Best Practices. This method provided complete coverage of
the organizational project management process for assessments and improvement planning.
These Best Practices and Capabilities were integrated with the existing ones, and dependencies between
the Capabilities were identified and incorporated into OPM3. Finally, all the Best Practices and Capabilities were
mapped to the appropriate process improvement stage and organizational project management domain.
(In subsequent months, through a series of quality review processes, PMI trimmed a number of Best Practices
from OPM3 to eliminate ambiguous or overlapping items, resulting in the final number of 586 Best Practices.)
At its next face-to-face meeting in late 2002, the Guidance team adopted and updated a plan and schedule.
They also developed the initial Concept of Model Operationdescribing how a user would travel through
OPM3and discussed the Process Model. They agree that the Process Model should have a direct link to the
PMBOK Guide, as it was clear that the market wanted such a link. As a result, the team agreed to use the
PMBOK Guides Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling, and Closing (IPECC) Process Group framework. The
team invited PMI to comment on this framework and PMI approved it. It was decided that OPM3 would describe
how these processes can be made capable through the four process improvement stages: Standardize,
Measure, Control and continuously Improve. The construct would be used to organize all of the Capabilities of
OPM3.
The benefits that customers would want OPM3 to deliver were established by means of a survey. This
established HoQ Room 1;
Through market research and analysis, the team established an understanding of the customers and
other models in the marketplace. This established HoQ Room 2;
Through analysis, the team established a set of design attributes for the OPM3. This established HoQ
Room 3;
Through a survey, the team determined the priority ranking of the customer requirements. This
established HoQ Room 5.
Through analysis, the team completed pair-wise comparisons of the rank- ordered customer
requirements (Room 1/Room5) against the OPM3 design attributes (Room 3) to populate Room 4,
which depicts the importance of each design attribute vis--vis the customer requirements. This
established HoQ Room 4.
Through analysis, the team evaluated all of the design attribute importance data in Room 4 to deduce
a priority order for the OPM3 design attributes (Room 6).
Room 6 compared OPM3 to other models for the purpose of benchmarking. The results of this
comparison provided assurance that OPM3 is at least equal to, and probably superior to, other models
in the same marketplace. This provided HoQ Room 7.
Through analysis, the team completed pair-wise comparison of the design attributes to determine if
providing any pair of Capabilities/functionalities results in synergies or the need to trade-off what can
be accomplished. This effort was completed for the highest priority design attributes and populated
HoQ Room 8.
a prototype solution. The prototype consisted of three directories presenting information on the Best Practices,
Capabilities, Outcomes, and Key Performance Indicators in a systematic and accessible manner. The prototype
was presented at a meeting of the guidance Team in January 2003 and it was approved. To advance the work
of creating these directories, a Model Team was created, led by former Research Team co-lead Fred Abrams
and former risk manager, Glenn Carleton.
One of the most important decisions made early in 2003 was that OPM3 would be presented to the public in
a multi-media format. This decision resolved the issue of page count, which had presented cost and size issues.
The decision also presented new and compelling opportunities for arranging and displaying the encyclopedic
scope of the Knowledge, Assessment, and Improvement elements of OPM3.
Prior to providing OPM3 to the beta testing community, the work that had begun in 2001 to ensure the
quality of OPM3 had to be completed. First and foremost, there was a considerable amount of work to be done
to verify that the dependencies across and between Best Practices and Capabilities were sound. Also, a review
of all the OPM3s components was needed to ensure that they were well written, with consistent tense, tone,
and syntax. To accomplish this, the Guidance Team empowered a select group of individuals, appropriately
named the Extreme Review Team (ERT), led by Clarese Walker and Mila Bozic, to put the entire baseline network
through the rigor of this analysis. For almost 2 months, paired members of this team analyzed and modified the
directory content to assure sufficient quality to present OPM3 to beta testers.
At the same time, selected OPM3 members began assisting a technical writer, Paul Wesman, with the task of
actually describing OPM3 and the concepts of OPM3. Professional writing expertise was needed for the primary
writing and editing of OPM3, to ensure the final product would read smoothly and with one voice. For the first 6
months of 2003, the team was heavily engaged in writing, rewriting, editing, and amending the OPM3 text. As
a result of these efforts and the efforts of the ERT, by June 2003, the OPM3 team was able to release a draft of
OPM3 to beta testers for its first complete test run.
During these beta tests, organizations reviewed OPM3 and provided feedback to the program team. Beta
testers then tried to plan improvements within their organizations while using the steps of the OPM3 Cycle. Over
20 global companies of various sizes that are active in a range of industries contributed to this testing effort.
Survey responses and comments from Beta testers were reviewed and adjudicated by the Filter Team, led by
Claudia Baca, and considered during the revision process.
OPM3 is the result of the hundreds of volunteers who have contributed to its development and who deserve
recognition and thanks. Without them, OPM3 would not be the product it is now. PMI would like to thank everyone
who spent time away from family, friends, and other important activities to contribute to the advancement of
the project management profession.
The following individuals, as listed in Appendix C of the 2003 edition of the OPM3 Knowledge Foundation,
contributed in many different ways to various drafts of the 2003 document and tool. PMI is indebted to them
for their support.
B.14.6 Organizations:
Organizations in the following list supported the development of OPM3 (but do not necessarily endorse
OPM3):
3M AMITA Corporation
Atos-Origin Clearview Solutions
EC Stratagems Eastern Exterior Wall Systems
cole de Technologie Superleure Enterprise Solution Providers (ESP)
Ervick and Associates ETS
GeProS - German Project Solutions GmbH Human Systems Knowledge Networks, Inc.
Human Systems Limited Integrated Management Services
ISGI - Lille Graduate School of Management LCS International, Inc.
Lloyds TSB Bank plc Master Systems, Inc.
As a result of this work, the IPT established specific requirements or business cases for the OPM3 Second Edition Project
Team. These business cases were to be adhered to throughout the life of the Second Edition project. Any new requirements
would require a corresponding approved business case before being worked on by the project team. The business cases
were delivered to PMI in December 2004, and provided input to the OPM3 Second Edition Project Charter.
In November 29, 2004 the OPM Second Edition Project Plan was drafted. The plan was reviewed by PMI on January 6,
2005, then reviewed and approved by the OPM3 Second Edition Project Core Team on February 25, 2005.
APPENDIX C
CONTRIBUTORS AND REVIEWERS OF OPM3 SECOND EDITION
C.1 OPM3 Second Edition Project Core Team
The following individuals served as contributors of text or concepts and served as leaders within the Project
Leadership Team:
Karl Andy Anderson, OPM3-CC, PMP, Research Team Lead
Claudia M. Baca, PMP, OPM3-CC, Development Team Lead
Bernard Hill, PhD, PMP, Knowledge Foundation Development Team Lead
Rashed Iqbal, PMP, PhD, Marketing Team Lead
Timothy A. MacFadyen, MBA, OPM3 CC, Project Manager
J. Alan Northrup, PMP, Self-Assessment Method Development Team Lead
Auristela Oxman, Filter Team Lead
Raju N Rao, PMP, SCPM, Baseline Network Development Team Lead
Jim Sloane, OPM3-CC, PMP, Harmonization Team Lead, Deputy Project Manager
Dennis E. Stevens, Deputy Project Manager
Earnest C. Valle, MBA, PMP, Architecture Team Lead
Valerie van der Klis, PMP, Benchmarking Team Lead, Support Team Lead, Quality Team Lead
Nancy E. Wilkinson, MBA, PMP, Standards Project Specialist
APPENDIX D
OPM3 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
D.1 OPM3 Self-Assessment
The OPM3 self assessment is introduced and explained in Section 3.2. Its purpose is to permit organizations
to assess their current state of maturity in organizational project management in relation to the set of Best
Practices that comprise the OPM3 standard. The results of the self-assessment will tell an organization where
it stands on a general continuum of organizational project management maturity, viewed overall in terms
of maturity within the domains and process improvement stages. It will produce a list of Best Practices the
organization currently appears to demonstrate, and a list of those it appears not to demonstrate, according
to the responses given to the survey. The organization should then proceed to examining any of these Best
Practices more closely using the Comprehensive Assessment outline in Appendix G.
The self-assessment questions are included in this appendix. The actual self-assessment tool exists as a
separate database application.
Instructions: wherever a blank appears in the self-assessment question, ask and score the question four
times, once for each stage of process improvement.
For example:
Question 1Does your organization standardize the Portfolio Identify Components process?
Yes or No?
Question 2Does your organization measure the Portfolio Identify Components process?
Yes or No?
Question 3Does your organization control the Portfolio Identify Components process?
Yes or No?
Question 4Does your organization improve the Portfolio Identify Components process?
Yes or No?
BP_ID SMCI Y or N Questions
4785 Standardize _________ Does your organization ___________ the Portfolio Identify Components
process?
4795 Measure _________
4805 Control _________
4815 Improve _________
4825 Standardize _________ Does your organization _____________ the Portfolio Categorize
Components process?
7405 _________ Does your organization have a process to support the strategic
alignment of OPM to organizational vision, goals, and objectives?
7035
5220 _________ Does your organization have a process to support resource allocations
for OPM endeavors?
1590
5320 _________ Does your organization have management systems in place to support
OPM?
5280
1450 _________ Does your organization provide sponsorship for OPM endeavors?
5340
7045 _________ Does your organization provide organizational structures to support
OPM endeavors?
7055
7065
7075
7105 _________ Does your organization have structures in place to support competency
management for the OPM environment and project lifecycles?
7115
7125
7135
7145
7155
7165
1430
7175
7185 _________ Does your organization have structures in place to support competency
management for soft skills in the OPM environment?
7195
7205
7215
7225
7235
1400 _________ Does your organization have a workforce with the right level of
competency to support the OPM environment?
1410
5620 _________ Does your organization have a career path in place to support the roles
required to support the OPM environment?
5190
5180
1530 _________ Does your organization have a process for assessing competency and
formal performance appraisals?
6120
5200 _________ Does your organization provide project management training for OPM
Roles?
5300
5210
5240 _________ Does your organization support organizational project management
communities?
5250
5390 _________ Does your organization support organizational project management
practices at the project level?
1460
1680
1670
3030
3550 _________ Does your organization support organizational project management
practices at the program level?
2090
3570
5260 _________ Does your organization have an organizational project management
methodology?
1550
5270
7305 _________ Does your organization use organizational project management
techniques for OPM endeavors?
1630
3070
5170
3520
7315 _________ Does your organization use project management metrics for OPM
endeavors?
7325
7335
7345
7355
1540 _________ Does your organization apply project success criteria when evaluating
OPM Endeavors?
2160
2190 _________ Does your organization use benchmarking for OPM endeavors?
3050
7365 _________ Does your organization use a PMIS and knowledge management for
OPM endeavors?
7375
5660
APPENDIX E
OPM3 ONLINE TOOLS
E.1 Introduction
The purpose of this appendix is to describe two options for performing an OPM3 survey and assessment,
with their respective tools and solution designs. While there may be various survey and assessment options
available, the focus of this appendix will be on the two most likely scenarios:
Option 1OPM3 Online Self-Assessment: Organizations using the OPM3 Online Self-Assessment
Module to perform their own in-house survey and solution design, with the option to use the Capability
Directory for comprehensive-level assessment.
Option 2OPM3 ProductSuite: Organizations using an OPM3 Certified Assessor or Consultant,
making use of a proprietary assessment application (OPM3 ProductSuite) and solution design.
Performing an OPM3 assessment will help establish a current baseline of an organizations culture, practices
and processes specific to the three domainsproject, program and portfoliothe process improvement
stagesstandardize, measure, control and improveand the organizational enablers. Both options identified
above provide an opportunity for a high-level survey and comprehensive-level assessment. A high-level survey
(Best Practices survey) provides user organizations with a basic, broad-brush picture of the perceived state of
their project management maturity and areas most in need of improvement. The comprehensive assessment
(Capability Assessment) yields data that is verified, detailed, nuanced, and actionable for those areas where
improvement opportunities are identified.
Organizations desiring a starting point, before committing more time and resources, may choose the
OPM3 Online Self-Assessment Method for performing a high-level survey. This will provide insights into Best
Practices that are perceived to be present in the organization, as well as those in need of improvement. The
OPM3 Self-Assessment Method is an online database tool designed to easily survey and capture responses
to approximately 120 questions. The results of the survey will provide insights into the organizations maturity
position relative to these categories:
The graphics generated by the self-assessment tool will give a general picture of the strengths and
weaknesses within these categories. The organization will then decide what course of action to follow with
regard to the underlying Capabilities and implementation of prescribed solutions. Details on the OPM3 Self-
Assessment Module are covered in Appendix G.
1. What skills and knowledge should a surveyor possess to perform our organizations high-
level survey and solution design? Individuals with a broad grasp of OPM3 Knowledge Foundation
concepts are usually successful in this role. They will need excellent communication skills and
experience performing surveys or gap analyses. When performing face-to-face surveys, the surveyor
should be able to clarify questions without leading the responder. If the surveyors will be interpreting
results, they should have experience synthesizing many responses to derive overall trends or results.
If the surveyors will be designing solutions, they should have excellent team management skills and
ability to use identified trends to design solutions based upon the OPM3 directories. If the surveyor has
responsibility for guiding the implementation of agreed upon solutions, he or she should be comfortable
working with C-level to operations-level staff to achieve the improvement goals. There are no PMI-
specific certifications required to perform in a surveyor capacity using OPM3 Online.
2. What types of questions are included in the online self-assessment tool? The questions included
in the online self-assessment method database tool are generalized to identify perceptions of the
current state of maturity in organizational project management, in relation to the set of Best Practices
that comprise the OPM3 standard. Examples of the questions can be found in Appendix D.
3. How can our organization use high-level survey results? An organization that uses the high-
level, Best Practice survey will receive an indication of organizational maturity. Using the online tools
graphical display of survey responses provides a broad-brush picture of the state of organizational
project management maturity. Organizations typically find it effective to select one to three Best
Practices to focus on based on their organizational strategy and improvement needs. Organizations
may use this information to perform a cost/benefit analysis to further define which option best suits
their needs. Organizations may also choose to further define their areas most in need of improvement
using the Capabilities Directory included as part of the Improvement Path report in OPM3 Online.
4. How many on-line surveys should be performed? Organizations that purchase an OPM3 Online
single-users license will be able to perform multiple surveys but would have to compile an overall
summary of responses manually. Organizations that purchase OPM3 Online multi-users licenses will
be able to perform multiple surveys using their multiple licenses but must still compile responses
manually. All OPM3 Online users may benchmark their results against a database of other organizations,
when they choose to participate by including their assessment(s) in the benchmarking database. The
OPM3 Online users license allows for organizations to receive errata updates and access to the
Capabilities and Improvement Planning Directories.
7. How does our organization use the Capability Directory to develop an electronic comprehensive-
level assessment tool? The Capabilities Directory provides detailed data on all the Capabilities in the
model, organized according to the Best Practices with which they are associated. Each Capability has
a unique identifier relative to its importance within the Best Practice. Each Capability has a respective
Outcome with key performance indicator that confirms the existence of this Capability.
An important aspect of using the Capabilities Directory to develop a comprehensive assessment
tool is maintaining the hierarchy and dependent relationships across all Best Practices and Capabilities.
Using the Capabilities Directory to develop a comprehensive-level assessment requires the tool
developer to paraphrase each Capability into question format. Capability-level responses to these
questions should be designed to clearly capture the status of that Capability.
The assessment tool should be designed to allow the surveyor to select specific groups of questions
best suited for the present circumstances. The assessment questions and assessment results should
be maintained in electronic database format and the database should be designed to allow for future
updates. The assessment results database should be designed to provide output by Domains, Process
Groups, Capabilities and other metrics specifically suited to the organization.
The Capabilities Directory will identify dependent relationships between other Best Practices and
Capabilities that must be maintained when designing the many-to-many relationships in the database.
Assessment results analysis and reporting considerations should be considered when designing
the summary of improvement strategies. The Improvement Planning Directory mapping should be
integrated into the database to allow for validation when designing an improvement strategy.
8. How does our organization use the Improvement Planning Directory to design an in-house
solution? The Improvement Planning Directory shows the dependencies between Capabilities, which
are essential to the Assessment and Improvement steps of the OPM3 Cycle. The path of maturity
within a Best Practice may lead to other Best Practices. This kind of relationship implies corresponding
dependencies between Capabilities that aggregate to those different Best Practices. Designing a
solution for those areas most in need of improvement will include analysis of the mapping of Best
Practices and Capabilities presented in the Improvement Path located in the Improvement Planning
Directory. The Improvement Path is created upon completing an assessment, is accessible online and
the user must filter for those Best Practices needing improvement. Once the organization determines
their strategy and initial improvement need, they should establish keywords that reflect this. They can
then use the keywords to search Best Practices in the online tool, to help identify those Best Practices
specific to their goals. Once identified, they can review the Improvement Path to find the Best Practices
identified, and focus their improvement efforts.
9. Can our OPM3 Online tool be used for performing surveys of other external entities and sharing
of warehoused data? The OPM3 Online user licenses are used solely by the licensing entity so
any assessments entered into OPM3 Online will only be accessible by the license holder. While it is
perfectly acceptable for OPM3 Online to be used by external entities or external consulting services,
external entities or consulting companies may want to advise their clients to purchase an OPM3 Online
license if the client wants future access to their assessment results.
Survey responses captured by means of the OPM3 Online Self-Assessment Tool are warehoused
external to the user organization and accessed via the OPM3 Online Self-Assessment Tool. Survey
responses captured by means of any tool developed in-house remain warehoused within the
organization. An organization may choose to share responses with other entities. Externally warehoused
data may be used for industry benchmarking.
10. What, if any, additional requirements and yearly licensing fees are required? As of publication
there are currently no additional yearly licensing costs or tool utilization requirements.
OPM3 ProductSuite is an assessment tool that evaluates how well organizations are executing to their
strategic objectives by the use of portfolio management, program management and project management
Best Practices and Organizational Enablers. The OPM3 ProductSuite assessment tool also provides guidance
on how to improve an organizations execution of strategy by increasing its degree of organizational project
management maturity. The result of the assessment identifies Best Practices, constituent Capabilities, and
Outcomes required to increase your maturity, once the current maturity has been determined.
The OPM3 ProductSuite Assessment Tool provides the flexibility to scope an assessment according to areas
in need of improvement, such as specific domains or desired business results.
2. What types of questions are included in the OPM3 ProductSuite assessment tool? The OPM3
ProductSuite software application includes comprehensive-level questions to assess the maturity
level of an organization in applying project, program, and portfolio management Best Practices. Each
question relates to a Capability outcome and produces two types of scores. The Yes/No score indicates
a broad, attainment or no-attainment view of each Capability. A scaled score gives an incremental view
to indicate the degree of achievementa zero score for no achievement and intermediate scores for
partial and near full and full achievement.
3. How can our organization use the OPM3 ProductSuite assessment results? An organization may
use their results to see how many Best Practices, Capabilities, and Outcomes were achieved per
domain and per process improvement stage. The OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant may present
graphical displays or various reports of survey data that provide a broad-brush picture of the state
of organizational project management maturity. They will also provide a list of Best Practices and
Capabilities that were not achieved or were absent in the areas of maturity. This analysis will provide
the Assessor with enough data to identify the areas which may be a priority for action to achieve the
organizations business objective.
4. How do I obtain an OPM3 ProductSuite application license and OPM3 Certified Assessor/
Consultant services? The OPM3 ProductSuite license is given to the OPM3 Certified Assessor/
Consultant upon completion of the certification course and examination. Visit the following website for
more information; http://www.pmi.org/BusinessSolutions/Pages/ProductOptions.aspx.
5. What types of assessment techniques are available with the OPM3 Certified Assessor/
Consultant? Generally an OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant may perform variations of two types
of assessments. A Desk Assessment is designed to seek evidence of attained Best Practices and
Capabilities throughout the interview process only. The Desk Assessment does not require additional
documented proof and relies on information given from the responder. A Rigorous Assessment will
require a more formal gathering, collection and validation of responses. The Rigorous Assessment will
validate the degree of maturity and identify specific areas for improvement. Multiple assessments may
be performed with automated compilation of merged assessments and future benchmarking potential.
The OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant may proactively assess specific domains, business results,
departments, roles and other areas that require immediate attention by the organization.
6. What are the cost/benefit considerations for using an OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant to
perform an assessment? An OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant has the credentials and assessment
skills that will provide guidance to scope and tailor the assessment based on specific needs. Using an
OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant provides a turn-key solution from survey and analysis to solution
design using the OPM3 ProductSuite software application. Independent OPM3 Certified Assessors/
Consultants may be retained to perform a continuum of services, from surveying to facilitating
improvement solutions. OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultants internal to an organization can perform
the same continuum of services. Using an external or internal OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant may
involve these potential cost/benefit considerations:
Expert OPM3 Knowledge Foundation standard guidance using a turn-key software solution.
No development or maintenance costs like those associated with an in-house assessment tool.
Initial certification and yearly license costs for OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant credentials.
User rights for the OPM3 ProductSuite software application live with the OPM3 Certified Assessor/
Consultant rather than with an organization.
Ability to generate many reports from various dimensions of Best Practices, Capabilities, Domains,
Improvement Stages, Process Groups, Organizational Enablers, etc.
Assessment results are confidentially warehoused external to an organization and accessible by
the OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant who performed the assessment until the assessment is
completed. Once completed, the organization holds an encrypted key which controls when and
how the externally stored data is accessed.
Organizations wishing to mitigate the risk of losing their OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant may
opt for multiple OPM3 Certified Assessors/Consultants.
7. How does an OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant use the Improvement Planning Directory
to design an improvement solution? Inherent to the OPM3 ProductSuite application are all Best
Practices, Capabilities and Outcomes, with dependency relationships. The path of maturity within
a Best Practice may cross paths leading to other Best Practices. This kind of relationship implies
corresponding dependencies between Capabilities that aggregate to those different Best Practices.
The OPM3 ProductSuite Improvement tool allows an organization to plan actions needed to improve
performance of specific Best Practices. The Improvement tool can populate an improvement plan
template with graphics and text of Best Practices, Capabilities, and Outcomes that may be selected for
improvements.
9. What, if any, additional requirements and yearly licensing fees are required? PMI is the sole and
exclusive provider of the OPM3 Certified Assessor/ Consultant certifications. There are fees associated
with becoming an OPM3 Certified Assessor/Consultant and yearly fees for software licensing. Visit
the following website for more information; http://www.pmi.org/BusinessSolutions/Pages/Product
Options.aspx.
In summary, organizations choosing to implement the OPM3 standard on a small or grand scale may do so
using either Option 1OPM3 Online Self-Assessment or Option 2OPM3 ProductSuite. The questions and
answers provided above should help organizations navigate through the decision process of:
APPENDIX F
OPM3 CASE STUDY
F.1 Background
This case is based on the experience of an organization that used OPM3 for process improvement. All
confidential information related to this organization has been removed in order to preserve its identity.
ABC Company (ABC) is responsible for delivering natural resources to commercial and residential customers
with state-wide responsibility for a large state in the USA. It has several sites throughout the state to manage
its network of suppliers, distribution channels and service agents. The organization generates several hundred
million US dollars in annual revenue for their products and services.
ABC has attempted throughout most of its history to projectize the work of the organization. Wherever
possible, work was organized into projects with timelines, resources, and expected deliverables defined in
order to leverage the power of project management. All of the projects were organized into one of four divisional
groups and each of those groups has varying responsibility for managing the collective group of projects as a
whole.
The nature of the projects at ABC varied significantly across the portfolio. Some projects were infrastructure
projects for improvements to buildings while others were related to information technology upgrades, feasibility
studies, or other business matters. Some projects were short in duration (less than three months) while others
were multi-year initiatives.
A central project management office (PMO) was implemented several years before ABC considered using
OPM3. The central PMO had responsibility for setting standards for project management across the four
divisional groups, rolling up performance results into a central view for executive management and standardizing
the approach to project management across the wide range of projects that were regularly executed by the
enterprise.
The director of the PMO was interested in determining how well the organization was performing in comparison
to industry best practices. There was concern across the organization that some critical projects were late and
over budget and the PMO wanted to react before other company stakeholders made organizational changes
that would not support the PMO and the projects. After careful research and review of several standards and
other tools, ABC decided to use OPM3 for benchmarking and process improvement.
F.2.1 Selecting a Certified OPM3 ProductSuite Assessor. Although ABC management felt they could
conduct an assessment with their own staff, they were interested in an independent perspective of their
organization that could also make suggestions based on their experience with other organizations. They went
to the OPM3 ProductSuite Online Registry which lists Certified OPM3 ProductSuite Assessors and identified
several potential fits. ABC sent requests for proposals (RFP) to these candidates and after thorough evaluation
selected an assessor that was familiar with their domain and had expertise in OPM3.
F.2.2 Assessment Plan. The next step for the new combined team was to create an assessment plan.
The external assessor reviewed the pros and cons of different approaches to scoping the OPM3 assessment.
The organization was most interested in making sure that they would have a high degree of confidence in
the results of the assessment, so they chose to perform a rigorous assessment using the OPM3 ProductSuite
across all three domains of OPM3project management, program management, and portfolio management.
The assessor then selected employees in various roles to interview the people who could describe how the
organization executed projects and related work on a day-to-day basis.
F.2.3 Assessment Process. The actual on-site assessment took a total of two weeks once the plan was
complete and the interviews were scheduled. The external assessor met with the organizations representatives,
and reviewed the artifacts that provided evidence (e.g., project plans, schedules, meeting minutes, and budgets)
of how the work was completed. The assessor then recorded findings in the OPM3 ProductSuite toolset and
generated the assessment report for the organization. In addition to highlighting strengths and opportunities
for improvement for the organization, the report included all of the OPM3 Best Practices the organization had
achieved and not achieved.
Some of the strengths for the organization included a well-defined project management methodology and
project tollgate process that helped ensure that the project management processes were standardized across
a good portion of the organization. Their long-time budgeting and reporting process also supported several of
the portfolio management best practices as did the activities of the PMO.
F.2.4 Improvement Planning. The ABC management team went through the results over the following
month and prioritized improvements that they could make based on available resources, cultural fit, and timing.
The client came up with three key areas of focus for the next 6 months before the next OPM3 assessment:
2. Repurpose the project management methodology for management of multiple projects (i.e., program
management); and
3. Revise the review and promotion process so that project managers had input into the performance
reviews of functional resources assigned to projects.
1. Standardize Risk Management: The PMO documented and trained all of the project managers on a new
risk management process. Each project team then evaluated and communicated risk at predetermined
points of every project. Some projects identified several high risks early enough in the project lifecycle
where they were cancelled. Resources were redeployed to strategic projects that were behind schedule.
These projects were on the road to recovery in a short amount of time.
2. Standardize Program Management: The whole domain of program management was too much, so
the PMO focused on creating standard processes to manage resources across an entire program of
projects. One program manager following the new process discovered that two projects were paying
separately for resources that they could have shared. By restructuring some vendor contracts, the
program was able to save budget and re-allocate it to other areas of the program.
3. Revise Review Process: The PMO worked with Human Resources to revise the review process. The
project managers completed a review for each employee after a project was complete or after 6
months of participation on a project. The project managers felt like resources were more responsive to
their project needs. Project managers also felt like they were more empowered to deliver successful
projects.
The results of the reassessment by the assessor showed that ABC Company had become more mature from
the perspective of the OPM3 model. They added new Capabilities and Best Practices that the assessor had not
seen during the initial assessment, in the areas of project risk management, program resource management,
and Organizational Enablers.
More importantly, the application of OPM3 from assessment through improvements delivered tangible
business results. ABC was able to deliver on strategic objectives, cut costs, and reallocate resources to the
places where they were needed most. These successes highlighted the value of the PMO to the Executive
Management Team, and the company committed to continue using OPM3 through future improvement cycles.
They look forward to further positive results in the future.
APPENDIX G
ASSESSMENT AND IMPROVEMENT HOW-TO GUIDE
G.1 Introduction
The second step in the OPM3 Cycle is the OPM3 self-assessment method (SAM). The SAM consists of two
processes; a high-level assessment process, and a comprehensive assessment process. Both SAM processes
become a first view of organizational maturity and capability.
The SAM high-level assessment process utilizes the OPM3 SAM Questionnaire. Organizations distribute
the questionnaire to a hand-picked assessment team. The output of the questionnaire is a subjective list of
Best Practices thought to currently exist in the organization compared to the OPM3 standard. This list of Best
Practices is then examined in depth in the OPM3 Comprehensive Assessment to verify (or corroborate) their
implementation in the organization. It is important to remember that undertaking a maturity improvement
initiative is in fact a project and should be managed as a project.
To derive the assessment findings from an organizations SAM survey data, the assessment leader and
team need to aggregate the results to reach a yes or no answer representing the group, for each question.
To do this, they need to determine what percentage of responses to a given question constitutes a yes
or no. For example, if there are 10 participants performing the assessment, how many of the 10 need to
respond yes to result in an aggregated yes? Some organizations may wish to look for unanimous results
(100%). Other organizations may set the bar at 75%. Others may decide that positive responses of 50% and
above constitute a yes answer. The aggregated results should then be entered into OPM3 Online.
The OPM3 Maturity Continuum shows the percentage of Organizational Project Management Best Practices
that the participants perceive the organization to have implemented. Each question in the SAM high-level
assessment process is linked to a number of OPM3 Best Practices. When the participant answers yes to the
question, the organization is given credit for having implemented the OPM3 Best Practices behind the question.
There are approximately 488 OPM3 BPs. The number of OPM3 BPs perceived by survey participants to have
been implemented is divided by the total number of OPM3 BPs and a percentage rating is given. For instance,
if 108 OPM3 Best Practices are perceived to have been implemented, the overall percentage score is 22%.
artifacts for each Capability and determining whether or not its associated Outcomes exist and are observable
in the organization. This evaluation is done through the use of the Capabilities Directory (available in the online
tool), which shows the required Outcomes for each Capability. In general, a Capability can be said to exist when
all of the listed Outcomes have been observed. Similarly, a Best Practice can be said to exist when all its listed
Capabilities exist.
The Best Practices pages in the Improvement Planning Directory (available in the online tool) can serve as
a checklist or template for the Comprehensive Assessment Process, because the identifying numbers for the
Capabilities associated with each Best Practice are logically arranged, building from a basic Capability to those
that are dependent on previous Capabilities. The pages in this directory provide a check-off column for the
Outcomes that will have to be identified to verify the existence of each Capability.
This evaluation of Capabilities is rigorous and allows the organization to gain a detailed understanding of its
state of maturity. This step will help the organization determine which specific Capabilities do or do not exist
and, therefore, how close the organization is to attaining each Best Practice.
This step should be completed before contemplating improvements or an improvement plan. The organization
needs to understand (1) all the Capabilities it already has, (2) all the Capabilities it does not have, and (3) the
relative importance of each Capability to the organization. Once the organization has identified and prioritized
these, it can weigh the pros and cons of pursuing the various paths to improvements, based on the results of
the two assessment processes.
Again, as with the high-level assessment process, this effort should be treated as a project and follow the
organizations own project management standards.
4. Verify the implementation of direct artifacts for each Best Practice and corroborate by indirect artifacts
or confirmations.
5. Obtain face-to-face confirmations for at least one instance for each Best Practice.
6. Generate statements describing gaps in the organizational units implemented practices relative to Best
Practices defined in the OPM3 Knowledge Foundation.
8. Generate preliminary findings, summarizing gaps in Best Practice implementation observed with the
organizational unit relative to OPM3 Knowledge Foundation.
Having completed some improvement activity, the organization will do one of two things: (1) reassess where
it is currently on the continuum of organizational project management maturity by repeating the assessment,
or (2) return to plan for improvements to begin working toward other Best Practices identified in an earlier
assessment, but not acted upon.
Given the length of time that organizational initiatives often involve, most organizations should consider
Option 1, returning to assessment. Reassessment will allow verification of the improvements just implemented.
Also, the elapsed time following the original assessment may have coincided with changes that could well
affect the results of a new assessment. Leadership shifts, altered budgetary constraints, acquisition of new
competencies, methodologies, or technologies, and the implementation of new strategic objectivesany of
these, along with changes in the competitive landscapecould produce significantly different answers to the
assessment questions and, therefore, a different resulting view of the organizations position on the continuum
of organizational project management maturity.
Some organizations may have a short first cycle of improvements, or may have experienced little other
significant change during the cycle. They may decide on Option 2 and return directly to plan for improvements,
to examine other Best Practices requiring attention that had been identified by the original assessment.
While sustainable organizational improvements may occur through a single improvement initiative, OPM3
can add considerable value when applied in connection with multiple improvement cycles. The first improvement
cycle can prepare the foundation for much more valuable improvements in future cycles. Organizations can
continue utilizing OPM3 to harness more and more of its full potential. In this way, organizations will help to
expand and refine the possible applications of this model, and realize an increasing measure of its benefits.
Terms whose definitions are readily found in other PMI standards (e.g., A Guide to the Project
Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) Fourth Edition, The Standard for Program
Management Second Edition, The Standard for Portfolio Management Second Edition, Project
Manager Competency Development Framework),
Application or industry-specific terms, and
Terms whose usage in the OPM3 context does not differ materially from everyday usage.
2. Common Acronyms
KPI Key performance indicator
OE Organizational enabler
OPM Organizational Project Management (OPM)
OPM3 Organizational Project Management Maturity Model
PPP Project, program, and portfolio
SAM Self-assessment method
SMCI Standardize, Measure, Control, and Improve
Assessment. A way to evaluate an organizations successful execution of processes and standards. For OPM3,
the tools to assess organizational project management maturity include the self-assessment method and a
comprehensive assessment. See also self-assessment method and comprehensive assessment.
Best Practice. In general, Best Practices refers to the optimal methods, currently recognized within a given
industry or discipline, to achieve a stated goal or objective. In the OPM3 context, Best Practices are achieved
when an organization demonstrates consistent organizational project management processes evidenced by
successful outcomes.
Best Practices Directory. The Best Practices directory lists the Best Practices that form the foundation of the
OPM3 content. This directory provides the name and a brief description of each Best Practice. By reviewing
the Best Practices directory, the user can become generally familiar with the OPM3 content. An organization
will also use this directory following the self-assessment method to identify Best Practices for any potential
improvement effort.
Capabilities Directory. The Capabilities directory provides detailed data on each of the capabilities, organized
according to the Best Practices with which they are associated. The Capabilities directory is central to the
comprehensive assessment, in which the user is able to determine which Capabilities currently exist in the
organization and which do not.
Capability. A Capability is a specific competency that must exist in an organization in order for it to execute
project management processes and deliver project management services and products. Capabilities are
incremental steps leading up to one or more Best Practices.
Continuous Improvement. Continuous improvement is a total quality management concept based on theories
developed by Edward Deming and Walter Shewart. The key principles of continuous improvement relate to four
sequential steps in characterizing the performance of a Capability as a Best Practice.
For a Capability to be considered as a Best Practice, it has to demonstrate industry-standard competencies
in the process improvement stages (Standardize, Measure, Control and continuously Improve).
Control. Comparing actual performance with planned performance, analyzing variances, assessing trends
to effect process improvements, evaluating possible alternatives, and recommending appropriate corrective
action as needed.
In OPM3, the progression of Capabilities generally includes determining control limits, looking for root
causes for processes that are outside the limits, and identifying improvements to bring the process within
the control limits.
When used in evaluating Capability maturities, the collective application of Control activities constitutes
the third stage of the OPM3 SMCI quality management model.
Dependency. Dependencies are relationships in which a desired state is contingent upon the achievement of
one or more prerequisites.
In OPM3, one type of dependency is represented by the series of Capabilities that aggregate to a Best
Practice. In general, each Capability builds upon preceding Capabilities.
Another type of dependency occurs when the existence of one Best Practice depends in part on the
existence of some other Best Practice. In this case, at least one of the Capabilities within the first Best
Practice depends on the existence of one of the Capabilities within the other Best Practice. See also
interdependencies.
Domain. A domain refers to the three distinct disciplines of portfolio management, program management, and
project management (also referred to as PPP). Each domain is structured by Process Groups and processes.
See also portfolio, program, project.
Framework. Holistically, the three PMI domain standards (portfolio management, program management and
the PMBOK Guide)plus the Project Manager Competency Development Framework and OPM3constitute
the total framework of PMI organizational project management practice. Framework may be used to refer
to specific components of these key organizational project management proficiencies, such as domains,
processes, etc.
Governing body. The group responsible for guidance and monitoring of portfolio, program, and project
management and development work within specific compliance boundaries. These compliance areas include
formal corporate ethical, financial, and security considerations, among others, and may be imposed internally
or externally.
Improve. Improvement is the process of making something better, developing new qualities and abilities.
The progression of Capabilities generally includes documenting improvements demonstrated to
be effective and incorporating them into the standardized process. When the Capability description or
title includes phrases like improve, increase process value, process improvements, or process
simplification, it is probably an improvement Capability of the process.
When used in evaluating Capability maturities, the collective application of continuous improvement
activities constitutes the fourth stage of the OPM3 SMCI quality management model. See also continuous
improvement, improvement planning directory.
Improvement Planning Directory. The improvement planning directory contains a checklist of Capabilities, in
priority order, that is necessary to establish the achievement of a Best Practice. For each Capability, there is a
column for the user to check off the existence of each of the outcomes associated with that Capability.
These Capabilities/outcomes are in the recommended sequence by which the various Capabilities
aggregate to the Best Practice. The improvement planning directory thus serves as a suggested path by
which an organization can approach improvements in maturity by achieving outcomes associated with
Capabilities, in priority order, to attain Best Practices.
Interdependencies. Interdependencies reflect the general relationship between Capabilities and Best Practices.
They suggest the sequence in which the organization should develop the underlying Capabilities that support
associated Best Practices.
Another example in OPM3 is the interdependency among the domainsproject, program, and
portfolio.
Mapping. A relationship in which one element of a set can be associated with an element of another set.
In OPM3, each Best Practice or Capability can be associated/mapped to a Category in each of the project,
program, and portfolio Process Groups.
Maturity. Within OPM3, maturity comprises not only the state of optimal performance within project, program,
and portfolio management, but also the organizations evolution toward that state as illustrated by SMCI.
Measure. Measurement involves identifying what to measure as well as actually collecting the measures that
would help you understand if the process is operating within acceptable limits.
When the Capability description or title includes some derivative of the word measure or identify,
then it is probably a measurement Capability of the process. The progression of Capabilities generally
includes determining what to measure, measuring it, and analyzing the results.
When used in evaluating Capability maturities, the collective application of measure activities constitutes
the second stage of the OPM3 SMCI quality management model.
OPM3 Process Construct. The process model that describes the dependencies and interrelationships of the
OPM3 components. These components include the three domains of portfolio, program, and project management;
the Process Groups for each domain; and their four states of process improvement, as well as enablers that
support organizational project management. The constructs components are further decomposed into Best
Practices, Capabilities, and their respective outcomes, and KPIs to complete the process model.
Organization. A group of persons organized for some purpose or to perform some type of work within an
enterprise. In the OPM3 context, this can be interpreted as any company, agency, association, society, business
unit, functional group, department, or sub-agency intending to make use of OPM3.
Organizational Enablers. Organizational enablers are structural, cultural, technological, and human-resource
practices that can be leveraged to support the implementation of Best Practices in projects, programs, and
portfolios in support of strategic goals.
Organizational Project Management. The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to
organizational activities and project, program, and portfolio activities to achieve the aims of an organization
through projects.
Organizational Project Management Maturity. The degree to which an organization practices organizational
project management. In the organizational project management maturity model (OPM3), this is reflected by the
combination of Best Practices achieved within the project, program, and portfolio domains.
Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3). A framework that defines knowledge,
assessment, and improvement processes, based on Best Practices and Capabilities, to help organizations
measure and mature their project, program, and portfolio management practices.
Outcome. Outcome is the tangible or intangible result of applying a Capability. In the OPM3 framework, a
Capability may have multiple Outcomes. The degree to which an Outcome is achieved is measured by a KPI
(key performance indicator).
Portfolio. A collection of projects or programs and other work that are grouped together to facilitate effective
management of that work to meet strategic business objectives. The projects or programs of the portfolio may
not necessarily be interdependent or directly related.
Portfolio Management. The centralized management of one or more portfolios, which includes identifying,
prioritizing, authorizing, managing, and controlling projects, programs, and other related work, to achieve
specific strategic business objectives.
PPP. One of the categorizations in OPM3 to provide structure for the Best Practices and Capabilities. It is used
as a field in the directories to indicate the three domains of project, program, and portfolio management.
Process Group. A logical grouping of the project management inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs. The
Project Management Process Groups include Initiating processes, Planning processes, Executing processes,
Monitoring and Controlling processes, and Closing processes. Project Management Process Groups are not
project phases.
Process Improvement Stages. The four stages of process maturity, also known as SMCI. The four stages are
standardize, measure, control, and continuously improve. A particular process is made capable through the
prerequisite attainment of each stage. For instance, as general guidance, to achieve Best Practice in a process
in the Control stage, the organization needs to first demonstrate Best Practice in the measure stage. See also
standardize, measure, control, and improve.
Program. A group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available
from managing them individually. Programs may include elements of related work outside of the scope of the
discrete projects in the program.
Program Management. The centralized coordinated management of a program to achieve the programs
strategic objectives and benefits.
Project Management. The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet
the project requirements.
Project Management Maturity. Maturity of project management processes measured by the ability of
an organization to successfully initiate, plan, execute, and monitor and control individual projects. Project
management maturity is limited to individual project execution and doesnt address key processes, Capabilities,
or Best Practices at the program, portfolio, or organizational level. The focus of project management maturity
is doing projects right.
Standardize. To demonstrate a documented and communicated process whereby the applicable people are
following a process within an organization. When the Capability description or title includes phrases such
as have a process for, document a process, or standardize a process, it is probably a standardization
Capability of the process.
The progression of Capabilities generally includes assigning process ownership, obtaining or developing
a process, and then demonstrating that the organization is adhering to the standard for that process.
When used in evaluating Capability maturities, the collective application of standardization activities
constitutes the first stage of the OPM3 SMCI quality management model. See also process improvement
stages.
Strategic Goals. The definition of an organizations intended achievements in terms of business results
may be interpreted from various perspectivesfinancial, customer, infrastructure, products and services, or
by cultural outcomes that are measurable.
Sustainability. A characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained indefinitely. Within the
assessment process for measuring a Capability, sustainability must be achieved in order to reach the improve
stage.
Q illustration of, 30
improve, 4950, 5561, 6390, 9495
Quality Function Deployment, 109110 maturity assessment, 6, 13
measure, 4043, 4651, 6281, 8690, 9293
R OPM3 construct, 37
organization increasing maturity through, 36
Record Project Resource Assignments Best Practice, 46
organizational strategic environment, 6
Resource Allocation Best Practices, 46, 91
processes achieved by, 2829
Resource optimization, 34
stages of, 33
standardize, 26, 4046, 6281, 8690
S Sponsorship Best Practices, 45, 92
SAM. See Self-Assessment Method Staff Organizational Project Management With Competent
Schlichter, John, 105106, 110, 113 Resources Best Practice, 45
Self-administered assessment, 56, 16, 99, 137153, The Standard for Portfolio Management, xv, 21
155161, 180 The Standard for Program Management, xv, 21, 22
Self-Assessment Method (SAM), 16, 99, 155161, 180 Strategic Alignment Best Practices, 95, 98
SMCI (Standardize, Measure, Control, and continuously
Improve) Best Practices, 34 T
Capabilities and, 27
Transformation, continual, 173174
control, 4043, 4955, 6281, 8690, 9394