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By Dr. Ginger Levin, PMP, PgMP, PMI Certified OPM3 Assessor and Consultant This is the fourth of a five-part series that focuses on PMI’s Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3®). In this article, we discuss the third component of OPM3®—improvement. Today, we are in an era where continuous improvement is necessary for a sustained, competitive advantage. OPM3 can help you in this quest. Once you complete your OPM3 assessment as discussed in Part 3, the next step is to prepare an improvement plan. If you use OPM3 ProductSuite®, the plan is prepared by the certified OPM3 assessor. If not, you will prepare the improvement plan on your own. You use this plan to prioritize what your organization must do to enhance its capabilities in project, program and portfolio management. Your improvement plan is an evolutionary path, or guide, and it describes how you can best upgrade your processes for overall organizational success. Your OPM3 improvement plan shows the capabilities your organization already has, as well as those that are needed. It also shows the dependencies among these capabilities, so you can map out how each of them fit together in a coordinated way and best choose your organization’s priorities going forward. But improvements do not happen overnight. The OPM3 standard, for example, points out that some organizations may spend ninety percent of their efforts in the improvement phase, although even a single improvement may lead to sustainable and significant results. Keep in mind that each proposed improvement is a specific project. This means you should prepare a business case for it and show why the capability is necessary. In your business case, state the current situation based on your assessment, the proposed change, the expected benefits from the change, and the people who need to be involved to make it happen. Also include the estimated cost, resources and duration. Once you receive approval to begin, assign roles and responsibilities and follow best practices in project management. That includes developing a WBS (Work Breakdown Structure), a schedule, and a project management plan, as well as a communications management plan that informs everyone of your improvement project, its progress and its next steps. Not all of the improvement projects can be undertaken at once, so use the prioritized recommendations in your OPM3 improvement report to determine an overall improvement strategy. Show how each improvement project will contribute to your organization’s strategic objectives and critical success factors. Analyze the risks and the difficulties involved in implementing each new capability. Determine the amount of resistance to change you may encounter with some of your stakeholders and how you can best turn them into supporters. Promote buy-in throughout your organization to each proposed change, so all staff will be interested in implementing them. Also, communicate to your stakeholders that while these improvement initiatives can lead to overall improvements in business results, OPM3 adds value through a continuous improvement cycle. The first improvements you implement provide the foundation for future improvements and even greater organizational success. The OPM3 improvement process may be a large undertaking, but it can pay tremendous dividends, including increased efficiency and effectiveness, for you and your organization. Remember, too, the substantial results that even a single improvement can yield. In our final article in this series, we will discuss the importance of periodic reassessment of organizational maturity and some future directions in maturity modeling. For more information on OPM3, see the introduction to this series in 12 June issue, the Knowledge portion in the 26 June issue, the Assessment portion in the 10 July issue or visit PMI.org
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Think Outside the Project with OPM3®
Dr. Ginger Levin has worked in project management for more than 40 years. She is a Doctor of Public Administration, PMP, PgMP, and a PMI Certified OPM3 Assessor and Consultant. She is also a project/program/portfolio management consultant and educator. You can reach her at | Home BACK TO TOP
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