Project Complexity as an Influence Factor on the Balance of Costs and Benefits in Project Management Maturity Modeling

Abstract Project management maturity models provide a framework to gauge an organization's project management competences. The basic premise in connection with these models is that with a higher maturity level, the chances for an organization to successfully complete its projects increase. As it seems to be apparent that professional project management is possible below the highest maturity level, both academics and professionals have asked the question for an “ideal” maturity level for a certain organization. Since every action of an organization to increase its maturity level will be connected to some (opportunity) cost, this ideal level stands for an optimal ratio of investment in an enhanced project management maturity and the benefits that accrue from this maturity level. Some research has been conducted in this field, particularly in the path of Return on Investment of project management. The question what factors and parameters influence or determine the ideal maturity level remains unanswered, yet, and thus requires further exploration. In this paper the results of a number of qualitative case studies with industrial enterprises are presented. The data of the case research indicate a linkage of the benefits of a high level of project management maturity to the degree of complexity of the projects undertaken by the companies. Drivers of project complexity resulting from the cases are introduced. A possible moderating function of project complexity towards the relationship between project management maturity and project success is currently researched via a quantitative field study, whose approach is explained.

[1]  Aaron J. Shenhar,et al.  Toward a typological theory of project management , 1996 .

[2]  Peter W. G. Morris,et al.  The Anatomy of Major Projects: A Study of the Reality of Project Management , 1988 .

[3]  Peter W. G. Morris,et al.  The Anatomy of Major Projects , 1987 .

[4]  H. Gemünden,et al.  Formalization of project portfolio management: The moderating role of project portfolio complexity , 2012 .

[5]  A. Pettigrew,et al.  Change and Complementarities in the New Competitive Landscape: A European Panel Study , 1999 .

[6]  Terry Cooke‐Davies.  Project Management Maturity Models , 2007 .

[7]  Y. Kwak,et al.  Calculating Project Management's Return on Investment , 2000 .

[8]  Mark C. Paulk,et al.  The Capability Maturity Model: Guidelines for Improving the Software Process , 1994 .

[9]  M. Mullaly.  Researching the Value of Project Management , 2008 .

[10]  Gerard O’Regan,et al.  The Capability Maturity Model , 2002 .

[11]  Brian Hobbs,et al.  Discriminating Contexts and Project Management Best Practices on Innovative and Noninnovative Projects , 2008 .

[12]  Janice Thomas,et al.  Project management maturity models: The silver bullets of competitive advantage. , 2002 .

[13]  M. Mullaly.  Longitudinal Analysis of Project Management Maturity , 2006 .

[14]  Peerasit Patanakul,et al.  Standardized project management may increase development projects success , 2005 .

[15]  Wang Jin,et al.  Application of Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) to Construction in China: An Empirical Study , 2008, 2008 International Conference on Information Management, Innovation Management and Industrial Engineering.

[16]  Stephen Wearne,et al.  A study of the reality of project management: W G Morris and G H Hough, John Wiley, UK (1987) £29.95, ISBN 0471 915513 pp 295 , 1989 .

[17]  Ralf Knackstedt,et al.  Dokumentationsqualität von Reifegradmodellentwicklungen , 2009 .

[18]  H. Yazici.  The Role of Project Management Maturity and Organizational Culture in Perceived Performance , 2009 .

[19]  J Crawford,et al.  Project Management Maturity Model , 2001 .

[20]  Bl Pasian,et al.  Project management maturity : a critical analysis of existing and emergent contributing factors , 2011 .

[21]  Pomscm.  Project Management 4 , 2009 .

[22]  Gregory J. Skulmoski.  Project maturity and competence interface , 2001 .

[23]  J. Morse.  Qualitative data analysis (2nd ed): Mathew B. Miles and A. Michael Huberman. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1994. Price: $65.00 hardback, $32.00 paperback. 238 pp , 1996 .

[24]  Karlos Artto,et al.  Criteria for project performance in business context , 2000 .

[25]  Joana Geraldi,et al.  The balance between order and chaos in multi-project firms: A conceptual model , 2008 .