Strategic planning for project management and a study using project management maturity model

Excellence in project management cannot occur, at least not within a reasonable time frame, without some form of strategic planning for project management. Although the principles of strategic planning have been known for several decades, an understanding of their applicability to project management is relatively new. Today, as more companies recognize the benefits that project management can provide to their ?bottom line,? the need for strategic planning for project management has been identified as a high priority. This study is broken down into three major parts. The first part, discusses the principles of Project Management and Strategic Planning for Project Management. The second part, details the modern and classical developments of Project Management and the project management maturity model (PMMM), which will provide organizations with general guidance on how to perform strategic planning for project management. The last part provides a computer-aided Maturity Assessment Tool which can be carried through by any project managers or executives at any organization. The various levels, or stages of development, for achieving project management maturity, and the accompanying assessment instruments, can be used to validate how far along the maturity curve the organization has progressed. One large company requires that, each month, managers and executives take the Maturity assessment module and then verify that progress toward maturity is taking place from reporting period to reporting period. Perhaps the major benefit of the PMMM is that the assessment instruments for each level of maturity can be customized for individual companies. This customization opportunity makes Strategic Planning for Project Management Using a Project Management Maturity Model highly desirable as a required or reference for all organizations.