Project management maturity models: a comparative analysis

Abstract

Maturity in project management has become a critical factor for organizations that develop projects and want to stand out in the marketplace in which they operate. In this context, the literature shows several models for assessing organizational maturity in project management, furnishing paths for allowing the institutionalization of project management to progressively achieve superior levels of excellence. This paper attempts to comparatively analyze four of these models on the basis of an analytical matrix elaborated through a mixed methodological procedure. A theoretical investigation on the core structure of the models was combined with an in-depth review of previous studies, including conceptual and empirical types. The analytical matrix used in this paper is derived from the implicit structure of the models and from documented information regarding theoretical and empirical analysis of their application in field situations. Our conclusions indicate that the Prado-MMGP and PMMM models obtained a better evaluation than the other models considered in the study; nevertheless, they also indicate the need for further comparative analyses, especially concerning the improvement of the analytical matrix.