Project management
How individual projects are planned, managed and delivered.
Organisational project management maturity
Know where you are.
Know what to improve.
An evidence-based assessment of how your organisation manages projects, programmes and portfolios, with practical priorities for improving delivery.
01 / Why assess maturity?
A clear picture.
A practical way forward.
An organisational maturity assessment examines your management practices and the evidence of how they are used. It helps identify strengths, gaps and priorities across project, programme and portfolio management.
Crystal’s 3PM assessment brings that evidence together with your organisation’s own definition of success. The purpose is to help you improve delivery, rather than simply produce a maturity score.
The assessment is intended to support more consistent project outcomes, better resource allocation, stronger stakeholder engagement and greater value from your investment in projects.
About the model
Our 3PM model draws on the scoring approaches of P3M3, 4Q and OPM3, and adds a focus on how your organisation defines success. This page describes Crystal’s 3PM assessment service.
02 / What we assess
Three management areas.
Seven dimensions of practice.
We agree the scope with you at the outset. The model provides a structured way to examine both your documented approach and what happens in practice.
Programme management
How related projects and activities are coordinated to achieve outcomes.
Portfolio management
How the organisation selects, prioritises and oversees its investments.
The seven focus areas
- Governance
- Planning, management & control
- Benefits management
- Risk management
- Stakeholder management
- Finance management
- Resource management
03 / The process
Gather the evidence.
Make sense of it.
Agree the priorities.
The assessment can be completed on-site, entirely remotely, or through an agreed approach that suits your organisation.
A typical assessment takes 4–8 weeks, depending on size and complexity. We work around normal business requirements while gathering the evidence needed.
- 01
Agree the scope and team.
Confirm which parts of the organisation and which management areas will be assessed, and form the assessment team.
- 02
Plan the evidence gathering.
Hold an initial planning meeting, agree access to processes, tools and working documents, and identify the people to interview.
- 03
Bring people into the process.
Run a team kick-off meeting to explain the purpose, describe the assessment method and answer questions.
- 04
Review documents and practice.
Examine processes, practices, tools and techniques, together with evidence that shows how they are used.
- 05
Listen through interviews and workshops.
Gather perspectives from the agreed participants to build a fuller understanding of how the organisation works.
- 06
Assess and score the evidence.
Use the 3PM assessment tool to evaluate the findings across the agreed scope.
- 07
Prepare the report.
Bring together the scores, peer benchmarking and prioritised recommendations for improvement.
- 08
Present the findings and next steps.
Explain the results to the relevant parts of your organisation and discuss practical improvement priorities.
04 / Your results
The score is a starting point.
Improvement is the purpose.
A full 3PM assessment produces 20–30 scores on a zero-to-five scale, giving you a detailed view of project, programme and portfolio management practice.
The report turns those findings into specific, prioritised recommendations. We work with you to make those recommendations appropriate, achievable and valuable.
What you receive
- Detailed assessment scores
- A view of strengths and areas for improvement
- Benchmarking against peers
- Specific, prioritised recommendations
- A presentation of results and recommendations
From assessment to action
Build on the findings.
We make time to explain the results to the relevant parts of your organisation. We are also available to work alongside you to implement the recommendations.
One client example reported by Crystal saw project success rates rise from 60% to 85% within the first 12 months of implementing recommendations. That is a client example, not a forecast for your organisation.
The starting point for your assessment is your context: what success means, where performance needs to improve, and which changes will deliver value.
05 / Questions & costs
What else do you
need to know?
If your question is specific to your organisation, email Sean to discuss it.
How much does an assessment cost?
The fee depends on your organisation’s size, complexity and current maturity. We agree a complete fee proposal with you before the assessment, on a no-surprises basis. Contact us to discuss the scope and receive a proposal.
How much time will our people need to contribute?
Your team will help with planning, access to evidence, interviews or workshops, and the results presentation. We agree the participants and arrangements during planning. There is no fixed staff-time commitment quoted here because the assessment scope varies.
Can the assessment be completed remotely?
Yes. An assessment can be completed entirely remotely and virtually. On-site delivery is also available. We agree an approach that gives us access to the evidence and people needed.
What evidence will you need?
We review your processes, practices, tools and techniques, along with examples of them being used. We agree access to existing documents and other evidence during the planning meeting, and use interviews and workshops to add context.
Does the assessment cover all three management areas?
The model covers project, programme and portfolio management. We confirm the scope with you at the start so that it reflects the assessment your organisation needs.
Is 3PM the same as P3M3?
This page describes Crystal’s 3PM model. It draws on the scoring approaches of P3M3, 4Q and OPM3, with an added focus on your definition of success. If your procurement requirements specify a particular model or assessment, tell us before we agree the scope.
Will you help us implement the recommendations?
Yes, we are available to support implementation. The assessment includes recommendations and a presentation of the findings. Any implementation support should be discussed when agreeing the engagement.
Where can we see an introduction to P3M3?
The Axelos video below introduces P3M3. It is background information about that model; the service described on this page is Crystal’s 3PM assessment.