Project Management Maturity and Self-Assessment Tool

In this eye-opening episode of the 4PM Podcast, your host Mounir Ajam challenges organizations to take an honest look at their Project Management Maturity. Too often, organizations assume they’re further along the maturity ladder than they really are. But where are you, really? And what can you do about it?

Tune in as we explore:

✅ What Project Management Maturity actually means (hint: it’s more than       just on-time, on-budget delivery)
✅ The five levels of maturity—where does your organization really stand?
✅ Why a self-assessment tool is a powerful mirror for growth
✅ The importance of leadership buy-in and culture in driving improvement
✅ How to transform project management from ad hoc heroics to a repeatable, reliable system

This episode, titled "Holding Up the Mirror," dives deep into how self-assessment can reveal hidden gaps, challenge assumptions, and ultimately build a more resilient, high-performing project management practice.

Whether you’re a project manager, PMO leader, executive, or someone rethinking how your organization delivers value, this episode will leave you with practical steps and inspiration to elevate your project delivery.

🎧 Listen now and start your journey to a stronger, more mature project management practice.

Explore more project management insights at www.urukpm.com

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the 4PM podcast, where ideas take shape
and strategies find purpose.
I am Mounir Ajam, founder andCEO of Uruk Project Management,
and I have a deep-seated passionfor project management and
community development, growingon decades of global experience

(00:24):
across diverse industries androles.
I am here to guide you throughthe transformative power of the
4PMs project program, productand portfolio management, and
our focus on business integratedproject management.
Let's explore how integrationunlocks unparalleled value for
you and your organization.
Good day, welcome to the 4PMPodcast.

(00:49):
I'm your host, munir Ajam, andI'm excited to discuss a topic
that is at the heart of buildingstronger, more effective
project teams and organizationand, frankly, better project
outcome.
Frankly, better project outcome.
Our topic today is projectmanagement maturity and how a

(01:10):
self-assessment tool can helpyou navigate that journey.
You know I have been around theproject management world for
quite a while now.
In that time, I have seenorganization of all shapes and
sizes struggle to figure outwhere their project management
system stands or how theyperform compared to their peers.

(01:34):
I am not just talking aboutwhether they can deliver a
project on time or budget.
I am addressing somethingdeeper how mature their project
management practices really areand whether they are truly set
up for success in the long run.
Now some of you might bethinking maturity sounds like

(01:57):
one of those corporate buzzwords, but let me offer you a
different mindset.
It is much more than that.
Project management maturity isabout understanding how
consistently and effectivelyyour organization delivers
projects, programs and itsentire portfolio.
It's about knowing whetheryou're relying on the heroics of

(02:19):
a few talented individuals orwhether your success is built on
a solid, repeatable system thatcan stand the test of time, a
system that integrates people,processes and technology.
And that's where the idea of aself-assessment tool comes in.
It's like holding up a mirror,not to criticize or point

(02:43):
fingers, but to give you anhonest look at where you are and
where you can grow.
The self-assessment tool couldbe eye-opening.
It could challenge your beliefsand save you thousands of
dollars.
So in this episode, we willexplore what project management
maturity means, why it mattersand how you can use a

(03:04):
self-assessment tool to guideyour journey toward higher
levels of performance.
All right, please note thatthere is no standard model for
project management maturity.
However, most models use afive-step, stages or levels of

(03:25):
maturity.
Let's start by breaking downthe five levels of project
management maturity.
Please think of these levelslike steps on a ladder.
Each step represents adifferent level of capability.
Further, each one builds on theone before it and lead to a

(03:46):
better overall performance.
Level one initial.
At this level, processes are adhoc, reactive and highly
dependent on individualsassuming they exist.
You know that one starperformer who always seems to
pull off a miracle at the lastminute.
And there's no standard way ofworking, no templates, no real

(04:07):
lesson learned, just a lot ofimprovisation.
Level two repeatable.
Now we're starting to see somestructure.
Maybe the organization has afew templates floating around or
a basic project plan that getsdusted off from time to time.
There's some consistency, butit often varies from team to

(04:30):
team and while that's a stepforward, it's still fragile.
Success often depends on who'srunning the show.
However, keep in mind thatorganization might not reach
this level without intent andimplementing process improvement
changes.
Level three defined.
If an organization isimplementing the necessary

(04:53):
changes, they could reach levelthree.
Here we see real progress.
Processes are documented andstandardized across the
organization.
There's a shared understandingof how projects should be
managed and people are speakingthe same language.
Teams are working together moreeffectively and there's less

(05:14):
reliance on individual heroics.
At this level, organizationswill start to see significant
performance improvements.
They will see their overallcost of project management drop,
while projects performance andsuccess increase.
Level four managed.
This is where the magic startto happen.

(05:36):
The organization is not justfollowing processes, they're
measuring them.
Metrics are collected, trendsare analyzed and decisions are
based on data, not gut feelings.
Risks are identified andmanaged proactively, and
performance becomes morepredictable.

(05:57):
The organization is alreadyperforming well and, due to
continual monitoring andanalysis, it would be able to
identify and fill the gaps.
Level 5, optimizing At the topof the ladder.
The organization continues tofocus on continuous improvement,
in search of excellence.

(06:18):
Lessons learned aresystematically captured and fed
back into the process to be usedfor future projects.
New ideas are tested andinnovation is embraced.
It's a culture of lifelonglearning, always striving to get
better.
It is about making tomorrowbetter than today.

(06:41):
Now I've seen organizations thatthink they're at level four or
five, but when they actually doa self-assessment they realize
they're closer to level two, andthat's okay.
The key is to understand whereyou really are so you can plan
your next steps with confidence.

(07:01):
The journey to excellence takeseffort, dedication and
resilience.
So why does this matter?
Why should we even bother withself-assessment.
Let me share a quick story.

(07:24):
A few years ago, I was workingwith an organization that prided
itself on its projectmanagement.
They had a project managementdepartment, they had templates
and they even had a fancyproject management manual.
On paper they looked solid, butwhen we started digging in
asking the tough questions, itturned out that every team was

(07:46):
interpreting those templatesdifferently.
There was no consistency in howthey identified risks, no
clarity on stakeholderengagement, and lessons learned
were rarely documented, letalone shared.
It was a situation where peopledid not practice per their
system because they consideredtheir manual and processes as

(08:10):
outdated and forgotten.
In other words, they wereoperating at level two, if not
lower.
However, they thought they hada higher level of maturity.
That's the danger of assumingrather than assessing.
A self-assessment tool forcesyou to ask questions like are
project objectives clearlydefined and aligned with

(08:32):
organizational goals?
Do we identify and manage risksproactively, or do we wait for
a problem to arise?
As a result, they end upfighting fires?
Is there a documented processand method that everyone follows
, or is it more like figure itout as you go?
How often do we review projectperformance and do we actually

(08:57):
use those insights to improve?
These questions are likeshining a flashlight into the
corners of your house.
They help you see the dust inthe cobweb you might have missed
.
Let's be clear this exerciseshould never be about blame.
It's about building a stronger,more resilient organization

(09:17):
that adapts and thrives.
Now let's talk about how to getstarted with a self-assessment
tool.
I always say start simple, butstart honestly.
First, go to wwwurukpmcom.

(09:38):
Knowledge tab, tools andtemplates page.
You will find theself-assessment tool.
You might also find other toolsof interest, but that is
another subject for another day.
Second, get buy-in fromleadership.
Without their support, theresult of the assessment might
just sit on a shelf collectingdust.

(09:58):
We need commitment from the topto drive real change.
Third, use the Orook tool wedeveloped.
It is a great starting point.
This tool is excellent toidentify the gaps.
It is not a scoring model.
Fourth, be honest.
Sugarcoating the answers won'thelp anyone.
Be open about where you exceland where you need to grow.

(10:22):
Stay focused on the currentstatus, not where you hope to be
.
Fifth, analyze the results.
Don't just look at the overallassessment.
Dig into the details.
Maybe your risk managementprocesses are solid, but your
stakeholder engagement needswork.
That's where you'll find thegold.
Finally, and most importantly,create an action plan.

(10:45):
Identify one or two priorityareas to focus on first.
Maybe it's developing aconsistent approach to project
planning, maybe it's investingin training for your project
managers or project sponsors, ormaybe it's setting up a
community of practice to sharelessons learned, tips and tricks

(11:05):
and case studies.
Remember, project managementmaturity is not about ticking
boxes.
It's about building a cultureof continuous improvement, where
every project, every lesson,every success and every failure
becomes an opportunity to grow.
All right, my friends, thatbrings us to the end of this

(11:33):
episode.
We explored the five levels ofproject management maturity, the
importance of self-assessmentand how to get started on your
own journey toward excellence.
Remember, this is not aone-time exercise.
It's an ongoing process oflearning, adapting and striving
to deliver value consistentlyand predictably, no matter where

(11:58):
you are.
Today, the most important thingis to start the conversation,
to ask the tough question and tocommit to building a stronger
tomorrow and a more matureproject management practice that
delivers success consistently.
I am Munir Ajam and I want tothank you for joining me on the

(12:20):
4PM Podcast.
If you enjoyed this episode,please subscribe, leave us a
review and share it with yourcolleagues.
Together, we can build acommunity of project managers
who are not just managingprojects, but delivering real,
lasting value.
Until next time, keep learning,growing and building a better
future.

(12:40):
Goodbye for now.