Thursday, January 18, 2007

All About OPM3

PMI's Organization Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) is not without controversy, and things are heating up more than ever. Some tout it's ability to help organizations navigate a growth path and others claim it's too focused on academia and doesn't hit on real world issues facing project managers.

Here are a few recent articles that show the good and the bad ---- all you need to know to decide if OPM3 is for you.

First, this month, AllPM is highlighting articles on OPM3, including the following:

The Essence of OPM3

The Business Value of Maturity Assessment

OPM3 and your 'C' Level

Comparing CMMI and OPM3

For another perspective, there's a very insightful critique of OPM3 on Projects@Work:

Assessing OPM3

Of course, we need to keep in mind that it's the first iteration, and will evolve over time. I do know that there are major improvements in store for the next release. It'll be interesting to weigh in after the product matures. Meanwhile, it's a tool, and, like any other, can easily be misapplied or overused.

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posted by Jerry Manas @ 10:41 PM, Read More...  
4 comments links to this post

4 Comments:

At 1:37 PM, Blogger Garry said...

Personally, I wonder if OPM3 can be salvaged. The core reason? "Too much talk, too little do." -- from your blog entry Tom Peters on Action:
http://www.pmthink.com/2007/01/tom-peters-on-action.htm
There may be more direct ways to deal with organizational PM than to wade through the hundreds of pages of what OPM3 calls "best practices." For example, Best Practice ID 6930 is called "Portfolio Cost Control Process Improvement." There are hundreds of other "best practices" just like this. Too much talk, too little do.
/Garry

 
At 11:35 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Process improvement does not happen by itself. The essence of OPM3 - standardization, measurement, control, continuous improvement - is stuff that works if you know what you're doing, and doesn't if you don't. Much like CMMI and Six Sigma.

 
At 2:30 PM, Anonymous David said...

Read the Tom Peters thing.... And? OPM3 is all about action. OPM3 has 3 domains: 1) portfolio management (choosing the right actions), 2) program management (managing separate actions together for combined benefit), 3) project management (delivering unique results). Yes, OPM3 has hundreds of best practices. And that's bad? Encyclopedia sets have A through Z. Is that bad too? It's a format that lets you drill down into what matters to you. Like any tool, this one requires some user training. As the saying goes, a fool with a tool is still a fool.

 
At 8:05 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thursday, May 5th, 2008 Webinar Topic: Using PMI'S OPM3 to Build Your Company's Project Delivery Capability

Abstract: The Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) is an international standard for assessing and developing the maturity of organizations in the areas of project, program, and portfolio management. The model addresses the factors that enable organizations to create environments that promote the success of project, program, and portfolio management. OPM3 was designed to be applicable to most organizations most of the time. Over 800 professionals in 35 countries worked directly on the team that developed the OPM3 standard, and the underpinning research of the program engaged over 30,000 contributors representing a broad spectrum of organizations, geographies, and cultures. Unfortunately, people who do not have hands on experience implementing the model sometimes misinterpret the information in the standard. John Schlichter led the development of OPM3 on PMI's behalf and has implemented the model in organizations of all shapes and sizes. Come hear John explain what it means to implement this model in practical terms and how to avoid common misinterpretations of the standard.

Presenter: John Schlichter

Presenter Bio: A certified PMI OPM3 ProductSuite Assessor and a certified PMI OPM3 ProductSuite Consultant, John Schlichter has a project management and organization design background, focusing on strategy development/implementation. John was asked in '98 by the global project management advocate, the Project Management Institute (PMI®), to lead the largest standards development initiative ever undertaken by PMI, in order to develop a standard in Organizational Project Management for industry and government, designed to help organizations assess and develop the capabilities necessary to execute strategies through projects. John was then contracted by PMI to help develop the PMI OPM3 ProductSuite Assessor/Consultant Certifications beyond the PMP. "John Schlichter has contributed greatly to PMI," said Greg Balestrero, CEO, the Project Management Institute (PMI). "In John Schlichter's role as leader of the OPM3 program, he has immeasurably contributed to the growth of the (Project Management) profession," said Rebecca (Becky) Winston, J.D., Chair of the Board of Directors, PMI. John is widely credited with being the world's foremost expert in the OPM3 standard's content and application. He was also a member of the PMI Standards Committee, the PMI Standards MAG, and a co-founder of the PMI Metrics Special Interest Group. John began his career as an analyst/briefer for a management consulting firm serving Fortune companies. He worked in positions from PMO Director to EVP Business Development, and has implemented PMO's for many Fortune companies, led large-scale organizational change, designed and led comprehensive training programs, managed multi-million dollar technology projects, and been a mentor to all levels of management. He is invited to speak to audiences about project management across the globe. He holds an MBA from the Goizueta Business School of Emory University.

FIRST TIME USERS: Before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is compatible with Microsoft Office Live Meeting: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/bellconfpro/join?id=check. To attend the Live Meeting; please click on the link below to join: https://www119.livemeeting.com/cc/bellconfdemo2/join?id=5FCH6K&role=attend&pw=svsdfvdf. Meeting ID: 5FCH6K. Meeting Key: svsdfvdf. Role: Attendee. Audio Conferencing Toll-free (Canada and the United-States) (866) 596-5283. Conference ID: 5213805. Audio Conferencing (International): Join the Web conference and use your speakers to hear the audio broadcast. Click to add to your Outlook calendar: https://www119.livemeeting.com/cc/bellconfdemo2/meetingICS?id=5FCH6K&role=attend&pw=svsdfvdf&i=i.ics.

 

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