Differentiated project and technology maturity in an organization - a case study

Purpose: The main research objective is to identify the differentiation in project maturity and technological sophistication within a single organization. On this basis, the article also aims to identify improvement areas contributing positively to entire organization's project maturity consistent with the PMMM model, including the use of appropriate information technology in project management. Design/methodology/approach: To accomplish the research objective, bibliometric analysis and literature review methods, as well as opinion surveys, were used. The empirical part is based on a case study involving a project maturity model questionnaire and an in-depth interview covering the IT tools employed in project management. Findings: Significant differences have been identified within the organization with regard to the levels of project maturity across its various departments. These differences have also been observed with respect to the IT tools used in project management. Departments within the organization as well as relevant project management areas have been identified, which, if properly managed, will contribute positively to the organization's level of project maturity, including its use of appropriate information technology. Research limitations/implications: The limitations of the study arise from the case study method itself, which limits the conclusions to the case analyzed. Project management praxis, nonetheless, indicates prevalence of differentiation in project maturity levels and applied information technology within a single organization. Future research should focus on the search for the causes of, and the patterns governing, this phenomenon, in order to formulate assumptions regarding a strategy capable of levelling the differences and moving the entire organization to higher levels of project maturity. Practical implications: The issue of organizational heterogeneity, in terms of project maturity and the IT tools used in project management, has drawn the attention of business and project management practitioners to the need for multi-pronged measurement of project maturity and technological sophistication in organizations. Only such measurement allows for targeted management of key areas in need of improvement, to bring the entire organization to a higher level of project maturity. Originality/value: The article fills an important cognitive gap, by highlighting the need for, and indicating the benefits of, examining the areas of project maturity and exploring the use of IT across different parts of an organization. The results may be of relevance to both the researchers searching for enablers of higher project-maturity levels as well as organizations seeking a strategic approach to raising the level of project maturity and achieving IT governance.