Assessing adoption of project management knowledge areas and maturity level: case study of a public agency in Malaysia

Abstract

The importance of project management maturity models has taken on greater significance in assessing an organization's current capabilities. These models are used to assess the maturity of an organization and to ensure its efficiency and uniformity in delivering projects. In addition, these models are used to further improve the performance of the organization. The objectives of this study are to determine the degree to which project management knowledge areas have been adopted by one public agency in terms of project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communication, risk, and procurement and to assess the current maturity level of project management as perceived by project managers. A total of 65 project managers and project team members were selected as respondents for the study. Descriptive analysis was applied to answer the research questions and objectives. The study revealed that almost 90% of the respondents felt that understanding the nine project management knowledge areas was important when managing projects. The overall maturity level of the agency was rated as level 2. To maintain sustainability, the case agency has to shift upward from level 2 to level 3 of the project management maturity level.