Maturity models have been around for several years. Various organizations have measured themselves against maturity assessment criteria, and have successfully made a fortune on the outcomes, therefore increasing their ability to deliver business results. Presently there are, however, many organizations that are still in the doldrums of job management improvement. These organizations strive for better job management, but in the process conclude with alternatives that are unlikely to have a positive impact on the project management maturity of the corporation. There is a whole lot revealed maturity models and for the purposes of this discussion I possess presumed that an organization which is mature in the project management will constantly deliver value adding jobs. Within my consulting engagements over the past twenty years, I actually have seen a quantity of approaches that travel the colours of maturity growth, but that are unsuccessful to deliver consistently bettering project success. Listed here are five of the most frequent approaches We have come across that create the illusion of project management maturity. Computer software Illusion Enterprise project management (EPM) software systems are probably the biggest culprit. In the past few years, I have seen many of organizations that contain put in a substantial amount of time and money applying EPM systems that are underutilized, or not used in any way. Software systems do not change behavior, and employees who do not begin to see the benefit for by using a system will discover ways to sidestep it. Organizations should therefore focus their efforts on changing the behavior of employees, before implementing an EPM system. Collins M Ellis, author of 'The Conscious Project Leader', publishes articles more about changing task management behavior. Methodology Illusion Adopting an internationally recognized job management methodology always has a nice ring to it, but many very good and useful techniques wrap up in an overlooked repository (which is often portion of the unused EPM system). A technique without training is merely an eulogy. Many of the value added with a methodology is the accompanying training. Schooling changes just how people think about their work, and it is an efficient change management tool to get consensus on work methods. The 2nd focus area for organizations should be to train all the task stakeholders on the chosen methodology. Janeita Reid produces about the value to teach project managers, not only on a methodology, but over a variety of skills. One-Size-Fits-All Illusion This illusion has two origins - the first is adopting an approach that worked at another company, and the second reason is an off-the-shelf or example solution. Organizations are unique in many ways, and even small distinctions in framework or risk appetite may render an adopted procedure useless. The third emphasis area ought to be to tailor the task management approach to the unique needs and culture of the organization. The PMI(R) published a superb white paper on drawing attention to a technique. Superhero Illusion The prototypical project management "superhero" has worked for a quite few companies, has a substantial price marking, and it is hired to "sort things out". Superheroes may become successful at delivering specific project, but very few superheroes are successful at increasing project management maturity, and may in truth impair maturity growth. The problem with superheroes is merely that they must maintain the superhero image, which will not leave much room for teamwork or new ideas. Project management maturity can easily be improved if most people are in the same boat, and rowing in the same direction. The fourth area of concentrate should be cultivating team collaboration and integration. Ann Madsen writes about becoming a more collaborative task manager. Rule-book Illusion The rule-book illusion is another popular approach that is centered on the assumption that unsuccessful project delivery is the result of poor governance. Rules are often implemented in the form of policies and techniques, and what starts as a single policy to get everyone aligned soon assumes a life of its own - before long, there is an insurance plan or procedure for each and every part of your work. Rules can never achieve what should be done through a well-communicated vision, objectives, and collaboration. The fifth emphasis area should therefore be to develop and entrench a project management eye-sight which is translated into objectives with measurable key performance indicators (KPI's). PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE Fellow and well-known job management author, Max Wideman, elaborates on the value of your vision statement for jobs. Conclusion A group of not skilled, unmotivated, and directionless people with an application system, someone else's vision, guidelines, a methodology, and a hero as a head, will achieve very little. On the other hands, a well-trained team who knows where it is going and why it is going there, requires minimal supervision and guidelines. The five illusions talked about above are from my experiences, if you have experienced other illusions of maturity, please share them with us at www.softleanerp.com