Page 29 - Organizational Project Management

Chapter 3

Best Practices

3.1 WHAT ARE BEST PRACTICES?
Organizational project management maturity is described in OPM3 through
the existence of Best Practices. A Best Practice is an optimal way currently
recognized by industry to achieve a stated goal or objective. For organiza-
tional project management, this includes the ability to deliver projects pre-
dictably, consistently, and successfully to implement organizational
strategies. Furthermore, Best Practices are dynamic because they evolve
over time as new and better approaches are developed to achieve their
stated goal. Using Best Practices increases the probability that the stated
goal or objective will be achieved.
An example of a Best Practice, from the OPM3 Best Practices Directory, is
number 5240. The name of the Best Practice is “Establish Internal Project
Management Communities.” It is described as follows: “The organization estab-
lishes an internal community that supports project management.”
Best Practices are best achieved by developing and consistently demon-
strating their supporting Capabilities, as observed through measurable Out-
comes.

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