A project management maturity is a way to determine the current state of process competency within an organisation. It can be used to set goals and develop a plan to implement improvements.

Most boards begin at the lower end of the maturity scale. They are aware of their responsibilities as well as dangers, but are reluctant to spend time on governance, claiming that it is distracting them from their primary job of running the business. It is important that these boards are aware that governing is a process that requires its own level professional assessment of development and training. It is a risky venture that requires a lot of imagination, a willingness and ability to take risks in the face of demographics and economic trends and physical changes in the environment.

The next step is for the Board to take the conscious decision to move up the ladder of board management maturity towards ‘The Learning Board.’ This involves a shift away from the traditional focus on Accountability and Management Supervision toward a emphasis on Strategic Thinking and Policy Formulation. This is a significant shift in the way that boards function and requires external support to implement the new approach. It also involves developing a regular process for openly sharing internal data regarding the board’s collective learning and emotional atmosphere. The Chairman, assisted by the Company secretary, should also lead the process of rebalancing the agenda of the board away « hard business results » and towards a more focused agenda on the company’s external issues.

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