42 PROJEKTMANAGEMENT AKTUELL · 36. Jahrgang · 03/ 2025 DOI 10.24053/ PM-2025-0044 Portfolio, Program and Project Management Maturity: Taking a Practical Perspective Clemens Wiegel, Brian Ponstein For Impatient Readers | The importance of customer solution projects in business of Power Systems, a Division of Rolls-Royce plc, has significantly increased over the past years. While the overall portfolio performance in this so-called Project Systems Business (PSB) is more than satisfying, certain programs and projects stood out across Rolls-Royce Power Systems’ Hubs and numerous Sales & Service Centers (S&SC). To understand variances, an approach was set up, assessing Portfolio, Program and Portfolio Management (PPPM) maturity along six dimensions. This PPPM Maturity Diagnostics allowed analyzing the as-is maturity via two angles: on individual S&SC level when focusing the respective outcome along all six dimensions, and on collective Dimension-level when looking at the six dimensions one-by-one. The resulting PPPM Maturity Report did not only show gaps towards the to-be maturity but also included actions on both, S&SC and Hub level, intended to lift portfolio performance to the next level. Keywords | Project Portfolio Management, Portfolio Performance, Corporate Management, IPMA Delta 1. Situation, Challenges and Need for Action ‘Why do certain programs and projects in the portfolio perform better than others, and how can we increase their share and weight? ’ This is the basic question every Portfolio Manager is confronted with in his day-to-day work. And it was exactly this basic question that we asked ourselves when we looked at our portfolio of complex customer solution projects back in 2023 . Such projects, internally known as Project Systems Business (PSB), are nothing new to Rolls- Royce Power Systems. However, as Rolls-Royce Power Systems has taken a strategic decision to transform from an engine manufacturer delivering standardized loose engines with limited customization towards a provider of highly customized and integrated systems, sold as a Solution, the PSB volume, complexity as well as contribution to the financial success and hence PSB importance has significantly increased in the recent past. This is particularly true for Rolls-Royce Power Systems’ Business Unit Stationary Power Solutions: The strategy to drive differentiation and profitable growth through a focused expansion of the solution offering is being implemented via Rolls-Royce & Rolls-Royce Power Systems at a Glance Rolls-Royce and Rolls-Royce Power Systems at a Glance Rolls-Royce develops and delivers complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land. The company operates via three Divisions: Civil Aerospace, Defence and Power Systems. Within Rolls-Royce Power Systems, the Business Unit Stationary Power Solutions serves various end customer segments in Power Generation and Oil & Gas industries via its 4 Hubs, more than 30 own Sales & Service Centers along with more than 420 independent Sales & Service Partners in 1,200 locations in 175 countries worldwide. In 2024, Rolls-Royce Power Systems generated a Revenue of 4.271 bn GBP at an Operating Margin of 13.1 % through its around 10,350 employees globally and is growing / recruiting. Rolls-Royce: www.rolls-royce.com Rolls-Royce Power Systems: www.mtu-solutions.com/ eu/ en.html Wissen | Portfolio, Program and Project Management Maturity 43 PROJEKTMANAGEMENT AKTUELL · 36. Jahrgang · 03/ 2025 DOI 10.24053/ PM-2025-0044 a system strategy and translated into a roadmap. According to this roadmap and in line with positive market dynamics notably for Data Centers but also in other areas that require reliable energy solutions (see reference project below), overall business is expected to grow- - and PSB is expected to grow even above-average, already now surpassing billions of GBP in annual revenue. As mentioned earlier, PSB with its specific technical and contractual risks, is nothing new to Power Systems. Consequently, a Portfolio, Program and Project Management (PPPM) framework consisting of methods, processes, standards and guidelines exists and is globally binding for the organization and the teams involved in programs and projects. This framework aims at minimizing risk. Nonetheless, the above-average growth in PSB might still be associated with an increasing risk to the portfolio as complex customer projects are being acquired and executed by more remote parts of the organization, notably in Sales & Service Centers (S&SC) that are performing PSB less frequently, sometimes even for the first time at all. Hence, for the purpose of continued improvement and with the best intention to lift portfolio performance to the next level, we have formulated the working hypothesis that ‘PPPM maturity is low in S&SCs’. To verify or falsify our working hypothesis, we have developed and applied the ‘PPPM Maturity Diagnostics’ inside Power Systems, summarized results in the ‘PPPM Maturity Report’ and presented those results within Power Systems. This article gives insights into main aspects & features of the approach, points out selected, anonymized outcomes, discusses limits and finally concludes with a brief outlook. 2. Main Aspect & Features of the PPPM Maturity Diagnostics In contrast to certain scientific research, the basic orientation towards the PPPM Maturity Diagnostics was not driven by the interest to develop the perfect, generic method itself. It was rather driven by the target to create the PPPM Maturity Report and hence is subject to a high level of pragmatism: Getting comparable results via a tailormade PPPM Maturity Diagnostics in very limited time with limited resources for discussion of actions and taking decisions with upper management. It is important to understand this main aspect before looking at the features of the approach, as it largely differs from other, more in-depth approaches such as IPMA Delta. This also explains why not all, more than 30 S&SCs have been included, but just those 15 which at the time of the analysis were assumed to be relevant for PSB in BU Stationary. At a glance, the PPPM Maturity Diagnostics is centered around a number of features: • Structured questionnaire as a consistent basis for all interviews. Basis of the PPPM Maturity Diagnostics was a structured questionnaire with open questions that were created and cross-checked by a team of experienced project managers. The intention was to limit questions ‘outside the questionnaire’ to not dilute results. At the same time it has to be noted that not all interviewees were native English speakers so at times rewording for clarification of the question was needed. • Limited number of dimensions and all weighted equally. The structured questionnaire included questions in six dimensions: Organization & Governance, Processes & Roles, Tools & Metrics, People & KnowHow, Culture & Collaboration, and Product & Scope. Certain other dimensions like Vision & Strategy or Roadmap & Targets were intentionally not part of the interview. • Maximum five questions per dimension, all weighted equally within their dimension. Each dimension touched in the structured questionnaire contains minimum three to maximum five questions. All questions within one dimension were weighted equally. Hence, it was consciously accepted that questions in a dimension with three questions have a higher weight compared to questions in a dimension with five questions. • One neutral / ‘non-PMO-branded’ interviewer. The interviewer, being an experienced Senior Project Manager not related directly to the Project Management Office (PMO) and hence considered neutral, was interviewing one to three interviewees per S&SC within a period of four weeks on the basis of the structured questionnaire. Each interview took 90 to 120 minutes and was documented. All interviews per S&SC were weighted equally, irrespectively of rank or tenure of the interviewees. • Rating on basis of answer per question on a scale 0 (“poor”) to 5 (“perfect”). The neutral interviewer was giving a rating to each answer per question on a scale from 0 (“poor”) to 5 (“perfect”). • Creation of generic PPPM Maturity Levels for S&SCs. Based on this rating and scale, three generic maturity levels were developed for the S&SCs: ‘low’, with combined Rolls-Royce Power Systems has delivered a mtu microgrid solution for the energy supply of a logistics park in the UK. It supplies efficient, climate-friendly electricity and heat and supports the local grid. The energy system includes three mtu Combined Heat & Power units, two mtu Energy- Pack battery containers, two mtu emergency generators and the complete microgrid control system. Information on Microgrid Project for Logistics Park in Biggleswade / UK: www.mtu-solutions.com/ content/ dam/ mtu/ technical-article/ 2025/ a-powerful-combination/ mtu- 05756_Use%20Cases_Biggleswade.pdf/ _jcr_content/ renditions/ original./ mtu-05756_Use%20Cases_Biggleswade. pdf Wissen | Portfolio, Program and Project Management Maturity 44 PROJEKTMANAGEMENT AKTUELL · 36. Jahrgang · 03/ 2025 DOI 10.24053/ PM-2025-0044 rating from 0 to 10, ‘mid with combined rating from 11 to 15, and ‘high’ combined rating from 15 to 30. These levels can also be used to estimate the gap between as-is and to-be PPPM maturity. • Validation of outcome incl. overall grade through S&SC. The interviewer summarized the results per S&SC and shared the outcome incl. the overall grade to the interviewees in the respective S&SC for validation, asking for consent to share the overall outcome with others S&SCs. Subsequently, the validated results were shared with the PMO. Due to the chosen design of the PPPM Maturity Diagnostics, the PMO was able to further analyze the as-is PPPM Maturity via two angles: on individual S&SC level when focusing the respective outcomes along all six dimensions, and on collective Dimension level when looking at the six dimensions one-byone. 3. Selected Outcomes of the PPPM Maturity Report As described above, the PPPM Maturity Diagnostics gave insights via two angles: on individual S&SC level, and as a byproduct, on collective Dimension level. To generate the PPPM Maturity Report, those insights were combined with recent facts & figures, i.e. the number of PSB in the recent past and the assumed relevance of PSB in the near future. While detailed outcomes for understandable reasons cannot be shared with the broader public, selected outcomes on individual and collective levels include the following elements: • Individual S&SC level: With focus on the individual S&SC level, it was observed that two S&SCs reached a high and four a medium PPPM maturity level ‘as-is’. It was mainly those S&SCs that performed more PSB in the past, and also had such plans for the near future. Among those showing a low PPPM Maturity level, three explained that they follow a different business model, i.e. that they would engage exter- Visualization 1: PPPM Maturity Diagnostics at a Glance Chart 1: Individual / S&SC Dimension View Wissen | Portfolio, Program and Project Management Maturity 45 PROJEKTMANAGEMENT AKTUELL · 36. Jahrgang · 03/ 2025 DOI 10.24053/ PM-2025-0044 nal system integrators taking over the riskier PSB scope. However, there we also some S&SCs with low PPPPM Maturity that have described keen interest to (further) engage into PSB. In particular for those S&SCs, a dedicated Maturation Roadmap along with a proper Execution Model is necessary to minimize the gap between the as-is and the to-be PPPM Maturity. • Collective Dimension level: Taking a closer look at the collective Dimension level, certain differences in the values were observed: While Culture & Collaboration consistently has shown high values, e.g. Tools & Metrics has shown much lower values. The low value in Tools & Metrics is underlining the need for a holistic, standardized, automated and digitalized PPPM IT solution. Overall, the PPPM Maturity Report based on the PPPM Maturity Diagnostics allowed Rolls-Royce Power Systems to better understand main aspects of portfolio performance on both, individual S&SC as well as on collective Dimension level, and to derive appropriate action to further lift portfolio performance. Our working hypothesis that ‘PPPM maturity is low in S&SCs’, (fortunately) could not be verified: The majority of S&SCs keen in pursuing PSB were on high or mid PPPM maturity levels, underlining the need and sense of a more differentiated assessment and evaluation. 4. Selected Limits of PPPM Maturity Diagnostics and Report As mentioned above, the PPPM Maturity Diagnostics and Report allowed to better understand main aspects of portfolio performance and to derive appropriate action. Still, both PPPM Maturity Diagnostics and PPPM Maturity Report have certain limitations that should not be ignored. Selected limits of the PPPM Maturity Diagnostics include the following, mainly driven by the high level of pragmatism that was applied: • Only 15 of more than 30 S&SCs were included in the assessment, • None of the hubs was included in the assessment, • The short questionnaire and the short duration did not allow going into details. Selected limits of the PPPM Maturity Report include the following: • PPPM Maturity Levels have only been created after rating of PPPM Maturity Diagnostics had happened, • PPPM Maturity Report might include a wrong interpretation of answers, Overall, there are other methods like IPMA Delta that apply a much more holistic framework and at the same time look much more into details, taking into consideration various facets of organization, projects and individuals. Moreover, PPPM Maturity Diagnostics and Report have not been repeated. A potential progress made on the Maturation Roadmap cannot yet be proven. 5. Conclusion & Next Steps Despite of the key limits, Rolls-Royce Power Systems has been able to understand better the status quo of individual S&SCs. Key measures have been initiated and show first results. Overall financial performance measured by Operating Profit has been increased from 10.4 % in 2023 to 13.1 % in 2024, also driven by performance in PSB. Longer term measures need to be consequently implemented. Literature [1] Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (27. 02. 2025): 2024 Full Year Results [2] Lang, Michael; Wagner, Reinhard (Hrsg.) (2019): Der Weg zum projektorientierten Unternehmen. Hanser, München. [3] Lock, Dennis; Wagner Reinhard (Eds.) (2018): Handbook of Project Portfolio Management. Routledge, Abingdon. Eingangsabbildung: © iStock.com/ MicroStockHub Weitere Abbildungen: copyright Rolls-Royce Power Systems Chart 2: Collective Dimension view Wissen | Portfolio, Program and Project Management Maturity 46 PROJEKTMANAGEMENT AKTUELL · 36. Jahrgang · 03/ 2025 DOI 10.24053/ PM-2025-0044 Clemens Wiegel Clemens Wiegel is involved in project, program and portfolio management since more than 15 years. During this period, he has dived into Strategy, Product Management, Global Footprint and M&A in both, decision as well as implementation in intercultural context. Within Rolls-Royce Power Systems he leads the global Portfolio Management of complex customer project in the energy sector. In this role, he is editor of the corresponding PM Guide and currently is setting up a holistic, standardized, automated and digitalized IT solution for the global Portfolio- und Project Management. Rolls-Royce Power Systems, Maybachplatz 1, 88 045 Friedrichshafen, Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 176 1790 1656 E-Mail: Clemens.Wiegel@ps.rolls-royce.com Brian Ponstein Brian Ponstein has been in the power generation and backup power market for more than 15 years. As Sr. Product Manager, he is responsible for the company’s product management for North and South America. He has also worked overseas in Germany supporting the global power generation market from both a sales and engineering perspective. Brian continues to challenge himself by leading multiple project teams simultaneously to develop new product offerings under the mtu brand. He has written several articles and is an author for the 5th edition of the “EGSA Onsite Power Generation.” Rolls-Royce Power Systems, 100 Power Drive, Mankato, MN 56 001, USA Tel.: +1 507 995 8533 E-Mail: Brian.Ponstein@ps.rolls-royce.com Buchtipp Narr Francke Attempto Verlag GmbH + Co. KG Dischingerweg 5 \ 72070 Tübingen \ Germany \ Tel. +49 (0)7071 97 97 0 \ info@narr.de \ www.narr.de Die rasch voranschreitende Digitalisierung und der damit verbundene tiefgreifende Kulturwandel erfordern dringend ethische Re exionen und mehr gesellschaftliche Gestaltung. In dieser Einführung werden wichtige Grundbegriffe und normative Leitideen geklärt. Im ersten Teil Digitale Medienethik geht es um Probleme wie Fake News, Emotionalisierung und Hassrede in Online-Medien. Dies führt zur Frage, ob das Internet die Demokratie eher fördert oder gefährdet. Der zweite Teil KI- Ethik re ektiert die Gefahren von Data zierung und Big-Data-Analysen, z. B. Diskriminierung oder Verlust von Freiheit. 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