How to Use Profit.co’s Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Maturity Assessment Template: A Step-by-Step Guide

TL;DR

With Profit.co’s Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Maturity Assessment Template, you can quickly and easily check the maturity of your organization’s portfolio. It evaluates performance in 10 key areas of strategic planning and execution, such as aligning goals and enabling AI. It then gives you instant feedback, scores, and suggestions. Use this guide to figure out how mature your portfolio is, what the results mean, and how to turn them into actionable insights.

What does the Profit.co Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Maturity Assessment do?

The Profit.co Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Maturity Assessment is a diagnostic tool that helps you answer the big question: “How mature is our organization in managing portfolios strategically, efficiently, and intelligently?” The tool is built into a simple Excel format and can measure:

• Maturity in both strategic project planning and strategic project execution.
• Automatic generation of scores and visual summaries.
• Provides a plan for how to get better based on where you are.

It fits perfectly with Profit.co’s OKR framework and is the best place to start for strategy-to-execution excellence.

Before You Start: Understanding the Structure

The Profit.co template includes four main sheets:

Sheet Name	Purpose
Instructions	Overview of how to use the tool and scoring method.
Assessment	The assessment process involves answering questions spanning across 10 dimensions.
Detailed Results	Auto-calculated scores and maturity visualization.
Metadata	Supporting data (e.g., criteria weights, maturity level logic).

Pro Tip: Always start with the Instructions tab to understand how scoring and weightage work.

Step 1 – Open the Assessment Tab

Navigate to the “Assessment” sheet. You’ll see two key sections:

• Strategic Project Planning (SP1–SP5)
• Strategic Project Execution (SE1–SE5)

Each question corresponds to a unique capability area and comes with an empty Response and Score column. You’ll rate your organization from 1 (Initial) to 5 (Optimized) based on the descriptions provided.

Here’s what they measure:

A. Strategic Project Planning (SP)

ID	Assessment Area	Example Question
SP1	Strategic Goal Definition & Alignment	How effectively do your project goals align with corporate OKRs?
SP2	Portfolio Prioritization & Value Optimization	How do you decide which projects to prioritize for maximum value?
SP3	Resource Capacity & Demand Planning	How balanced is your resource supply vs. project demand?
SP4	Financial Planning & Budget Governance	How do you ensure budgets support strategic outcomes?
SP5	Portfolio Planning Horizon & Roadmap Visibility	Do you maintain clear multi-quarter portfolio roadmaps?

B. Strategic Project Execution (SE)

ID	Assessment Area	Example Question
SE1	Governance & Decision-Making Agility	How agile is your decision-making process across portfolios?
SE2	Execution Visibility	Do you have real-time transparency into project progress?
SE3	Benefits Realization & Value Tracking	How consistently do you track post-project outcomes?
SE4	AI & Automation Enablement	How integrated are AI and automation into portfolio management?
SE5	Integration & Ecosystem Connectivity	How well do your systems and tools communicate across teams?

Step 2 – Score Each Question

For each question, assign a maturity score from 1 to 3 based on where your organization currently stands:

Level	Description
1 – Ad hoc	Processes are ad hoc, reactive, and undocumented.
2 – Defined	Standardized processes are documented and shared. Not fully integrated.
3 – Optimized	Continuous improvement, AI, automation, and strategic alignment.

Pro Tip: Accuracy leads to better insights later.

Evaluate your strategic planning and execution maturity in minutes. Try now.

Step 3 – Review the Scores

Once all 10 areas are scored, the template automatically calculates your scores.

• Strategic Project Planning Score
• Strategic Project Execution Score
• Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) Maturity Score (Overall)
• Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) Maturity Level (1–5)

These results appear at the top of the assessment sheet. They’re also summarized visually in the Detailed Results tab.

Here’s how to interpret them:

Maturity Level	Description	What It Means
Level 1 – Initial	Unstructured and reactive.	Projects succeed individually but fail collectively.
Level 2 – Defined	Standardized processes and transparency.	Portfolio planning and reporting are consistent.
Level 3 – Optimized	Predictive and adaptive.	PPM is integrated with OKRs, analytics, and AI.

Step 4 – Analyze the “Detailed Results” Sheet

Head over to the “Detailed Results” tab. This is where the template translates scores into insights. You’ll typically find:

• A maturity radar chart (spider diagram) showing strengths and weaknesses.
• A weighted breakdown of each assessment area.
• Visual indicators for “high” and “low” performing dimensions.

Example: If your SP3 (Resource Capacity & Demand Planning) score is low, it signals the need to strengthen forecasting or resource management tools.

Step 5 – Interpret Your Maturity Profile

Once you have the scores, reflect on what they mean strategically:

• High Planning, Low Execution (Level 1): Your strategy is strong, but delivery suffers. Focus on execution visibility and benefits realization.
• High Execution, Low Planning (Level 1): You deliver efficiently but without clear prioritization. Strengthen portfolio alignment and financial governance.
• Balanced Mid-Level (Level 2): Standardized but static. Consider automation and predictive analytics for growth.
• High Overall Maturity (Level 3): You’re operating strategically and predictively. Maintain continuous improvement and leverage AI to optimize ROI.

Profit.co’s template helps you pinpoint where maturity gaps affect OKR achievement and help turn diagnostic data into direction.

Step 6 – Link Assessment Outcomes to OKRs

This is where Profit.co’s integrated ecosystem shines. Use your maturity insights to create specific, measurable OKRs that bridge assessment to execution:

Assessment Insight	Example OKR
Weak resource planning	Objective: Improve resource utilization efficiency by 20%. KR: Automate capacity forecasting using Profit.co dashboards.
Low benefit realization	Objective: Strengthen value tracking from completed projects. KR: Implement benefits tracking for 100% of projects.
Low AI enablement	Objective: Modernize PPM with AI-driven insights. KR: Integrate predictive analytics for project forecasting by Q4.

This direct link between maturity and OKRs ensures that improvement isn’t theoretical — it’s measurable.

Step 7 – Create an Action Plan

Use the final scores to build a maturity improvement roadmap:

Current Level	Next Step Focus
Level 1	Define repeatable portfolio planning and review processes. Document workflows and establish centralized governance.
Level 2	Introduce data-driven KPIs and improve cross-system integration. Embed AI insights and automation for predictive decision-making.
Level 3	Innovation partnerships and enhancements.

Tip: Treat each step as a quarterly or annual OKR cycle. Improvement compounds over time.

Step 8 – Reassess Periodically

The best organizations treat PPM maturity as a continuous improvement journey. Reassess every 6–12 months, especially after:

• Major strategy shifts
• System migrations
• Organizational restructuring

Each reassessment becomes a benchmark for growth and a proof point for operational excellence.

Why This Matters for Strategy Execution

Most organizations fail not because they can’t plan, but because they can’t execute strategically at scale.

Profit.co’s PPM Maturity Assessment bridges that gap by:

• Diagnosing weaknesses before they become risks.
• Linking improvements directly to OKRs
• Promoting a culture of accountability and transparency