Standards et al.

Project, program, portfolio, and Project Management Offices (PMO) (4P) management standards, guides, and methodologies are indispensable for professionals and companies as they reflect the best practices in the area. However, the number and diversity of extant documents are significant and growing, making their identification, study, and selection difficult. To help overcome this problem, we provide a framework that integrates and organizes a wide range of standards, guides, and methodologies for 4P.

On this page, at the top of each table, the first level refers to the scope of the document, which may be related to portfolio management, program management, project management, or PMO. The second level specifies the type of content found in the document, which may globally (Global) cover a subject (e.g., project management), address one or a few specific aspects (Aspect(s)) (e.g., time management) within the specific subject at the first level, concern competencies or skills (Competencies/Skills), or be focused in governance (Governance).

📑PPP Main Concepts [click here]

Projects can be defined as temporary endeavors to achieve one or more defined objectives. In other words, a project is a temporary undertaking performed to create a unique product, service, or result [1]. Project management involves coordinated activities to direct and control the accomplishment of agreed objectives, comprising the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge, and experience to achieve specific project objectives in accordance with project acceptance criteria and within agreed parameters [5].

Programs can be defined as groups of program components (projects or other related work) managed in a coordinated way to realize benefits [6] that are not achievable through individual management [7]. Program management involves coordinated activities to direct and control the realization of identified benefits and deliverables [6], including the coordinated management of ongoing projects and activities (business-as-usual) to achieve beneficial changes [5].

Portfolios are a collection of portfolio components, such as projects, programs, or other portfolios and related works, grouped to facilitate their management to meet strategic objectives [8]. Those groups of projects or programs can be related or not [7]. Portfolio management involves coordinated activities to direct and control the accomplishment of strategic objectives [8]. It comprises selecting, prioritizing, and controlling an organization’s programs and projects according to its strategic objectives and execution capacity [5].

PMOs (Project Management Offices) are organizational bodies or entities that have been assigned various responsibilities related to centralized and coordinated project management in their domain [9]. A PMO is responsible for improving and optimizing the processes used in projects, programs, and portfolios, directly impacting their management practices and results.

🚩Full references are available for download at the bottom of this page.

📩If you are aware of some standard, methodology, guide, framework, competence/skill framework, or maturity model, that is not listed here (and should be), kindly send us a suggestion for inclusion using the available contact form.

Standards

A standard is defined by the ISO/IEC [10] as a document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that presents the general and repeated use, rules, guidelines, or characteristics, for activities or their results, to obtain the best results in a given context. Documents such as ISO 21500:2021 [11] are included in this category.

🗂️PPP Standards [click here]

Methodologies

A project management methodology consists in a set of principles, tools, and techniques used to plan, execute, and manage projects [12]. Project management methodologies help project managers to lead team members and manage the work while facilitating team collaboration. A relevant example of a project management methodology is PM² [14]. PM² explains step by step what should be done for proper project management.

🗂️PPP Methodologies [click here]

Guides & Frameworks

A project management guide or framework is a set of models, processes, activities, or standardized tools to plan, start, control, and finish a project (i.e., something vaguer than a methodology). For example, the APM [14] states in its introduction that the purpose of the guide is to give an insight into program management – i.e., what a program is, how it functions, and how to view it; in other words, this document is an overview of the topic, but it is not a step-by-step guide (something expected from a methodology).

🗂️PPP Guides & Frameworks [click here]

Competencies Frameworks

A competence framework allows the development of training programs, the identification of competence gaps (both in individuals and organizations that provide guidance services), the promotion of a professional’s self-development, and ensures common references [18]. With this type of document, it is possible to make the knowledge and skills foundation necessary to carry out certain activities more transparently and provide a common vocabulary through which expectations and processes can be made conspicuously and publicly. The ICB [19] is an example of a competence framework.

🗂️PPP Competence Frameworks [click here]

Maturity Models

A maturity model describes the development of an entity over time [15]. For Pullen [16], maturity models are structured collections of elements that describe the characteristics of processes at different stages of development. An example is OPM3 [17].

🗂️PPP Maturity Models [click here]

🚩For a description of the standards, including the respective full references, please see:

Varajão, J., Lopes, L. & Tenera, A. (2025). Framework of standards, guides and methodologies for project, program, portfolio, and PMO management. Computer Standards & Interfaces, 92 (2025), 103888.

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