Contract Management Process Maturity: Empirical Analysis of Organizational Assessments

Abstract

This research builds upon the emerging body of knowledge on contract management workforce competence and organizational process capability. In 2003, the Contract Management Maturity Model (CMMM) was first developed for the purpose of assessing an organization's contract management process capability. Specifically developed for the Department of Defense's (DoD) contracting agencies and defense industry partners, the CMMM has been applied at Air Force, Army, Navy, and defense industry organizations. During the period between 2007 and 2009, assessments were conducted at Army, Navy, Air Force, and joint DoD contracting organizations using the CMMM. These organizations included the Army Aviation and Missile Command, Naval Air Systems Command, Air Force Logistics Center, and the US Transportation Command. The primary purpose of this paper is to summarize the assessment ratings, analyze the assessment results in terms of contract management process maturity, discuss the implications of these assessment results for process improvement and knowledge management opportunities, and provide insight on consistencies and trends from these assessment results to DoD contract management. This paper also discusses these assessment results in an attempt to characterize the current state of contract management practice within the Department of Defense.