Maturity, Benefits and Project Management shaping Project Success Jorge Gomes, Mário Romão ISEG, Rua Miguel Lupi, 20 1200-781 Lisboa, Portugal {jorge.gomes@phd.iseg.utl.pt;mario.romao@iseg.ulisboa.pt} Abstract. Organisations are under constant pressure. Externally, they face a scenario of intense competition, coupled with a changing environment which is full of uncertainty. Internally, organisations have to deal with limited resources, whilst at the same time comply with increasing requirements and strategic demands. A key to success is the successful management of organisational projects. According to worldwide studies, information systems and information technology (IS/IT) projects have a relatively low success rate. To face these various business challenges, the authors suggest that emphasis should be put on the integration of various and disperse management tools. By combining project management maturity models with benefits management approaches, we expect to reinforce support for the drive to use organisational projects to fulfill organisations’ strategic plans that will enhance the control techniques of project management, whilst recognising the need for organisational change and for ensuring the interpersonal skills necessary to orchestrate the successful completion of a project. Keywords: Project Management, Maturity Models, Benefits Management, Project Success, IS/IT investments. 1 Introduction There is a need to work with faster and more flexible organisational structures, which force companies to operate through projects which help them to successfully achieve their objectives. Furthermore, in an increasingly competitive business market, it is necessary to ensure that the successful results of one project can be extended to future projects, through the use of standardised procedures. Project management has evolved over the last decades, as have the roles and responsibilities of the project manager [1]. Practices and techniques of project management are recognised by many organisations in various industries as being essential skills, which benefit businesses [2]. These skills are measured through the use of benchmarking and comparative models. Hillson [3] clarifies that the benchmarking process aims to diagnose strengths and weaknesses, to measure the current capacity and to identify areas for improvement. According to Kwak and Ibbs [4], most companies consider using practices and support tools which are applicable for project management processes, as