CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS & PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE · Vol. 2021

Rethinking Resilience: Review of the Impact of Capability Maturity Models (CMM) on selected South African Category B4 Municipalities

Luyanda Ngomane and Nthatisi Khatleli

Keywords: Category B4 Municipalities, Capability Maturity levels, Rethinking, Resilience, Skills programmes

Abstract

Category B4 municipalities in South Africa perform poorly in managing their infrastructure prompting a probe on the utilization of capability maturity models (CMM). The mismanagement is due to skills deficiencies occasioned by their inability to retain capable, and matured engineers and related construction professionals. CMM are structured improvement levels previously used in software engineering to develop employee skills in executing daily responsibilities, from impulsive and inconsistent, to mature and seasoned. This ongoing study seeks a rethinking of resilence on the skills programmes and explore the use of CMM in developing resilient employee infrastructure (IM) skills. Seemingly the current municipal engineering skills (ES) improvement programmes undermine the resilience component and ultimately service provision outcomes. The study aims at reviewing current infrastructure management capability maturity levels in selected category B4 municipalities. The study methodology will assume a qualitative case study approach involving the use of interviews and thematic analysis of data obtained. Conclusions will be drawn based on the selected case study municipalities. Interim finding is that, current capability maturity models (CMM) are devoid of the resilience element and are inappropriate for the category B4 municipalities. The study recommends a radical rethinking of resilience and how ES improvement programmes in the the local government sector are conceptualised. Founded on the existing 5-stage Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) maturity model, the study seeks to review and to promote resilience in CMM for infrastructure management in category B4 municipalities.