Why did we build it?
The diagnostic methodology and dataset were first structured in 2007 by Mozaic Management Consultants, informed by academic project research literature and developed in conjunction with the John Grill Institute for Project Leadership at the University of Sydney. The research question was practical: what observable controls and conditions at a stage-gate decision correlate with whether a program achieves its intended outcomes?
The aim was to come up with a quantitative, repeatable, and explicitly justifiable framework for assessing project health and risk factors, so that health assessments could be delivered faster than traditional large scale assurance reviews and post-mortems, while still meeting the rigorous standards required for board reporting. This way, sponsors and boards could have a reliable and cost-effective independent assessment of in-flight projects at the speed they need to make decisions and release funding – rather than commissioning a slow and expensive review which is only suitable for finding out why a major program failed after the money has already been wasted.
Over two decades, the team has conducted more than 2,000 diagnostics — across ERP implementations, regulatory change, infrastructure, and digital transformation. Twelve hundred of those engagements have been coded to actual delivery outcomes: what the sponsor expected, and what the program actually delivered. The PhD benchmark dataset, the Recommendations Library, and the assessment dimensions all emerged from that record. They reflect what boards and sponsors needed at the point of decision, and what happened when they didn’t get it.
That empirical foundation separates ProjectPhD from a template or a maturity model. Each recommendation is drawn from conditions that correlated with better outcomes in matched cohorts of comparable size, type, and complexity — not from theory, and not from a single engagement.
Why did we separate from Mozaic?
The tool started as a database and a complex series of spreadsheets, but these still required delivery by Mozaic consultants. While it achieved the aim of speeding up the health review process and became a popular service, the product owner had a vision that it could be faster and, more importantly, more independent if it was moved online and developed into its own product.
The platform was redeveloped for online service delivery with the support of PhoenixDX, an Alan Allman Associates company. What once required weeks of consulting engagement now arrives as a board-grade Assurance Report within 72 hours.
Strict policy and technical controls for independence were developed to ensure objective reporting. While we’re happy to refer you to Mozaic for a full review if the tool recommends it, the tool only recommends full review where it is appropriate – and provides justifying reasons – and will generate an optional Assurance Panel RFP pack to send to your panel or any provider of your choosing.
You can find more information on our independence controls and scope boundaries here.