The optimum point is reached where the organisation capability is just right for the market or environment in which the organisation operates. The problem is that the organisation and its environment are both dynamic systems and change with time. Goals too are subject to review and revision over time and in particular when the organisation is subject to rapid change internally and externally.
Because of the above, the organisation should treat the journey to excellence as a never ending quest, continuously assessing and reassessing own maturity and the alignment of capabilities with the challenges faced and effectiveness in achieving goals. APIC recognises the necessity for managers to continuously assess and reassess the organisation’s capability to withstand the external and internal challenges faced, and the capacity to deliver results on the face of stiff competition.
APIC’s Organisation Diagnostic Tool (ODT) and methodology represent the latest thinking on achieving organisational excellence and creating dynamic and creative organisations based on embedded core competencies. Given the extent of change and uncertainty organisations typically face, the shift to competence-based autonomous organisations has been inevitable. APIC considers organisation core competencies as agile teams who can reconfigure at short notice to respond to fresh challenges or exploit prevailing opportunities and deliver results. To commence the journey to excellent an organisation must first obtain a realistic picture of where it stands.
The picture produced by the APIC’s ODT is a time stamped map of the candidate organisation’s capabilities. The assessment results will reveal the organisation’s core competences, including the maturity of systems and business infrastructure. The assessment results are mapped to 5 levels of excellence to allow setting of improvement targets.
Note that key staff in the subject organisation will be assessed, comprising all roles, from senior and middle managers, through to project managers, team members and support staff. The organisation unit will receive advice as how to apply the Global Role Family (GRF) model within a systematic competency framework.
The evaluation of an organisation capability will lead to the setting of improvement goals and a streamlined program that will address the missing capabilities in a consistent form. As part of this solution the APIC team will investigate the feasibility of establishing a strategic change management unit, including its functions and location inside the candidate organisation.
All staff members will receive assistance to assess themselves and develop a plan to enhance their competencies. This approach is a cost effective way to professionalising the organisation and building specific (e.g. project/program/portfolio management) capabilities. It recognises that organisations are unique and that their goals also vary depending on the line of business and the forces of competition as well as the desire to operate in specific markets. Figure demonstrates the schematic model that APIC applies in assessing the managerial excellence and capabilities of project-based organisations. Figure demonstrates the schematic model that APIC applies in assessing the managerial excellence and capabilities of functional organisations.
 
 Figure : Schematic representation of APIC model for project-based organisations
 
Figure : Schematic representation of APIC model for functional organisations