IT maturity models provide a valuable framework for assessing an organization's IT infrastructure, processes, and practices. Your organization’s IT maturity level can help you identify areas for improvement, prioritize investments, and align your IT strategy with your overall business goals.

Various models are available to help you pinpoint areas for improvement and the aspects of your IT system that require the most development. Investing in your people by providing them with the best tools goes a long way to developing your IT maturity and meeting your business goals.

Popular IT Maturity Models

There are various IT maturity models that can help your company assess its current IT maturity level. The one you choose will depend on factors like your organization’s specific needs and goals, industry standards, the resources available to implement a maturity model, and the level of customization required to tailor a model to your needs. 

Capability Maturity Model

The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a process-oriented framework developed by the U.S. Department of Defense Software and Engineering Institute (SEI). The CMM encompasses five process maturity stages that build on continuous and evolutionary improvements. It offers an ordinal scale to measure and analyze technology process evolution across the following levels:

1. Initial phase: The starting process tends to be fairly chaotic and undocumented as managers don't have a fixed roadmap for the first days, weeks, and months of their operations. The initial phase is typically characterized by unexpected setbacks or hurdles like inadequate expertise, limited budget, or limited stakeholder commitment.
2. Repeatable phase: The business has implemented a minimally repeatable process framework that can be standardized but isn't optimally efficient or sophisticated.
3. Defined phase: The process framework is well-documented, coherently integrated with other business processes, and aligned with business goals.
4. Capable phase: The outcomes of the process can be evaluated using established metrics. Any precise details, gaps, or future opportunities are used based on the chosen metric. Systems are already in place to gather information, and to track and analyze the performance of a technological process or function.
5. Efficient phase: A continual feedback improvement mechanism is in place that allows optimization through small and incremental changes.

The main advantage of this model is that it can be used in any organization regardless of its industry. However, it's not the most agile maturity model, may not keep up with rapidly evolving technology, and needs to be implemented from the inception of a business to be truly effective.

Gartner IT Score for CIOs

This is one of the most popular models. This model gauges the maturity of businesses’ key IT activities and is used to pinpoint priorities for improvements and plan a path toward progression and full maturity. 

The Gartner IT Score focuses on functional areas like how IT engages with leadership, innovation, IT governance and finance, strategy, talent, and performance. Each of these categories is then given a maturity assessment ranging from high to low based on how well-developed the organization is in that area. This offers a basis for the company to prioritize areas to develop based on maturity and urgency.

Forrester’s DEX Maturity Model

Forrester Consulting developed the DEX IT maturity model, which evaluates the status of remote and hybrid work. Its objective is to help IT improve the work experience of the digital or remote employee.

This model consists of 15 assessment questions used to analyze your DEX practices across four key disciplines. These are:

1. Security and compliance
2. Monitoring
3. Remediation and automation
4. Operating model and integration

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)

CMMI was developed by Carnegie Mellon University with the Department of Defense and the U.S. government. It helps companies improve their processes and behaviors. The model applies to service development as well as hardware and software development in any industry. Its main objective is to make sure companies have everything they need to develop reliable goods or services.

Why Is IT Maturity Important?

Research into the link between IT maturity and firm performance has found a strong link between the two. Organizational performance and business excellence rely on the effectiveness of companies' IT systems. 

Using established assessment tools to understand maturity allows businesses to progress from their current state to a future optimal state. Comparing your business against industry benchmarks also enables key stakeholders to identify points for improvement, track progress, and identify areas in which maturing their IT systems could provide a competitive advantage.

How to Improve IT Maturity

Improving IT maturity is only possible when a business understands its current maturity level and is willing to implement the necessary changes. Create a roadmap that sets out a clear path from your current maturity state to where you want to be.

Invest in Technology

A business's employees can only perform at full capacity if they have the right tools to succeed. Employees are significantly more efficient when they have technology that suits their needs. 

For example, managed service provider (MSP) technicians that integrate Thread can chat with your team members and open tickets (or “threads”) directly from the communication platform your business already uses, like Microsoft Teams or Slack. This means you don't need to adopt multiple communication channels. Our Magic AI-powered chatbot automatically connects you with the best-equipped technician to resolve IT issues, leading to optimized response and resolution times.

Solutions like these—that speed up the resolution of problems that impact critical operations—are exactly what's needed to improve businesses' IT maturity. Ensure your business and its IT partners are willing to embrace new technologies for enhanced organization and efficiency, and understand how each element of your tech stack improves IT maturity levels.

Optimize Processes

Optimizing your IT processes is a cornerstone of any improvement strategy. Automating routine processes is a great starting point, especially for mundane, repetitive, or manual tasks that take up precious time and resources.

Self-service tools and chatbots empower workers to help themselves and circumvent service desk admin by resolving their own issues. This is a game changer as it frees up a huge amount of time for technical assistance teams to focus on tasks that require human assistance or pressing issues that are disrupting workflow or productivity in the company.

Invest in People

Conduct staff satisfaction surveys to gauge employee sentiment and pinpoint areas that require meaningful change. Your employees’ answers will give you invaluable insights into which IT improvements to prioritize and which training to offer staff. 

Investing in people is vital as retaining your most talented professionals and attracting new talent will enhance your operations. This is possible by offering top training opportunities, giving access to professional-level certifications, and providing them with the best IT tools to carry out their jobs to their highest potential.

The Right Professionals

You can only raise your IT maturity if your system is in reliable hands. Apart from making sure your staff is highly trained and skilled, you must decide whether an in-house IT team is the best way forward for your organization. If you lack the resources or expertise to build an in-house technical staff, an MSP may be the best solution—especially if you stay connected with an integrated communication solution.

Take Steps to Improve Your IT Maturity

IT maturity models provide a valuable framework for assessing an organization's IT capabilities and identifying areas for improvement. By understanding your organization's current maturity level and developing a roadmap for growth, you can optimize your IT investments, enhance efficiency, and gain a competitive advantage.

Choosing the right IT maturity model and implementing it effectively requires careful consideration and planning. By following the strategies outlined in this article, you can successfully leverage IT maturity models to drive your organization's success.