Three questions face any organisation serious about continuous improvement:
- How good are we now?
- How good do we need to be?
- How do we manage the transition?
At CCL we use maturity models to help our Clients assess and plan improvements to their capabilities. The maturity
model is simply a set of capabilities covering four or five levels ranging from ‘Basic’ at the lowest level to
‘World-class’ at the highest. By comparing the current status of the organisation with the maturity model we can
determine how good the organisation is now. By looking at return on investment and by comparison with similar organisations
and competitors we can determine how good the organisation needs to be. By looking at the stages between the two points we
can develop an action plan that provides optimum benefit all along the journey. By staging the action plan according to the
maturity levels we can ensure that all parts of the organisation move in synchronism and that incremental benefits are extracted
from incremental investments.
How good does an organisation need to be? The answer is: as good as it needs
to be. A high-tech start-up might need ‘World-class’ skills management, but is unlikely to need ‘World-class’
logistics. A distribution company will need ‘World-class’ logistics but may only need a ‘Competent’
level of skills management. It is all about maximising return on investment and a having a coherent set of capabilities.
Our experience with Maturity Models
At CCL we have used maturity models in a wide range of applications from upgrading a marketing operation to comprehensive,
firm-wide business process re-engineering and as a precursor to a bottom-up business strategy review. We have even used maturity
models to create an internal mentoring scheme for a Client.
We produce maturity models tailored to a Client’s individual needs. We use our standard models as a starting
point and develop bespoke models that meet the need of the Client, in the relevant sectors, at that point in time. Having
developed and agreed the model with the Client the assessment and improvement planning have a firm foundation and follow quite
quickly; the model provides an efficient, common language for the busy executives in the organisation and enables them to
reach agreement quickly on what is important and what is not.
