A Comparison of Digital Maturity Assessment Methodologies
Digital maturity assessment is crucial. You would agree that knowing where you are on your digital journey to understand whether or not you are headed for success or failure and to benchmark that assessment against your peers is invaluable data. But which methodology to use?
First, there are tools, methods, and approaches to measuring digital maturity. Sound unbelievable?
Well, it definitely makes it difficult to choose the most suitable one.
Here is a comprehensive analysis of the tools out there.
Enjoy, and we wish that you find the best possible solution for your organisation.
1.“Too Poor to Buy Cheap.”
You know the saying, “Nothing in life is free.” If you are offered something for free, you become suspicious. Why is it for free? Either there is no true value, or they will attempt to sell you something later.
There are many free tools and websites out there on the Internet. The so-called self-assessment tools are not truly providing value. The report you will get will only be read by a few, and will not be taken seriously.
Having experienced consultants by your side during the management presentation will make a huge difference.
Our Recommendation
Buy a proper “Digital Maturity Assessment Study”. One with real people, real sessions, real (detailed) reports, real conclusions, real recommendations, and a real management presentation. After all, you must still convince upper management to approve your decisions. A website will not do the job.
2.“Can’t See the Forest for the Trees.”
This a breed of methodology where the end has been confused by the means. It’s not about the study itself; it’s about results and taking action. Organisations need to be able to deliver business value. So, the study itself is just a means to an end. The focus must always be on the outcome.
Why put an emphasis on this? A digital maturity assessment should not take months. A meaningful assessment should be completed within just a few weeks, and consume as little energy possible. The focus should be on recommendations, priorities, and a roadmap to further success.
Just think. If someone offers you a 3–4 month-long study, you should drawback and reconsider. If you are embracing agile workflows, your company and its digital capabilities will change within 4 months anyway. So, even after you spend those 3–4 months on this study, the measurement would still not be accurate, relevant, nor will it provide any insightful recommendation.
Our Recommendation
Hire experts on digital maturity assessments, and stay away from “process reengineering” or “industry 4.0 expert” kind of people. Research institutions and similar in-depth consultancies may be appropriate after you have defined your journey roadmap, or for certain tasks along the way, but will not serve you well if you are looking for an un-biased, to-the-point, and effective digital maturity assessment.
3. Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall…
Remember the tale of “Snow White and the Magic Mirror.” The function of the mirror was to always tell the user how beautiful they were. Whether or not the Mirror spoke the truth was not important. The mirror said what the user wanted to hear. The same can happen with companies sometimes…
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