The six-point maturity scale

All six levels

The six-point scale, with the test for each level

Level	Name	What it describes	The test to apply
0	Undefined	Nothing shows a commitment to the principle or to applying it. Any practice found is not intentionally used for the principle.	Can you point to a decision or document that commits the group to the principle? If not, it is level 0.
1	Limited	There is a commitment, but the group cannot explain why the principle matters, and not all the components it needs have been adopted.	Is there a commitment, and can the board give a reason for it that is more than the wording of the principle?
2	Emerging	The principle is adopted, but the board cannot say concisely how its practices apply it; practices are used inconsistently, component types are missing, and what exists is not widely communicated or understood.	Could a new director explain how the group applies the principle, without reading the policy?
3	Formalized	The principle is formally adopted and the board can explain how it is applied, but the practices have not been assessed and the components have not been reviewed.	Is there an assessment of whether the practices work, or only a description of what they are?
4	Measured	Maturity is measured, resources are assured, the board can describe the principle's purpose and receives stakeholder feedback on its achievement, all required components are adopted, and reviews drive correction.	Is there evidence of measurement, feedback and correction in the period, not only a plan to have them?
5	Optimizing	All of the measured level, plus optimisation for continual improvement: the group changes how it applies the principle on the basis of what it measured.	Can the group show a change it made because of the measurement, and the effect of that change?

Rate with the aspect descriptions, not this table alone

This table is the consolidated view. Behaviour, effectiveness and efficiency each have their own level descriptions in the model, and those are what a rater should use. The consolidated view is for the dimension level and for reporting, not for the first pass.

Two rules keep the scale honest. First, the levels are cumulative: a group cannot be optimizing if it has never measured. Second, the level found is not the level that is appropriate; the model asks the governing body to decide what level suits each dimension in its context.

A group that reports a single number without the three aspect ratings and the entity view has the scale, but not the model.

Where the scale enters

• The three aspects
• The five activities
• The 18 dimensions
• 5.4.1 The six-point scale
• 5.5 Measurement aggregation

The maturity worksheet