How implementation mature is my organization (quiz)

A few years ago we created this fun “cosmo” quiz.  It is far simpler than the OrgAssessment.com survey and just a bit of fun. There is actually a very established maturity approach called CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) where there are 4 levels and very clear criteria at each level.  Salesforce took these principles and created a Capability Readiness Model

The best way to establish that baseline is through a Capability Readiness model which is a framework for providing a consistent and structured means to rate a set of core process capabilities by interviewing different roles within the departmental organization. The model is defined as five progressive levels of maturity with “unstructured” as the lowest level and the highest being “customer driven” with a rating of 5, as the highest level of maturity.

The five levels work as the following:

1. Unstructured: there is a tremendous amount of heroic effort happening here to keep the organization and department afloat. Heroic effort is admirable but not scalable. This is not where anyone wants to be.
2. Disciplined: there is a process and it is written down. But that process is not in front of the very people who are responsible for using it 24/7. The process needs to be embedded directly within your systems.
3. Repeatable: your process is off the paper in within your systems now! You’re starting to see net positive results across your KPIs but there are still two issues: your goals are not reflected within the system and performance is not meeting those goals consistently.
4. Buyer Centric: your processes and capabilities are now fully reflective of your customers expectations with you as an organization. You have goals, predictability and a line of sight on getting even better. But is it holistic? This is often where individual departments plateau within an organization.
5. Customer Driven: now as an organization you are outside in. You are not a series of departments engaging with customers in silos but now you have a singular view of your customer. That singular views lets you not only see performance but possibilities as well when it comes to your customer base. This is where organizations truly become differentiated.

Take the quiz

We thought it might be fun for you to be able to assess mature your organization is.  The questionnaire is the form “Are you a sensitive lover” which are found in Women’s magazines. At the end you can add up your scores and based on the answer we’ve suggested some things to think about.

The questions are arranged under the following headings

• NEED – Do I need this… some typical signs?
• DESIRE – Is there a strong enough desire to follow through?
• OPPORTUNITY – Are there initiatives where this could be applied now?
• CAPABILITY – Do we have the technical infrastructure and the skills?
• LEADERSHIP – Is there support at senior management to become process-focused?

Try our simple quiz to find out if you are really ready for it by answering our multiple-choice questions and then totting up your score…

NEED – Do I need this… some typical signs?

Question 1: Do we have one or more digital transformation initiatives ?

a. Yes, they are coordinated by a Center of Excellence with a shared business model.
b. No, but there is one major initiative across the company.
c. Yes, but we seem to have difficulty coordinating the results.
d. I’ve no idea. Each department does their own thing.

Question 2: Are there the following initiatives running in the organization (ERP, CRM, Supply Chain), 6 Sigma, Business Process Reengineering, Sarbanes Oxley, M&A integration, outsourcing/shared services, launching new operations…..)

a. 1 or less
b. 2-4
c. More than 4
d. Probably all of them

Question 3: We only get a percentage of the benefits stated in the business case. This typically get:

a. 75-100%
b. 50-75%
c. Less than 50%
d. We don’t ever measure the benefits

DESIRE – Is there a strong enough desire to follow through?

Question 4: Our positioning vs the competition is best described as:

a. We are setting the pace of change for others to follow
b. We are able respond to change and are able to stay competitive
c. We able respond to change but at a huge cost
d. We are unable to respond quickly enough

Question 5: Our ability to stay alive requires us to transform the business

a. No – we need some small course corrections
b. Yes – but it is limited to one business unit-
c. Yes – we recognise that changes are required
d. Yes – we require a radical overhaul of the business model

Question 6: The top team and managers recognise the benefits of moving to a process-focused approach

a. We have aligned our org chart to the cross-functional processes
b. We have process owners and a functional org chart
c. Work is organised in line with functional organisation
d. Getting managers in different departments to talk would be a first

Question 7: Which of these statements best reflects your attitude to compliance?

a. It is imperative and my company has to achieve the highest levels of compliance.
b. It’s a necessary evil.
c. It can sometimes get in the way of business.
d. I wonder who will get found out next?

OPPORTUNITY – Are there initiatives where this could be applied now?

Question 8: I can see an initiative where we can apply a more rigorous implementation approach

a. We are already apply it on all initiatives
b. We have a perfect initiative starting in the next month – the business case is being presented at the next Board meeting
c. I can see an opportunity in the next 3-6 months
d. I’d need the management team and project managers really get it

Question 9: We can mandate this approach on our external consultants

a. We mandate this approach in all projects
b. We have a good relationship and the consultants are open to new ideas
c. We would need to convince the consultants of the benefits of this approach
d. We have fixed price contracts and they will fleece us if we try to change

Question 10: How much is the business controlled by regulatory bodies

a. Very little – thankfully
b. As we have a US parent we need to comply with Sarbanes Oxley
c. We need to comply with with our industry regulations (is FSA for Financial Services, FDA for Pharmaceuticals)
d. You name it – we’ve got it. It seems like we work for the compliance offices.

CAPABILITY – Do we have the technical infrastructure and the skills?

Question 11: How well connected is the organisation?

a. All our offices are using a single set of apps and collaboration tools
b. All our offices are using standard enterprise apps but a plethora of collaboration tools
c. We have separate apps for each country / office
d. We are thinking of outsourcing this area of IT

Question 12: How long does it take to get a new releases into production?

a. With a business sponsor, less than 1 week. We are focused on CI/CD
b. Less than a month on a test server, and less than 3 months into production
c. It varies a lot based priorities – you put it in the queue and wait
d. We’ve outsourced IT to XXX so it is now impossible

Question 13: What experience is there of running a Center of Excellence (COE) for projects?

a. We are currently running all projects with a COE
b. We have a project manager who has the skills and a small team
c. We have strong project skills, but would need coaching and support
d. This would be a first. We would be dependent on external consultants

LEADERSHIP – Is there support at senior management to strengthen your implementation approach

Question 14: Do you have a single strategy in place which aligns the top team?

a) Yes. We couldn’t perform without it.
b) Yes. We reached agreement on a strategy in the end.
c) Yes. I think so.
d) Yes. In fact we have several of them and we’ll probably have a new one next week).

Question 15: How many of the top team would openly endorse a COE centered approach?

a . Virtually all of them. A couple of them could have written a book
b. Certainly the operational side – the finance guys have a numbers basis
c. Very few, but they would be open to the approach
d. Forget it. They are too busy fighting turf-wars

Question 16: What chance is there of changing the organisation structure around the end to end processes ?

a. We’re nearly there
b. We’d be more comfortable with a matrix organization reconciling functions with processes
c. We’ve a strong functional organisation and we’d need to be convinced of the benefits
d. Didn’t you see my answer to Q15 . No way.

Question 17: If you were to receive a award for your desk, which one of these phrases would be engraved:

a. ‘The buck stops here’
b. ‘Executive of the year’
c. ‘It was like that when I found it’
d. ‘Gone for lunch – back in 2025′

Interpreting your score

Now simply add up your scores (with or without the help of your accountant, as necessary).

For every a) you score 10 points; every b) = 8 points; every c) = 5 points; every d) = 0 points. How have you done? How ready are you for it?

Over 120 points:
Great – you’re red-hot. Give me a call because I’d love to profile your success story ion our website and in the next book.

80-120 points:
You’re nearly ready to take the plunge, but there are still a few things you need to sort out. At least you are aware of that some things need to change. Think through all of the issues raised in this post and, once you’ve done that, you can leap right in.

30-80 points:
Unless you get a lot more buy-in for the principles any initiative is likely to fail. It sounds like you need get more of your team to watch some webinars on the power of business analysis.

0–30 points:
You’re clearly passionate about the process-focused approach or you wouldn’t have read this far, but you’re clearly in the wrong company. Come and talk to us, because we know some companies that need you. At the very least get out now before the excitement in you dies.