Business Maturity Assessment: How to Run One

A business maturity assessment measures how far a company’s processes are defined, repeated, measured and improved. The result is a level per dimension (strategy, processes, people, finance, customers) and a short list of actions for the next level. This article describes how to run the assessment in 5 steps, which mistakes invalidate the result and how to turn the score into a plan.

Why measure before changing

Management decisions made without measurement tend to attack the most visible symptom, not the cause. The company buys a new system when the problem is an undefined process. It creates indicators when nobody records the data that feeds them.

Brazilian data reinforces the need for method. According to the IBGE Business Demography and Entrepreneurship Statistics 2022, published in December 2024:

• Brazil had 7.9 million active companies in 2022;
• 79.6% of companies born in 2021 survived their first year;
• of companies born in 2017, only 37.3% were still active in 2022, their fifth year.

IBGE does not attribute these exits to a single cause. The data does not prove that low maturity closes companies. It shows that surviving five years is the exception, and that a company needs to know where it is fragile before the fragility shows up in cash flow.

The concept of levels is covered in Management maturity: what it is, why measure it and how to start. This article focuses on running the assessment.

What a maturity assessment evaluates

A sound assessment has three components:

1. Reference model. Defines the dimensions and what characterizes each level. Examples: the Brazilian Management Excellence Model (MEG) for business management, CMMI for development processes and Prado-MMGP for projects.
2. Instrument. A questionnaire with objective questions per dimension, ideally with an observable criterion in each answer (“a written procedure exists and was used in the last 3 months”) rather than opinion (“the process is good”).
3. Consolidation rule. How answers become a level. A simple average hides the weakest dimension, so results should be read dimension by dimension.

Did you know? The first maturity model, CMM, was created at the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University to evaluate software suppliers. The logic of levels was later adapted to management, projects, innovation, security and sustainability.

How to run the assessment in 5 steps

1. Define scope and objective

Write down the question the assessment must answer. Examples: “is the company ready to grow the sales team?” or “does the operation depend on specific people?”. The scope defines which dimensions are assessed and who answers.

2. Choose the reference model

Use a recognized model instead of an internally created questionnaire. A recognized model lets the company compare itself over time and avoids questions that confirm what leadership already thinks.

3. Select respondents and collect evidence

Include at least one person from leadership and one from operations in each dimension. When answers diverge, the divergence is a finding. For each positive answer, ask for evidence: a document, record, indicator or meeting minutes.

4. Read results by dimension

Identify the lowest-level dimension. It usually limits the others: reliable financial indicators depend on stable recording processes. Compare the current level with the level required by the objective defined in step 1.

5. Build the next-level plan

Select 3 to 5 actions that take the weakest dimension to the next level. Each action gets a named owner, a deadline and a completion criterion. Level 4 actions applied to a level 1 area create rework, so the plan covers only the next step.

In practice: assessment checklist

1. Assessment question written in one sentence.
2. Reference model chosen and dimensions listed.
3. At least 2 respondents per dimension, one from leadership and one from operations.
4. Evidence attached to each positive answer.
5. Weakest dimension identified and compared with the required level.
6. 3 to 5 actions with owner, deadline and completion criterion.
7. Date of the next measurement scheduled.

Mistakes that invalidate the assessment

• Answering for the ideal. Respondents mark how the company should work, not how it works. Requiring evidence corrects this bias.
• A single respondent. Leadership’s view tends to be more optimistic than operations’.
• Using the overall average as the result. The average hides the dimension that holds the others back.
• Not repeating the measurement. Without a second measurement there is no way to know whether the plan worked.
• Turning the assessment into a people evaluation. The object is the process. When the team perceives individual evaluation, answers stop being reliable.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a business maturity assessment take?

It depends on scope and number of respondents. A structured questionnaire can be answered in one session. The longest stage is usually collecting evidence and discussing divergences between respondents.

How often should a company repeat the assessment?

Common practice is every 6 to 12 months. The interval must be long enough for the plan’s actions to be completed and short enough to guide the next cycle.

Does the assessment replace consulting?

No. The assessment shows where the gap is and what the next level is. Consulting can be hired afterwards, with a scope defined by the weakest dimension.