(Second in a 3-part series about Roadmap Maturity Models. Read Part 1: How a Roadmap Maturity Model Simplifies and Clarifies C-Suite Decision-Making.)
In the first installment of this 3-part blog series, I focused on the definition and benefits of a Roadmap Maturity Model and described how we began to implement this approach with enterprise architects at a federal agency.
In this second blog post, we’ll dive deeper into understanding the consumers of the Roadmap Maturity Model and how this model has worked in federal agencies.
To gain alignment across the enterprise – from senior leadership to middle management to the knowledge workforce – it is imperative that every stakeholder understands the “definition of good.” Simply put, this consists of the characteristics of the Roadmap Maturity Model. A finer grasp of such a powerful framework motivates and inspires business functions to uphold their organization to the highest standards.
Who needs a Roadmap Maturity Model?
A famous quote pinpoints the transient state of various enterprises:
Yesterday says, “forget me, but learn from me.”
Today says, “embrace me, yet utilize me.”
Tomorrow says, “anticipate me, then prepare for me.”
– Matshona Dhliwayo
Right from individual contributors to senior leaders who operate from the tactical to strategic level, the operational and strategy business leaders need a roadmap maturity model.
Upon reflection, enterprises can realize that redundancy, stagnation, and rapid technology adoption contribute to a state of constant flux. What truly separates transformational enterprises from emerging or nascent ones is how transformational enterprises have attained a state of flow.
That state of flow is possible only if medium to large enterprises have a strategy in place to achieve maturity, resulting in consumer business value: innovation and speed.
Six Characteristics of a Roadmap Maturity Model
A robust maturity model has six characteristics or elements that contribute to the enterprise’s organizational maturity:
- Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholders (business and operations) take ownership based on their defined roles/responsibilities, with active engagement from functional business and IT leaders and a designated support team to guide and steer the roadmap maturity adoption in the enterprise.
- Strategic Foresight
Leveraging both tactical actions and a strategic approach to formalize governance processes.
- Roadmap Quality
Quality data points inform roadmap quality. Quality data points consist of value stream, capabilities, milestones, current/target state; traceability by linking vision → strategy → planning → execution; and interdependencies for faster delivery of milestones on the roadmap.
- Actionable/Executable
Quality data points yield measurable outcomes. Actionability or executability provides linkage to IT investments and an enterprise’s budget formulation process.
- Maintainability
A road-mapping tool along with data integrations and automation of manual processes help deliver not only a high-quality roadmap but also self-service capabilities.
- Communications
Clear and concise communications raise roadmap visibility and enhance the understanding of initiatives at all levels, along with their execution status.
The Roadmap Maturity Model enables an organization to pull forward with a shared understanding of the strategic vision and goals driving an initiative.
Federal Roadmap Maturity Model in Action
On a recent project, our team at Citizant leveraged the characteristics above to enable enterprise architects to clarify and guide executive leadership on prioritizing complex investments, thus ensuring strategic initiatives are delivered timely and within budget.
At a large independent federal regulatory agency, Citizant clarified definitions/descriptions of each characteristic as it pertains to a maturity level in the organization. This in-depth analysis revealed a strong sense of urgency and their desire to model an action plan that maximizes the business value in both the short and long-term of the organization’s business strategy.
In addition, Citizant conducted an holistic assessment of the current-state maturity for each of these characteristics (or parameters) to accurately pinpoint the organization’s maturity level. A single, composite score instilled confidence within the executive leadership, which resulted in C-suite support to adopt the roadmap maturity model and underlying processes enterprise wide.
Stay tuned for the third and final blog post on how to manage and integrate the roadmap maturity model as a true enterprise planning and prioritization tool.
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