Digital Maturity Framework
The framework identifies fifteen competencies: the key aspects of digital maturity. It also describes five levels for each of these competencies.You can use the framework by reading through and recognising where you are as an organisation, or by printing it out and using it in a workshop, giving people sticky dots to vote with.
For a record of where you are, and a set of tips for how to improve, we recommend doing the online assessment.
| Digital maturity competencies |
Level 1 |
Level 2 |
Level 3 |
Level 4 |
Level 5 |
| 01. Culture | Sceptical Staff are wary of digital and try to avoid it. |
Respectful Staff are happy that specialists are dealing with digital. |
Participative The organisation understands the value of digital and wants to learn more. |
Inclusive Digital is seen as key to success and incorporated into everything. |
Evangelical Digital is the principal way to engage supporters and achieve the mission. |
| 02. Leadership | Minimal There’s no clear digital leadership at any level. |
Restricted The digital lead is confined to a mostly tactical role. |
Supported The digital lead is encouraged to be strategic, when time allows. |
Elevated A senior digital lead exists, and digital leadership is actively invested in. |
Intrinsic Digital is an integral part of the overall strategy and digital leadership is present at all levels. |
| 03. Budget | Survival The budget only covers the bare essentials, such as website hosting. |
Maintenance The budget supports the current setup but doesn’t allow for improvements. |
Experimenting The budget allows for the testing of new ideas in priority areas. |
Growth The budget supports increasingly digital ways of thinking and doing. |
Sustainable A healthy budget for the ongoing evolution of digital operations increases impact. |
| 04. Innovation | Deprioritised Innovation is not considered important, or is not happening at all. |
Ad hoc Innovation occasionally happens as part of existing projects. |
Small-scale There is innovative re-imagining of some aspects of products or services. |
Coordinated Joined-up innovation is evolving the organisation. |
Embedded A structured innovation programme is creating transformational change. |
| 05. Capacity | Responsibility One person looks after the website and email. They may not have a digital background or skillset. |
Expertise Basic digital functions are covered by people with specialist skills and experience. |
Team There’s a central team of digital specialists, with some digital delivery in other teams. |
Function There’s a senior digital lead and a team, with growing digital opportunities in other teams. |
Capability Senior digital leadership exists across the organisation with effective delivery teams. |
| 06. Recruitment | Essential There’s a focus on technical skills for the role looking after the website. |
Specialist Specialist digital skills are included in certain roles that support engagement. |
Generalist Broad digital skills are required for jobs all around the organisation. |
Prevalent Strategic digital skills are standardly included in job descriptions. |
Pervasive New recruits are all digitally capable. All job descriptions include relevant digital skills. |
| 07. Learning | Skill-sharing Digital experts teach others on an ad-hoc basis. The training budget is very small. |
Building literacy There’s a small budget for basic digital skills in digital expert roles. |
Centralised Organisation-wide training is normalising digital skills. |
Multi-layered Digital upskilling is a priority for all. Teams understand their role in the digital change. |
Cultural Learning function leads on the development of digital skills and behaviours at all levels of the organisation. |
| 08. Project management | Inconsistent Project management is done differently for different projects. |
Basic Some common project management principles are used. |
Progressing Projects are managed through a structured but often lengthy process. |
Developing Agile project management principles and practice are used. There is a launch, test and improve approach. |
Impactful Agile principles of digital project management are consistently used in all projects to improve efficiency and increase impact. |
| 09. Technology | Primitive Systems are limited in scope and aren’t integrated. They may be insecure. |
Outdated Systems aren’t keeping up with the needs of the organisation. |
Keeping up Systems are stable and enable basic operations. |
Effective Tools and systems are delivering improvements in effectiveness. |
Leading edge Interconnected tools and systems provide a smooth, effective internal and external user experience. |
| 10. Data | Chaotic Data in the organisation is scattered and largely about offline activity. |
Understood Data is seen as important for the organisation. Quality and use is improving in some areas. |
Developing There’s a clear policy for data management. Data is integrated and analysed. |
Literate Quality, integrated data is used across much of the organisation. |
Driven Live data is used across the organisation to shape decisions and performance. |
| 11. Reporting | Sporadic KPIs exist, but progress is measured in an ad-hoc way. |
Tactical Relevant KPIs are set and reported against, but the lessons aren’t always used. |
Aggregated Performance data is collected and joined up, but is hard to access. |
Integrated Holistic performance data is quickly and easily accessible. |
Real-time Holistic performance data is always available and is used strategically. |
| 12. Insight | Gathering Insights are gathered but are used inconsistently. |
Understanding Insights from more than one source are combined to build understanding. |
Analysing Knowledge about who people are is combined with behavioural insights. |
Acting on Insights are used to shape planning and delivery. |
Learning from All work is grounded in rich, up-to-date insight. Work is improved upon iteratively. |
| 13. Communications | Unspecific Digital is used as a device to promote non-digital communications. |
Consultative Digital advice is sought when judged it’s needed. |
Inclusive Digital is involved from the outset in communications planning. |
Strategic Communications are designed to be digital by default. |
Transformational Digital is used to create adaptable, integrated communications. |
| 14. Service delivery | Basic Information is shared online. Traditional offline services are signposted from the website. |
Supplementary There is some experimentation with service delivery using digital channels. |
Equal Digital services are seen as being as important as traditional offline services. |
Insight-driven The provision of online services is based on research and testing. |
Innovative Online services are iterative and integrated. They are delivering previously untapped reach and impact. |
| 15. Internal systems | Inefficient There is no will or budget to digitise systems or processes. |
Inconsistent Some digital tools are available but their use is erratic. |
Discretional Good digital tools are available, with onboarding and support on request. |
Effective There is investment in digital tools that improve the working lives of staff. |
Efficient A comprehensive suite of connected digital tools, with proactive support for staff is in use. |
01. Culture
| Level 1 | Sceptical Staff are wary of digital and try to avoid it. |
| Level 2 | Respectful Staff are happy that specialists are dealing with digital. |
| Level 3 | Participative The organisation understands the value of digital and wants to learn more. |
| Level 4 | Inclusive Digital is seen as key to success and incorporated into everything. |
| Level 5 | Evangelical Digital is the principal way to engage supporters and achieve the mission. |
02. Leadership
| Level 1 | Minimal There’s no clear digital leadership at any level. |
| Level 2 | Restricted The digital lead is confined to a mostly tactical role. |
| Level 3 | Supported The digital lead is encouraged to be strategic, when time allows. |
| Level 4 | Elevated A senior digital lead exists, and digital leadership is actively invested in. |
| Level 5 | Intrinsic Digital is an integral part of the overall strategy and digital leadership is present at all levels. |
03. Budget
| Level 1 | Survival The budget only covers the bare essentials, such as website hosting. |
| Level 2 | Maintenance The budget supports the current setup but doesn’t allow for improvements. |
| Level 3 | Experimenting The budget allows for the testing of new ideas in priority areas. |
| Level 4 | Growth The budget supports increasingly digital ways of thinking and doing. |
| Level 5 | Sustainable A healthy budget for the ongoing evolution of digital operations increases impact. |
04. Innovation
| Level 1 | Deprioritised Innovation is not considered important, or is not happening at all. |
| Level 2 | Ad hoc Innovation occasionally happens as part of existing projects. |
| Level 3 | Small-scale There is innovative re-imagining of some aspects of products or services. |
| Level 4 | Coordinated Joined-up innovation is evolving the organisation. |
| Level 5 | Embedded A structured innovation programme is creating transformational change. |
05. Capacity
| Level 1 | Responsibility One person looks after the website and email. They may not have a digital background or skillset. |
| Level 2 | Expertise Basic digital functions are covered by people with specialist skills and experience. |
| Level 3 | Team There’s a central team of digital specialists, with some digital delivery in other teams. |
| Level 4 | Function There’s a senior digital lead and a team, with growing digital opportunities in other teams. |
| Level 5 | Capability Senior digital leadership exists across the organisation with effective delivery teams. |
06. Recruitment
| Level 1 | Essential There’s a focus on technical skills for the role looking after the website. |
| Level 2 | Specialist Specialist digital skills are included in certain roles that support engagement. |
| Level 3 | Generalist Broad digital skills are required for jobs all around the organisation. |
| Level 4 | Prevalent Strategic digital skills are standardly included in job descriptions. |
| Level 5 | Pervasive New recruits are all digitally capable. All job descriptions include relevant digital skills. |
07. Learning
| Level 1 | Skill-sharing Digital experts teach others on an ad-hoc basis. The training budget is very small. |
| Level 2 | Building literacy There’s a small budget for basic digital skills in digital expert roles. |
| Level 3 | Centralised Organisation-wide training is normalising digital skills. |
| Level 4 | Multi-layered Digital upskilling is a priority for all. Teams understand their role in the digital change. |
| Level 5 | Cultural Learning function leads on the development of digital skills and behaviours at all levels of the organisation. |
08. Project management
| Level 1 | Inconsistent Project management is done differently for different projects. |
| Level 2 | Basic Some common project management principles are used. |
| Level 3 | Progressing Projects are managed through a structured but often lengthy process. |
| Level 4 | Developing Agile project management principles and practice are used. There is a launch, test and improve approach. |
| Level 5 | Impactful Agile principles of digital project management are consistently used in all projects to improve efficiency and increase impact. |
09. Technology
| Level 1 | Primitive Systems are limited in scope and aren’t integrated. They may be insecure. |
| Level 2 | Outdated Systems aren’t keeping up with the needs of the organisation. |
| Level 3 | Keeping up Systems are stable and enable basic operations. |
| Level 4 | Effective Tools and systems are delivering improvements in effectiveness. |
| Level 5 | Leading edge Interconnected tools and systems provide a smooth, effective internal and external user experience. |
10. Data
| Level 1 | Chaotic Data in the organisation is scattered and largely about offline activity. |
| Level 2 | Understood Data is seen as important for the organisation. Quality and use is improving in some areas. |
| Level 3 | Developing There’s a clear policy for data management. Data is integrated and analysed. |
| Level 4 | Literate Quality, integrated data is used across much of the organisation. |
| Level 5 | Driven Live data is used across the organisation to shape decisions and performance. |
11. Reporting
| Level 1 | Sporadic KPIs exist, but progress is measured in an ad-hoc way. |
| Level 2 | Tactical Relevant KPIs are set and reported against, but the lessons aren’t always used. |
| Level 3 | Aggregated Performance data is collected and joined up, but is hard to access. |
| Level 4 | Integrated Holistic performance data is quickly and easily accessible. |
| Level 5 | Real-time Holistic performance data is always available and is used strategically. |
12. Insight
| Level 1 | Gathering Insights are gathered but are used inconsistently. |
| Level 2 | Understanding Insights from more than one source are combined to build understanding. |
| Level 3 | Analysing Knowledge about who people are is combined with behavioural insights. |
| Level 4 | Acting on Insights are used to shape planning and delivery. |
| Level 5 | Learning from All work is grounded in rich, up-to-date insight. Work is improved upon iteratively. |
13. Communications
| Level 1 | Unspecific Digital is used as a device to promote non-digital communications. |
| Level 2 | Consultative Digital advice is sought when judged it’s needed. |
| Level 3 | Inclusive Digital is involved from the outset in communications planning. |
| Level 4 | Strategic Communications are designed to be digital by default. |
| Level 5 | Transformational Digital is used to create adaptable, integrated communications. |
14. Service delivery
| Level 1 | Basic Information is shared online. Traditional offline services are signposted from the website. |
| Level 2 | Supplementary There is some experimentation with service delivery using digital channels. |
| Level 3 | Equal Digital services are seen as being as important as traditional offline services. |
| Level 4 | Insight-driven The provision of online services is based on research and testing. |
| Level 5 | Innovative Online services are iterative and integrated. They are delivering previously untapped reach and impact. |
15. Internal systems
| Level 1 | Inefficient There is no will or budget to digitise systems or processes. |
| Level 2 | Inconsistent Some digital tools are available but their use is erratic. |
| Level 3 |
Discretional Good digital tools are available, with onboarding and support on request. |
| Level 4 | Effective There is investment in digital tools that improve the working lives of staff. |
| Level 5 | Efficient A comprehensive suite of connected digital tools, with proactive support for staff is in use. |