Digital Maturity Framework

The framework identifies seventeen 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.
Fundamental
Digital is the principal way to engage supporters and advance our 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 able to be strategic, when time allows.
Elevated
At least one 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 and departments.
03. Collaboration
Siloed
Teams plan separately and message and resource clashes are discovered at the point of implementation on digital channels.
Synchronised
Teams plan separately and share plans in order to synchronise. Teams rarely significantly change their plans to accommodate other team’s plans.
Planned
Teams make plans together based on their objectives for the year. Teams are responsible for their own audience/product KPIs.
Integrated
There's an ongoing planning organisation-wide process to ensure consistency of messages/products for audiences, across channels. KPIs are shared across teams.
Audience-first
Planning starts with audience insight, in cross-organisation multi-skilled teams to best deliver my organisation’s strategy and objectives.
04. 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.
05. 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.
06. Capacity
Responsibility
One or more digital staff look 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 leads strategy across the organisation with effective delivery teams.
08. Recruitment
Essential
There’s a focus on technical skills for the role looking after our digital channels.
Specialist
Specialist digital skills are in a digital team. By chance, not design, other teams may have individuals with digital skills.
Generalist
Broad digital mindsets and behaviours are required for jobs all around the organisation.
Prevalent
Relevant digital skills and behaviours are standardly included in job descriptions.
Pervasive
Recruits at all levels of hierarchy have a strong understanding of the digital mindset and insights. All job descriptions include relevant digital skills.
08. 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
There’s training across all teams in my organisation to normalise digital skills.
Multi-layered
Digital upskilling is a priority for all. Teams understand their role in the digital change.
Cultural
Organisation’s L&D people lead on the development of digital skills and behaviours at all levels of my organisation.
09. 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. This does not suit every area of activity in an organisation.
Developing
Agile project management principles and practice are used, mostly on digital projects and products. There is a launch, test and improve approach.
Impactful
Agile principles are consistently used in all projects to empower multi-skilled teams, improve efficiency and increase impact.
10. 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 regular improvements in effectiveness.
Leading edge
Interconnected tools and systems provide a smooth, effective internal and external user experience.
11. Data
Chaotic
Data in the organisation is scattered and online and offline activity data is used in isolation from each other.
Understood
Data is seen as important for the organisation. Quality and use is improving in some areas of work.
Developing
There’s a clear policy for data management. Data is integrated across most areas of work and analysed.
Literate
Quality, integrated data is used across much of the organisation to understand performance of activities.
Driven
Live data is used across the organisation to shape performance, decisions and strategy.
12. Reporting
Sporadic
KPIs exist, but progress is only reported at the senior level. There is not much clarity on how they illustrate progress.
Tactical
Relevant KPIs are set and reported against, but the lessons aren’t always used in planning.
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 in planning and to make decisions.
13. Insight
Gathering
Insights are gathered and used in a silo of a team that commissioned them.
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. Some products are optimised based on data analysis for better results.
Learning from
All work and strategy are grounded in rich, up-to-date insight distilled from the holistic data pool and optimised to improve results and impact.
14. Communications
Unspecific
Digital is used to mainly broadcast to audiences the priorities of different teams in the organisation.
Consultative
Digital (technology) advice is sought by non-digital staff, when judged it’s needed.
Inclusive
Digital insights are used from the outset in communications and audience journey planning.
Strategic
Communications are designed to be digital by default. Audience journeys are planned by multi-skilled cross-organisation teams.
Transformational
Digital is used to create engagement opportunities which are continuously optimised to achieve best conversion into long term engagement.
15. Optimisation
Non-existent
Organisation evaluates projects at the end. Lessons are not always used for new projects.
Ad-based
Social media ads are optimised by an agency. Some of these insights are used in planning of social media content.
Journey-based
Every bit of an audience journey is optimised - messaging, content, layout - in order to increase conversions.
Product-based
Organisation continuously looks at data in order to optimise every part of a product in order to provide good user experience, simplify and/or automate processes and increase conversions.
Organisation-based
Organisation regularly looks at dashboards in order to measure progress of strategy and tweak/adjust/change on the go in order to improve the outcomes.
16. Internal systems
Inefficient
Some systems have been digitised but we still have inefficient systems as automation has not been utilised.
Inconsistent
Some excellent digital tools are available but their take-up has been patchy due to the lack of staff engagement.

Discretional
Good digital tools are available, with onboarding and support on request.
Effective
There is an investment in digital tools that improve the working lives of staff who are engaged in the design of technology and processes.
Efficient
A comprehensive suite of connected digital tools, co-designed with affected staff is widely used. Automation/AI significantly reduces repetitive tasks.
17. 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.

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
Fundamental
Digital is the principal way to engage supporters and advance our 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 able to be strategic, when time allows.
Level 4
Elevated
At least one 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 and departments.

03. Collaboration

Level 1
Siloed
Teams plan separately and message and resource clashes are discovered at the point of implementation on digital channels.
Level 2
Synchronised
Teams plan separately and share plans in order to synchronise. Teams rarely significantly change their plans to accommodate other team’s plans.
Level 3
Planned
Teams make plans together based on their objectives for the year. Teams are responsible for their own audience/product KPIs.
Level 4
Integrated
There's an ongoing planning organisation-wide process to ensure consistency of messages/products for audiences, across channels. KPIs are shared across teams.
Level 5
Audience-first
Planning starts with audience insight, in cross-organisation multi-skilled teams to best deliver my organisation’s strategy and objectives.

04. 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.

05. 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.

06. Capacity

Level 1
Responsibility
One or more digital staff look 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 leads strategy across the organisation with effective delivery teams.

08. Recruitment

Level 1
Essential
There’s a focus on technical skills for the role looking after our digital channels.
Level 2
Specialist
Specialist digital skills are in a digital team. By chance, not design, other teams may have individuals with digital skills.
Level 3
Generalist
Broad digital mindsets and behaviours are required for jobs all around the organisation.
Level 4
Prevalent
Relevant digital skills and behaviours are standardly included in job descriptions.
Level 5
Pervasive
Recruits at all levels of hierarchy have a strong understanding of the digital mindset and insights. All job descriptions include relevant digital skills.

08. 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
There’s training across all teams in my organisation to normalise digital skills.
Level 4
Multi-layered
Digital upskilling is a priority for all. Teams understand their role in the digital change.
Level 5
Cultural
Organisation’s L&D people lead on the development of digital skills and behaviours at all levels of my organisation.

09. 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. This does not suit every area of activity in an organisation.
Level 4
Developing
Agile project management principles and practice are used, mostly on digital projects and products. There is a launch, test and improve approach.
Level 5
Impactful
Agile principles are consistently used in all projects to empower multi-skilled teams, improve efficiency and increase impact.

10. 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 regular improvements in effectiveness.
Level 5
Leading edge
Interconnected tools and systems provide a smooth, effective internal and external user experience.

11. Data

Level 1
Chaotic
Data in the organisation is scattered and online and offline activity data is used in isolation from each other.
Level 2
Understood
Data is seen as important for the organisation. Quality and use is improving in some areas of work.
Level 3
Developing
There’s a clear policy for data management. Data is integrated across most areas of work and analysed.
Level 4
Literate
Quality, integrated data is used across much of the organisation to understand performance of activities.
Level 5
Driven
Live data is used across the organisation to shape performance, decisions and strategy.

12. Reporting

Level 1
Sporadic
KPIs exist, but progress is only reported at the senior level. There is not much clarity on how they illustrate progress.
Level 2
Tactical
Relevant KPIs are set and reported against, but the lessons aren’t always used in planning.
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 in planning and to make decisions.

13. Insight

Level 1
Gathering
Insights are gathered and used in a silo of a team that commissioned them.
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. Some products are optimised based on data analysis for better results.
Level 5
Learning from
All work and strategy are grounded in rich, up-to-date insight distilled from the holistic data pool and optimised to improve results and impact.

14. Communications

Level 1
Unspecific
Digital is used to mainly broadcast to audiences the priorities of different teams in the organisation.
Level 2
Consultative
Digital (technology) advice is sought by non-digital staff, when judged it’s needed.
Level 3
Inclusive
Digital insights are used from the outset in communications and audience journey planning.
Level 4
Strategic
Communications are designed to be digital by default. Audience journeys are planned by multi-skilled cross-organisation teams.
Level 5
Transformational
Digital is used to create engagement opportunities which are continuously optimised to achieve best conversion into long term engagement.

15. Optimisation

Level 1
Non-existent
Organisation evaluates projects at the end. Lessons are not always used for new projects.
Level 2
Ad-based
Social media ads are optimised by an agency. Some of these insights are used in planning of social media content.
Level 3
Journey-based
Every bit of an audience journey is optimised - messaging, content, layout - in order to increase conversions.
Level 4
Product-based
Organisation continuously looks at data in order to optimise every part of a product in order to provide good user experience, simplify and/or automate processes and increase conversions.
Level 5
Organisation-based
Organisation regularly looks at dashboards in order to measure progress of strategy and tweak/adjust/change on the go in order to improve the outcomes.

16. Internal systems

Level 1
Inefficient
Some systems have been digitised but we still have inefficient systems as automation has not been utilised.
Level 2
Inconsistent
Some excellent digital tools are available but their take-up has been patchy due to the lack of staff engagement.
Level 3

Discretional
Good digital tools are available, with onboarding and support on request.
Level 4
Effective
There is an investment in digital tools that improve the working lives of staff who are engaged in the design of technology and processes.
Level 5
Efficient
A comprehensive suite of connected digital tools, co-designed with affected staff is widely used. Automation/AI significantly reduces repetitive tasks.

17. 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.