12. Maturity Models in Product Operations
Establishing a Product Operations area can be a challenge, especially when trying to give it form and structure at different levels. While we may identify key organizational problems and define pillars that are critical to Product Operations, the next step is to create paths to execute and grow the team. To help facilitate this, we can use maturity models.
What is a Maturity Model?
A maturity model is a tool that represents the stages a team, organization, or individual passes through as they grow in maturity regarding a specific discipline. It is typically used to make things explicit and measurable. Maturity models are helpful for teams because they provide:
-
A clear, documented artifact: By turning implicit goals and processes into explicit ones, the team can align around a shared understanding of what growth and success look like.
-
Quantification of progress: A maturity model helps organizations measure their current level of development and track their evolution over time. This can also be helpful for setting goals and creating incentive structures.
Using Maturity Models in Product Operations
In Product Operations, a maturity model can help an organization define how it wants to evolve in specific areas. For example, if you have identified experimentation or people development as critical pillars, a maturity model can provide a roadmap for growing maturity in those areas.
Step 1: Define the Highest Level of Maturity
Start by defining the ultimate goal for each of your pillars. Ask questions like, "If our organization had the highest possible level of maturity in experimentation, what would that look like?" This is similar to creating a product vision. You’re outlining what the ideal future looks like if the product and Product Operations team is successful.
For each pillar, you want to define the highest stage of maturity—what the team will look like when they have reached peak performance in that area.
Step 2: Collaborate to Define the Levels
Once you've outlined the vision, collaborate with the product team to define intermediate steps leading up to that vision. This process should be highly collaborative, ensuring that all team members are aligned on the desired future state and agree on what each level of maturity looks like.
Maturity models are not top-down initiatives dictated by management; they are collaborative agreements that reflect the consensus of the entire product team. By involving the team in defining each stage, you ensure that everyone is committed to reaching these goals.
Step 3: Use the Model to Assess Current Maturity
Once the model is created, use it to assess the current level of maturity in the product organization. This can be done through surveys or discussions in which team members evaluate the current state of each pillar. The goal is to get a clear starting point that shows how far the organization is from its desired future state.
Step 4: Set Actionable Steps and Monitor Progress
After assessing your starting point, you can begin to develop actionable steps to move towards the highest levels of maturity. For example, if your model highlights a gap in recruitment processes, you might prioritize focusing on improving hiring pipelines before moving on to other areas.
Periodically, revisit the maturity model to evaluate progress and make adjustments. Reassessing the organization’s maturity at regular intervals helps ensure that the team is on track and identifies any areas where progress has stalled.
Example of a Maturity Model
Below is an example of how a simple maturity model could be structured for a Product Operations team. This is just a high-level proposal, and each organization should tailor its model to fit its unique needs.
| Pillar | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experimentation | No structured experiments | Ad-hoc experiments with minimal tracking | Some structured experiments, tracking results | Most teams run well-structured experiments | Experimentation is fully automated and optimized |
| People Development | No formal development programs | Occasional training, no tracking of effectiveness | Regular training programs, some measurement | Comprehensive development programs in place | All employees have personalized development plans |
| Process Efficiency | No documented processes | Some processes documented, but inconsistently followed | Core processes documented and followed by most teams | All critical processes are fully documented and standardized | All processes are automated and optimized |
Step 5: Create Surveys to Support the Maturity Model
Once the maturity model is built, you can design surveys that help assess where the organization is on the model. Questions might include:
- Experimentation: "How often does your team run structured experiments with clear hypotheses and tracking mechanisms?"
- People Development: "Does your team have access to regular development programs, and how effective are they?"
- Process Efficiency: "How well are processes documented, and are they followed consistently across teams?"
The results of these surveys can help you understand the current maturity level in each pillar and set actionable steps for improvement.
Conclusion
A maturity model provides structure and clarity for how a Product Operations team can grow and evolve. By defining what high performance looks like in key areas, creating steps for improvement, and regularly measuring progress, Product Ops can help the broader organization achieve its goals more efficiently.