Maturity model

The architecture maturity model defines and rates architecture capabilities within a progression from initial to optimizing.

Last updated: 2023-06-14 by APaskulin (WMF)
Status: Deprecated

Dashboard

Architecture process Discussions and decisions	Architecture development System documentation	Architecture governance Heuristics and standards	Architecture communication Engagement and updates
Organizational linkage Collaboration across teams	Senior leadership involvement Transparency and accountability	Team & cross-functional participation Iteration and improvement	Community participation Feedback and testing

Capability maturity model

Capability	Maturity 1 - Initial	Maturity 2 - Developing	Maturity 3 - Defined	Maturity 4 - Managed	Maturity 5 - Optimizing
Architecture process	Processes are feature-focused, ad hoc and siloed. Most focus strictly on software enhancement. There is no unified architecture process between product and engineering teams. Success depends on individual efforts (martyr culture).	Current level Architecture process is documented. There are clear roles and responsibilities inside the architecture team and among key stakeholders.	The architecture process is well defined and largely followed.	The architecture process is part of the culture. Quality metrics are captured and shared.	There are concerted, effective cross-functional efforts to optimize the architecture process.
Architecture development	Architecture processes, documentation, and standards are established by a variety of ad hoc means and are localized or informal.	Architectural principles, organizational linkages and a systems view of a target architecture are identified. Architecture standards exist but are not necessarily linked to a target architecture.	Current level Gap analysis, modeling and iterative strategy for reaching a target architecture are completed.	Architecture artifacts are updated regularly and the depth of architectural models increases to include data, software, component relationships, tools, etc.	The architectural development process itself triggers new and innovative alternative approaches to previously-entrenched challenges.
Architecture governance	No explicit governance of architectural standards or system-level patterns.	Governance of a few architectural standards and patterns is adopted and there is some adherence to them.	Current level Explicitly-documented governance of the majority of system changes.	Governance of all system changes. Formal processes for resolving tradeoffs feed back into the architecture process.	Organization-wide feedback on governance improves the standards in valuable ways.
Architecture communication	The latest version of most architecture documents are on the web. Little communication exists about the architecture process.	Architecture documents are shared periodically and are used to document architecture deliverables. They have a loose, non-navigable structure	Current level Architecture documents exist in an explicit, navigable structure that expresses the emerging architecture. These documents are updated regularly by people outside of the architecture team.	Architecture documents are created, included and frequently reviewed by anyone in the organization involved in technology development.	Architecture documents are used by every decision-maker in the organization for every organizational decision that depends on technology.
Organizational linkage	Minimal or implicit linkage between organizational goals and systems architecture practices.	Explicit linkage between organizational goals and systems architecture practices.	Systems architecture practices inform organizational goals.	Current level Systems architecture practices anticipate and enhance organizational goals.	Systems architecture practices generate emerging organizational goals that were not previously possible or conceived.
Senior leadership involvement	Limited management team awareness of or support for the architecture process.	Management awareness of and limited support for architecture effort.	Senior management team aware of and supportive of the system-level architecture process. Management actively supports and encourages architectural standards.	Current level Senior management team directly involved in the architecture review process.	Senior management involvement optimizes architecture development and governance.
Team and cross-functional participation	Limited acceptance of the architecture process.	Current level Some acceptance of the architecture process and some work is underway.	Most staff members accept or are actively participating in the architecture process.	The wider community accepts and actively participates in the architecture process.	Feedback on architecture process is used to drive architecture process improvements.
Community participation	Current level Community is unaware of the architecture process or need for architectural development.	Community is aware of architecture process and begins discussing need for architectural development.	Community engages in the architecture process and adopts architectural governance when planning changes.	Community contributes meaningfully to architectural development.	Community innovates in valuable, unanticipated ways because of architectural processes and development.

Architecture development

is an integration of ...	expressed as ...
discussions / decisions and the space where the systems architecture is being expressed	architecture grows beyond a series of discussions into a (digital) space where target architectures, system models, ideas, initiatives, patterns and heuristics are emerging.

Architecture governance

is an integration of ...	expressed as ...
shorter term decisions and the target architecture / system as a whole	governance heuristics that are standards followed as best practice and establish a well-designed system (infused by conceptual integrity)

Architecture communication

is an integration of ...	expressed as ...
architecture space and people	Leadership and teams engage with the architecture space, receive regular updates and use the tools daily, as part of the culture.

Organizational linkage

is an integration of ...	expressed as ...
organizational goals and product with technology	Product and technology work as an integrated team with other subject matter experts (SMEs) to deliver the highest-value outcomes during the architecture process

Senior leadership involvement

is an integration of ...	expressed as ...
the priorities of senior / executive management and the architecture under development	Effective rituals of demoing and gathering feedback that increase the value of tradeoffs and deliver a trustworthy and transparent architectural change management process

Team and cross-functional participation

is an integration of ...	expressed as ...
engineering and architecture	Engineering decisions and initiatives connect to the architecture space, where iterative architectural improvements and refinements continue during development

Community participation

is an integration of ...	expressed as ...
users and architecture	a structured process, relying on community subject matter experts, for gathering user feedback, testing assumptions and iteratively introducing architectural change to the community

Levels of maturity

0	None	No architecture to speak of
1	Initial	Informal processes, usually disintegrated
2	Developing	Architectural processes are developing
3	Defined	Architectural artifacts give “definition” to the system and architectural processes
4	Managed	Architectural processes are managed (part of daily life) and measured
5	Optimizing	Continuous improvement of architectural processes

Resources

Architecture Maturity Models - The Open Group Architecture Framework