Lesson 7 — Interpret, Report & Roadmap
A maturity score does not tell leadership what to do. Interpretation converts the score into business meaning.
Interpret Results
Ask what capability gaps mean for: - customer outcomes; - risk; - compliance; - cost; - sales/revenue opportunity; - strategic execution; - readiness for change; - investment choices.
The key question is not merely “What scored low?” but “What capability does the business need, and what is the consequence of the gap?”
Assessment report vs executive briefing
Assessment report
This is the comprehensive diagnostic artifact. It can include: - business drivers; - overall results; - ratings and gaps by topic; - strengths; - risks to progress; - recommended gap-closing approach; - investment/outcome options; - governance and progress metrics; - resource analysis; - reusable artifacts.
Executive briefing
This is tailored decision support. It should synthesize: - strengths; - gaps; - business impacts/benefits; - recommendations; - targets; - initiatives; - timelines.
Memory hook: report = diagnose in detail; briefing = decide in summary.
A raw rating spreadsheet is not an executive briefing.
Create the improvement roadmap
The roadmap operationalizes interpreted gaps.
A real roadmap should contain: - sequenced improvement activities; - timeline; - expected maturity/capability movement; - oversight activities; - how oversight itself matures; - targets and pace; - progress measures.
A list such as “improve governance, quality, metadata, security” is a topic list, not a roadmap.
Prioritization is business-driven
Do not automatically: - fix the lowest score first; - target Level 5 everywhere; - allocate equal resources to every Knowledge Area.
Instead use:
CURRENT STATE + REQUIRED/TARGET STATE + BUSINESS RISK/STRATEGY → PRIORITY
Example
Capability A is Level 1 but has little strategic impact. Capability B is Level 2 but must reach Level 4 for a regulatory commitment.
Capability B normally leads because its target-state gap is more important to the business.
Acceleration must expose impact
If executives want a large jump, the briefing should show: - prerequisites; - cost; - organizational impact; - change burden; - realistic sequence.
Leadership ambition can accelerate work, but it does not erase maturity characteristics.
Assessment → improvement boundary again
The assessment identifies and interprets the gap. The roadmap organizes the improvement program. Implementation occurs after that handoff.
Source: pp. 514–515.