Maturity model

A maturity model is a structured collection of elements that describe characteristics of effective processes. A maturity model provides:

   * a place to start
   * the benefit of a community’s prior experiences
   * a common language and a shared vision
   * a framework for prioritizing actions
   * a way to define what improvement means for your organization.

A maturity model can be used as a benchmark for assessing different organizations for equivalent comparison.