Maturity Model
A structured framework that describes successive stages of capability—from ad hoc to fully optimized—so an organization can assess how developed its records and information governance practices are and chart a path to improvement.
Maturity Model is a diagnostic and planning tool that arranges recordkeeping or information-governance capabilities along a defined progression, typically from initial or ad hoc, through repeatable and defined, to managed and optimized. Rather than judging a program as simply pass or fail, it lets an organization rate distinct dimensions—policy, retention scheduling, classification, disposition, electronic records control, training, and oversight—and see where each one sits today.
This matters in recordkeeping because programs rarely improve everywhere at once. A maturity model turns a vague goal like “better records management” into specific, sequenced next steps and a shared vocabulary for talking with leadership about gaps and investment.
For example, a program might score “defined” on retention schedules yet “ad hoc” on electronic records, signaling where effort should go next. Maturity assessment differs from a compliance audit: an audit checks conformance to fixed requirements at a point in time, while a maturity model measures the depth and consistency of capability and points toward continual advancement.