Chemical Engineering January 2022 - 32

FIGURE 4. The staged format of the capability
maturity model (CMM) can help to guide procedural
development, but users should practice
caution to ensure the model takes into account
process specifics [16]
ing. When referring to the completeness
dimension, a company
could define that a complete title
block should contain the drawing
number, revision, revision date, approver,
reviewer, editor and other
elements of information. For the format
dimension, the company could
define that for each P&ID, there is
at least a PDF version and an associated
native (for instance, a CAD
drawing) version of the document.
Several industry standards are
available that can serve as a starting
point in this regard, such as ISO
15926, CFIHOS and PIP standards.
What are maturity assessments?
At present, it is close to impossible
to look at any business process that
is not dependent on information and
communications technology (ICT) in
some shape or form. To what extent
this process is optimized and
aligned with the strategic goals is
a different question and relies on a
continuous improvement process
and assessment of the current position
against internal and external
goals, laws and requirements [14].
As business leaders seek to make
improvements, they need management
instruments and methods to
drive their agenda. This is where
maturity models come into play -
using the model for evaluation of the
current state, as well as providing
direction for improvements [15]. For
32
a given business area (such as information
quality), a maturity model
allows an organization to measure
itself against a given set of criteria.
Depending on the design of the
model, this measurement takes the
form of level descriptions, where
each level provides an established
list of criteria to achieve the level.
Alternatively, measurements can be
taken based on a Likert scale (bipolar)
approach where a detailed
question will guide the respondent
in answering, using a pre-defined
scale. In both cases, the lower
score represents an area that is
less developed, where the higher
scores represent well developed or
optimized areas. The scoring then
presents a potential roadmap for
a given domain as it progresses to
higher levels on the scale.
ICT maturity models found their
origins from the need to better
manage software processes, during
the late 1980s and 1990s when
many ICT projects were over budget
and excessively late, while often
not delivering what was promised.
The Software Engineering Institute,
with support from Mitre Corp., developed
the first process maturity
model, which later evolved into the
capability maturity model or CMM
[16]. Figure 4 shows the different
maturity stages often used in
maturity models.
At present, maturity models are
available for an almost unlimited
number of topics. Performing a
quick search on the internet will
show maturity models for digital
transformation, Industry 4.0, project
management and almost any other
topic one can think of. Although
these models are widely credited
for their usefulness, there is also a
cautionary tale. The quality of the
model and associated assessment
is highly dependent on the specific
application. To use a generic document-management
maturity model
about engineering information will
leave out important elements. There
are also many maturity models created
that barely pass the academic
stage. In selecting a model and assessment,
selecting a widely used
model will ensure higher accuracy
and relevance to your organization.
Avoiding problems
While maturity assessments are
a great management tool, it is important
to define the proper scope
and define the expectations for
what the maturity assessment project
will deliver. One of the key elements
in digital transformation is
to experiment and fail fast. While
a maturity assessment will validate
and provide direction, it is key to
identify practical goals that can be
resolved within a foreseeable timeframe
and build success. Organizations
currently use the term " business
agility, " meaning that there
is a desire to address problems
quickly as the business evolves in
an ever-changing landscape. The
purpose of an assessment is that
it will provide a roadmap whereby
identified improvements can be executed,
contributing to the goals of
the company.
With the result of an assessment
available, it is now time to translate
the measurement into executable
goals. One methodology is to discuss
the different areas of the assessment
and rate these areas on
a priority scale, taking into account
the company goals, budgets and
available resources. Based on the
selected areas (for instance, deliverables
management) the organization
then uses the following goal
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