Critical Literature Review on Maturity Models for Business Process

Excellence
S. A. Albliwi*, J. Antony, N. Arshed
School of Management and Languages, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
*Corresponding author (s.albliwi@hotmail.co.uk)

Abstract - Maturity models are a useful way for an

organisation to assess their processes and the overall
maturity levels of the organisation. However, finding the
most appropriate maturity model is not an easy task
especially for practitioners in industry. Hence, the purpose of
this paper is to critically review, compare and contrast the
existing maturity models in quality/operations management
topics. This paper has reviewed the most common maturity
models including but not limited to Bessants continuous
improvement capability model, Capability Maturity Model
(CMM) and Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)
which is the most common model in the literature. The
authors have observed a lack of maturity models for process
management. Therefore, the future plan for this research is
to develop a maturity model for a specific area in process
management, which is Lean Six Sigma (LSS), as this is the
main area of interest for the authors.
Keywords - maturity model, process excellence, critical
review, future research

I.

INTRODUCTION

Determining the level of process maturity is critical for

business stability, improvement and sustainability of any
organisation. The value of a maturity model is that
organisations can capture their current maturity situation
easily, without any external help from consultants. A
maturity model is a tool to help organisations assess
strengths and weaknesses of their business processes. It
provides a roadmap for improvement, and evaluates the
organisation by comparing the quality standards and best
practices of maturity of the organisation to other
organisations [1].
A review of the available literature shows that there is a
lack of consensus on the definition of maturity model, and
most of the definitions have only described the capability
levels, behaviours and the objectives of the model.
However, reference [2, p.1318] has defined maturity
model as a structured collection of elements that
describes the characteristics of effective processes at
different stages of development. It also suggests points of
demarcation between stages and methods of transitioning
from one stage to another.
This paper aims to critically review and compare and
contrast a number of the existing maturity models in
quality/operations management topics. This work is a
critical step in the development of a conceptual Lean Six
Sigma maturity model, adapted from the current maturity
models for process management and process excellence.

The conceptual model will be modified according to the

results and suggestions collected from interviews and
workshops with LSS academics, practitioners and experts.
Subsequently, the model will be verified in a number of
organisations in order to test the validity of the model, as
suggested by a number of authors in the field of building
and developing maturity models such as references [3, 8]
and others. A model should be valid, reliable and cost
efficient to be described as an efficient model for
organisations [6].
II.

LITERATURE REVIEW

A critical approach to the literature review has been

undertaken to explore current maturity models and
develop an appropriate maturity model for LSS.
Reviewing the literature has resulted in some common
maturity models (see tables 1and 2).
The origins of maturity models lie in the software industry
from the 1970s onwards, and they have evolved to
become an important tool for improvement in
organisations aiming to assess process capability [3,4].
However, there are a number of maturity models that can
be applicable to business process management such as the
Capability Maturity Model (CMMI).
The presence of maturity models is important for any
organisation to be able to assess their process maturity and
make improvements. Moreover, many authors believe that
there is a clear need for a process maturity instrument that
is adaptable and ready to use [6].
Reference [7] has stated that the availability of process
maturity models is useful for organisations in term of
understanding their current level of process maturity and
to draw a map for future development of their processes.
Process is defined by reference [5, p.456] as a network of
activities that are repeated in time, whose objective is to
create value to external or internal customers.
In the real world, there are some organisations that try to
implement Process Management at an advanced level, and
therefore face the peril of failure because of ignoring the
requisite building blocks. Hence, organisations need a
process maturity model in order to assess their current
level of process maturity, helping to reduce their risk of
failure. Managing the process definitely leads to
production of high quality products within the constraints
of time and budget. This is because process management
at the highest possible level leads to defect-free products
and services; organisations that merely manage the
process, will not achieve such high quality products [7].

One powerful strategy for process management and

process excellence is Lean Six Sigma. LSS aims to
eliminate defects and reduce variation in the process of
service and product manufacturing, and leads to business
process excellence [25].
The Literature review will discuss the strength and
limitations of some existing models as well as
highlighting the pros and cons of these models. The scope
of the paper also includes comparing and contrasting
various maturity models identified in the literature review.
The findings of the above can be seen in tables 1 and 2.
A. Crosbys Quality Management Maturity Grid
(QMMG)

Humphrey (1989). CMM contains five levels of maturity

and serves as a guide for an organisation to manage its
process for improvement. This model relies on the fact
that an organization can achieve a target maturity level
only after the implementation of several phased steps. A
model is a simplified representation of the world, and
Capability Maturity Models contain the essential elements
of effective processes for one or more disciplines.
Although this model was originally developed for the
software industry, it is also applicable to other
organisations in different business sectors, as it covers
areas such as risk management, project management,
managing and developing the workforce and more.
D. Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)

This model was developed by Philip Crosby in 1979, and

was one of the first maturity models for assessment of
quality maturity. Crosbys model contains five stages of
maturity and six categories of measurement that help the
user to identify their own situation with regards to
maturity [9]. This model recognises the importance of
human factors such as leadership, attitude and
collaborative work [9].
B. Bessants
model

Continuous

Improvement

Capability

This model was created by John Bessant in 1997 and has

five different levels of maturity plus six continuous
improvement abilities. Each ability contains a group of
behaviours (a total of 32 behaviours) which help
organisations to improve their CI capability. The basic
idea is to provide a model for assessing the general
maturity level and in particular to specify the kind of
behaviours for further development [10]. Bessants model
helps organisations to understand where they stand in
relation to other organisations (benchmark). It is also
useful in terms of explaining to the organisation how to
improve CI ability and embed it into the organisation until
CI becomes a way of life for enhancing business
performance.
The model is very simple and it provides a basic roadmap
for CI ability development [10,11].
C. Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
This model was developed during 1987 by the Software
Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University
and was sponsored by the US Department of Defense
(DoD) [12, 13]. It was developed to meet the needs and
characteristics of governmental organisations [14].
CMM can be defined as a reference [process] model of
mature practices in a specified discipline, used to improve
and appraise a group's capability to perform that
discipline SEI [15].
SEI has stated that CMM is based on the elements and
concepts of Philip Crosbys maturity model (1979), but
the model was modified in 1991 using previous maturity
models created by Deming (1986), Juran (1988), and

This model was developed in 2000. It is not a completely

new model; rather it shares some similarities in the
structure and content with CMM and ISO 9000 [12, 13]. It
can be defined as CMM with some changes in the names
of maturity levels [3, 15]. This model has integrated
different CMMs (the previous system) that provide enduser organisations with a framework to address issues
related to project management and process in developing
products and services [16]. This model comprises five
maturity levels with 25 process areas; each process area
has a set of specific goals and practices for achieving the
goals.
CMMI serves as a guiding framework for the
development of process, as process is always seen as a
major factor in delivering high quality products in the
software industry. CMMI has many variants such as the
CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC), which aims to guide
the development, and improvement of organisations to
become mature in service practices, and CMMI for
development (CMMI-DEV) [12,13]
E. OMGS BUSINESS PROCESS MATURITY MODEL (BPMM)
BPMM was developed in 2002 by the technology
standards organisation, Object Management Group, Inc.
(OMG) with the belief that the model will leads to high
level of business success through the level of process
maturity [23]. According to OMG 2008 [24 p.vii], The
BPMM can be used as a process model by itself or it can
be used as a framework for improvement efforts based on
other models. It is contains of five maturity levels and 30
process areas. This model is similar to previous maturity
models that reviewed in this paper as it is based on CMM
and it is consists of five levels of maturity. It is
documented comprehensively within 496 pages while
other BPMMs are presented in journal articles or books
chapter such as BPMM-Lee, PEMM, etc. [6]. This model
has two key strengths: first, strength of BPMM is the
support given to organisational learning e.g. learning from
mistakes; and second, innovative improvements and
problem preventions are in place [6].
F. Other Maturity Models

The
Model
Crosbys
Grid
Bessants
Model

Year of
Development
1979
1997

Late 1987

CMM

Purpose

Limitations

- To show where the company is in the quality

management spectrum
- To assess the maturity level by using the
framework and improve what the organisation is
doing currently
-To determine the behaviours that need to be
developed
-To measure practices in a certain discipline
-To guide the effort of process improvement in
the software industry

2000

CMMI

- To develop an integrated framework that

includes current and future models which solves
the problem of using many CMM and
overlapping
- To address project management and process
issues in developing products and services

2002

-To improving business process related to

products and services in an organisation
-To work as a road map that managers can use
for benchmarking and monitoring business
process
TABLE 1: Summary of Maturity Models
OMG

Subsequently, other maturity models have been developed

for different purposes and activities such as innovation,
research and development (R&D), supplier relationship,
knowledge management and so on [17].
However, software development and software engineering
have dominated most of the maturity models, although
there are differences in their structures [8].
Reference [3] conducted a systematic literature review to
present the development of maturity models. They state
that maturity models differ in their purpose; first, some
models aim to determine the current situation of the
organisation (descriptive); second, models are able to
draw a path for improvement (prescriptive); and the third
type of model allows benchmarking through and between
industries by comparing organisations in term of
similarities of practices (comparative).
III.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Although a number of maturity models have appeared in

the literature since 1979, there are major voids in terms of
missing significant elements in each model (see table 2).
Moreover, the most common aim for many researches was
to develop maturity models based on practice. Despite the
wide popularity of maturity models, these have always
been vulnerable to criticism. One criticism is that maturity
models are step-by-step recipes lacking empirical
foundation and reality [6 p.330]. Hence, there is dearth of
theoretical reflective publications [3,8]. Instead of
focusing on the factors that influence the evolution and

- Lack of theoretical base

- Based on the researchers practical experience
- The application of this model has not been tested in the public
sector or large organisations yet
-Some important elements and critical success factors are missing
- Lack of theoretical base
- The way of measuring maturity is very confusing, has different
structures, terms, formats, etc.
- Needs a team to assess the process by conducting a full-scale audit
which is costly, in terms of time and effort
- More applicable to large software organisations than any other
organisations
- Completing CMM journey does not guarantee project success
- Ignores cultural factors and peoples capabilities
- It suits large and bureaucratic organisations
- Exclusive focus on the process
- Specific training and experience are essential
- Much more applicable to large software organisations than any
other organisations
- Misses consideration of human factors, cultural factors and
organisational factors
- Successful use of the model depends on the lead-assessor
- Requires a solid theoretical base to be recognised as a trustworthy
model
- The role of IT support is missing in the model
-There are lack of studies that tasted the validity and accuracy of this
model. Hence, more studies are needed to test theses two points.

drive for improvement, most maturity models rely on

levels leading towards a predefined end state [6].
Furthermore, there is a multitude of similar maturity
models, unsatisfactory documentation, unthinking
adoption of the Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
blueprint, and lack of an economic foundation. The major
criticism relates to most of the models providing limited
guidance on specific steps that should be taken in order to
improve maturity levels [6]. There is also a requirement
for criteria that will help users determine the current stage
of maturity and acknowledge the methodical progression
to the next stage [7]. Reference [7] argue that on one hand,
the available maturity models are very complicated,
needing great effort to implement, while on the other
hand, models are very simple hands-on methods for
assessing maturity levels.
Interestingly, even popular maturity models like Crosbys
Quality Management Maturity Grid (QMMG) have been
subject to criticism by other scholars. Although this model
was created for assessing maturity of quality management,
the argument here is that this model is not absolutely
applicable to business process improvement and it is
based on the authors practical experience. Reference [8]
argued that QMMG is not described as a lifecycle. Rather,
it describes the potential of a higher maturity level, and
leaves it to the discretion of the user to decide whether to
proceed to the next stage. In addition, a limited number of
available maturity models have QMMG as the foundation.
It seems to be unknown to many researchers and
developers of maturity models.

Criteria
Target
User-friendliness
Training
Prior knowledge and experience
Clarity of determining the current level of maturity
Empirical evidence
Theoretical based
Researcher experience based
Quality standards/previous models based
Complexity
Performance based scoring system
Accuracy
Availability of criteria to determine the current stage of maturity,
when the stage is completed and when to move to the next stage
Validity/reliability/generalization

Crosbys
Grid
Quality
Management
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No

Bessants
Model
Continuous
Improvement
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
No
No

CMM

CMMI

OMG

Software
Industry
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes

Different
Industries
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes

Business
Process
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
NA

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

NA

TABLE 2: Maturity Models evaluation criteria

The model developed by John Bessant for Continuous

Improvement (CI) maturity has also faced some criticism
from other researchers. Reference [18] has published a
paper to revise Bessants model.
They argued that there are important elements and critical
success factors such as communication have not been
covered in the model. In addition, although this model was
developed from empirical research in private and public
sectors, the model has not been tested either in the public
sector or large organisations. To date, the model has only
been used by SMEs (Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises) in the manufacturing sector.
CMM has also been criticised by a number of scholars.
Reference [19] has argued that the model necessitates a
team to assess the process by conducting a full-scale audit
which is costly on time and effort. This model is very
confusing for the user in terms of measuring maturity as it
has different structures, terms, formats, etc. Moreover,
there are different CMM formats available that overlap
and are contradictory [14].
CMMI is always criticised for the specific focus on the
process and ignorance of the very important factors of
people, culture and organisation, which are critical to
project success. It is also criticised by many practitioners,
as it requires a specific type of training and experience
[14]. Moreover, this model focuses on large organisations
rich in bureaucracy. However, it can still be deployed in
small organisations. It is also criticized for the major role
the lead assessor plays in the successful deployment of the
model in reality, there should be no difference between
the lead assessor and the other members of the team in the
successful determination of maturity [14].
There are multiple CMMI models available, as generated
by the CMMI Framework. Consequently, the user needs
to be well-prepared, choosing the best CMMI model
commensurate with the process improvement needs of the
organisation [12, 13]. In addition, both CMM and CMMI
were developed to serve large governmental software
organisations, therefore their application in other
organisations is not as successful.

Interestingly enough, reviewing the available models and

literature shows that CMMI is obviously the most
commonly used and the only standard for the majority of
the current maturity models, and it is the best one
according to academics [8].
The last model reviewed in this paper was OMG-BPMM.
Reviewing the literature shows that this model is rarely
addressed in research in particularly in comparison to
CMM and CMMI.
This model was criticised by reference [6] that it did not
cover the important role of IT support. Although this
model claims that is applicable across many organisations,
industries and locations [6], the authors call for further
research in understanding the accuracy and validity of the
model. In general, most of the available maturity models
have been developed using quality standards such as ISO,
IEC 15504, CMMI-DEV, Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award (MBQNA) and others [20]. Other models
are based on the adaption or improvement of previous
maturity models such as CMMI, CMM, Bessants CI
model etc., and a very small number of models are based
on Crosbys maturity Grid. The authors also observed that
a limited number of maturity models used scientific
guidelines as a foundation for development of maturity
models. Therefore, the majority of the available models
were developed on the practical experience of the
researchers. Hence the theoretical basis is missing in most
of the models. We also observed that the validity and
generalization of the models is limited in scope.
Therefore, there is a research gap around developing a
maturity model that is based on theory for subsequent
testing in the real world. In fact, maturity models have
always been criticised for lack of consideration for
results/performance. That means it is possible to move to
the next stage of maturity without any improvement in the
business process [24].
Furthermore, the authors argue that it is important to
differentiate between process maturity and organisational
maturity. There are some models that were created for
assessing process maturity (the condition of the process in
general) such as OMG and other models for assessing

organisational maturity (business process management

capability of the organisation) e.g. CMMI and the model
developed by reference [21, 22]. However, there are few
models that integrate the features of both types of models.
IV.

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RESEARCH

This paper has critically reviewed the most common

maturity models for Business Process excellence. The
results clearly reveal that there is a need for developing a
maturity model for Business Process excellence. Future
work will focus on developing a maturity model for Lean
Six Sigma. The development of this model will be an
attempt to bridge the research gap which is the absence of
a Lean Six Sigma maturity model. Without using a
maturity model, organisations deploying Lean Six Sigma
cannot assess their current maturity level. The model will
be developed after an in-depth analysis of the available
maturity models. The Lean Six Sigma Maturity Model
(LSS-MM) will comprise a number of levels of maturity,
behaviours/characteristics and scores. The model will be
supported by a matrix aiming to assess the maturity of
critical success factors in organisations.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This study was sponsored by a grant from King Abdulaziz
University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The first author is a
recipient of PhD studentship award from King Abdulaziz
University. The funding body has no role in the study
design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or
preparation of the manuscript.
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