Maturity Models

A digital twin maturity model combines the functionality you want to achieve (from predictive insights to true transformation) with your organisation’s digital savviness and the level of automation you want to achieve.

Digital twin maturity levels can be looked at in several ways. The most commonly used method explains maturity level with a description of how “smart” digital twins can be in operational (opex) or development (capex) processes in lifecycle phases of an organisation – or even a whole city. These (five) levels are known as the Gartner analytics staircase.

Degree of “smart” use of data in lifecycle processes: from descriptive to transformative (Gartner’s staircase)

An important lesson is that you should always start at the bottom of the stairs and never skip steps. But you can differentiate per business capability and/or specific use case in the speed at which you want to reach a certain maturity level.

The transformative stage has been added later. It does not belong to the original staircase and is of a different nature.

Other frameworks to describe digital twins maturity include:

  • Degree of integralism: from isolated digital twin to fully federated digital twins

EWR

Level 

Name 

Description 

0 

Isolated 

There’s no connection to the physical world, or the physical object(s) are yet to be constructed. In the strictest definition of the term, this is not truly a digital twin, but is a logical step in the evolution of the digital twin. 

1 

Connected - Manual 

The connection to the physical world is limited by manual entry data feeds, with human decision making based on the information model. This is the first true incarnation of a digital twin; it represents the most basic configuration. However, through improved and consistent access to information, it will begin to provide some benefit to the operational railway.  

2 

Connected - Supervisory 

The digital twin is connected to the physical world via automated feeds. Human decision making is employed using real-time data.  

3 

Connected - Auto 

The digital twin is connected to the physical world via automated feeds, automated decisions are made from the information model. 

4 

Connected - Learning 

The information model is connected to the physical object(s) by automated feeds, and the digital twin is capable of enhanced decision making through machine learning and/or AI capabilities. 

5 

Federated 

The information model, or parts of it (subject to security) are federated to operate as part of the national digital twin (NDT). In this mode, the digital twin can be interrogated by external parties, as part of the NDT eco-system. 

  • Degree of operational use: from digital twins for awareness to intelligent operational digital twins

DUET

Digital urban twins

To be successful in implementing digital twins, organisations must be digitally sophisticated enough and possess a certain level of digital maturity. More frameworks are available to get insights on this. The Open Digital Maturity Model (ODMM) is an open-source initiative which you can use, but there are many more available.

Another more generic and often-used model to get maturity insights looks at an organisation’s integration capabilities. And we know (CONTROL PARADIGM) that a digital twin is mostly about integration, especially data integration. (A widely used maturity model for the level of integration maturity is the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI).)

Another important discipline is the role of business and IT architecture for defining, implementing, and maintaining valuable digital twins. The CMMI can be used to gain process maturity insights for business and IT architecture. If business and IT architecture maturity is poor, then digital twins will not be a sustainable option.

Degree of integration and architecture: from initial to optimisation

CMMI

Level

CMMi (1)

ACMM (2)

EAAF (3)

MML (4)

Novius Architecture Maturity (5)

5

Optimising

Measured

Optimised

Models only

Optimised

4

Quantitatively Managed

Managed

Results-Oriented

Precise Models

Quantitatively Managed

3

Defined

Defined

Utilised

Models with Text

Defined

2

Managed

Under Development

Managed

Text with Models

Repeatable

1

Initial

Initial

Initial

Textual Specification

Initial

0

 

None

Undefined

No Specification

None

-1

    

Thwarted

-2

    

Sabotaged

      

(1)

CMMi

    

(2)

ACMM

    

(3)

EAAF

    

(4)

MML

    

(5)

Novius Architecture Maturity

    

Combining CMMI and Gartner's staircase as indication for the maturity of digital twins

The staircase diagram below shows the result of when you combine analytical maturity and organisational digital maturity. Both factors go hand in hand. For example, if you want to perform prescriptive analytics but your organisation is still in the Initial stage, then it’s impossible to add value.

Takeaways:

  1. Use Gartner’s staircase to gain digital twin maturity insights.

  2. Start at the bottom and go step by step.

  3. Differentiate per business capability and/or use case.

  4. Use the CMMI to gain business and IT architecture maturity insights to calculate digital sophistication for defining, implementing, and maintaining valuable digital twins.

  5. Invest in a balanced way from an analytical and digital maturity perspective. Enterprise architecture maturity can be a good calibration point.