Lantmäteriet seeks new knowledge about maturity measurement in operational processes 

During the systematic monitoring of the degree of process maturity in parts of the authority, research from Karlstad Business School has caught the interest of Lantmäteriet (The Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registration authority). As it turns out, the “maturity staircase” created in research, which they have used as their maturity model, has now been updated. After the exchange of e-mail and two rewarding working meetings, new knowledge has been generated for operations developers and management at Lantmäteriet’s Geodata agency, as well as for Marie-Therese Christiansson, docent in Information Systems at Karlstad Business School.

- It is great to be contacted by working professionals who are using the models and method support that has been developed through research, says Marie-Therese Christiansson. During the spring, both professionals and students writing academic papers have contacted us to discuss the contents of a new book about effective organisational development. It is so much fun - and above all rewarding - to set aside a few hours to deepen the exchange of knowledge with someone with mutual interests, as with Lantmäteriet.

- We contacted Marie-Therese as we have used a model found in a previous book from the year 2000 in several maturity measurements through the years. This year we are doing our fourth maturity measurement since 2016 and we discovered that the recommendations have changed partially. So we wanted to know why, says Maria Ramberg, operations developer and process support.

Developed method

On two occasions, Lantmäteriet have received help with developing of their model for maturity measurement further - in other words making the purpose of the measurements clear. Thanks to this, Lantmäteriet has broadened its measurement of maturity, meaning they aren’t just monitoring the operational processes in themselves but also the process development, as well as making sure to apply process-oriented principles.

- It has been valuable to us to get a quick examination of our current model, and we are still working on developing our way of working even further, says Maria Ramberg.

We regularly perform maturity measurements in order to know the status of our current operation and to have something to base further development on. It is important to us that our method is based on scientific research results.

Valuable support

The maturity staircase has been a support in developing the interview questions that are used during the measurements. This model has been a valuable part of the communication with management, since it gives such a clear picture of where Lantmäteriet is and where it is going with regards to operational management.

In their research, Karlstad Business School have discovered that working professionals find it hard to find scientific models, choose the one that suits best and then knowing how to use that model.

- There is a need of support for implementation and adjustments of the chosen model in order to use it at its fullest potential in a maturity measurement, says Marie-Therese Christiansson. Everything depends on what questions are being asked, as well as who receives the questions where the measurement is performed, and that these people can provide useful answers relevant to the management and development of the operation.

Impressive concepts

- Lantmäteriet has an impressive and well developed concept that has provided me with new insights and an opportunity to test my methods, says Marie-Therese Christiansson.

There are several reasons, such as saving time, to perform simple follow-ups of the process development in organisations, as well as the processes that are being implemented.

- This coaching-based way or working is a fast and direct way of making use of research results and co-production of new knowledge, says Marie-Therese.

• Read more about research and co-production of methods for process-orientation in practice