Proprietary Framework
The DGTL Readiness Index.
An 8-dimension maturity model that scores your company against the practices that actually move the needle. We use it at the start of every engagement to agree on what to fix first and how to measure success.
One score. Eight axes. A picture you can act on.
Most maturity models are checkbox exercises. You fill out a questionnaire, get a PDF, and nothing changes. The Readiness Index is different. It's the diagnostic we use at the start of every engagement to decide which practices to staff first and which outcomes to target in the first 90 days.
The eight dimensions map one-to-one with our eight practices. Each is scored on a 1 to 5 maturity scale. The output is an 8-sided radar chart showing your current state against a target profile matched to your stage and goals. The lowest-scoring dimension isn't always the first thing we fix. It's the first thing we talk about.
What a 90-day engagement moves
Before and after, on the same eight axes.
Two radars, same company profile, same targets. The left chart is what we typically see on day one. The right chart is the median movement across 90 days of cross-practice work. No dimension moves alone; the whole shape shifts.
Composite profile from discovery engagements with mid-market companies. Individual engagements vary. The dotted ring in both charts is the target we work toward.
The eight dimensions.
One per practice. Each with a specific set of signals we measure and a description of what good looks like at maturity level 5. Eight cells in the mark. Eight axes in the index.
Engineering
Practice →Signals we measure
Deployment frequency, code quality, observability, technical debt.
At level 5
Multiple deploys per day, under 1% failure rate, full observability, technical debt on the roadmap instead of in everyone's head.
Signals we measure
Data readiness, model governance, production deployment, team literacy.
At level 5
Clean data pipelines feeding production models, monitoring and evaluation in place, a governance framework that satisfies auditors, and a team that speaks AI natively.
Marketing
Practice →Signals we measure
Pipeline predictability, content velocity, attribution, ICP clarity.
At level 5
Predictable pipeline generation tied to named accounts, consistent content publishing, attribution tied to closed revenue, ICP documented and used in every campaign brief.
Sales
Practice →Signals we measure
Outbound cadence, conversion measurement, revenue operations, forecast accuracy.
At level 5
Disciplined outbound cadence, every pipeline stage measured, revenue operations owning the handoffs, forecasts within 10% of actuals.
Data
Practice →Signals we measure
Single source of truth, instrumentation, metric definition, analytics culture.
At level 5
One warehouse everyone trusts, instrumentation at every touchpoint, metric definitions that don't change week to week, decisions made with data by default.
Secure
Practice →Signals we measure
Control frameworks, compliance posture, incident response, access management.
At level 5
SOC 2 Type II or equivalent, quarterly security reviews, a documented incident response playbook, least-privilege access across the org.
Studio
Practice →Signals we measure
Brand coherence, design system maturity, content production, UX discipline.
At level 5
Consistent brand across every surface, a production-ready design system, in-house or embedded content engine, UX research in the product loop.
Advisory
Practice →Signals we measure
Strategic clarity, decision rituals, stakeholder alignment, priority discipline.
At level 5
A clear strategy owned by leadership, structured decision rituals, zero daylight between exec team and execution, the ability to say no to the wrong work.
Five maturity levels.
Each dimension is scored on the same scale. The names matter. A score is a description of how work actually gets done, not a report card.
Emerging
Ad hoc and reactive. Most decisions are tribal knowledge. Processes exist in people's heads, not in documents.
Defined
Processes exist but they're inconsistent. Outcomes depend on which individual runs the work.
Managed
Instrumented and measured. Improvements are tracked. Processes outlast the people who wrote them.
Predictable
Leading indicators work. Outcomes are repeatable. Forecasts fall within tolerance. Quality is engineered, not negotiated.
Optimized
Continuous learning loop. Competitive advantage. Every metric improves on a known curve. Your pace of improvement is itself a moat.
How we use it.
The Readiness Index is the first thing we do in Discovery. It runs on a two-week cadence and produces a concrete 90-day plan.
Week 1
Interviews and audit
We talk to your leadership team, review your metrics, and audit your technical systems against the signals for each dimension. Eight to twelve interviews, one technical deep-dive per dimension.
Week 2
Scoring and readout
We score all eight dimensions, build your radar chart, and match you to a target profile. A 90-minute readout with your executive team walks through the scores and our recommended first focus.
Week 3+
Execution or handoff
The dimensions you agreed to move become the staffing plan. The practices that staff your team are the ones that move those dimensions. At the end of the engagement we rescore and measure the delta.
Common questions.
How long does a Readiness Index assessment take?
Two weeks. Week 1 is interviews with your leadership team, a technical audit of your systems, and a review of your metrics. Week 2 is our analysis and a 90-minute readout where we present the radar chart, compare it to a target profile, and agree on what to fix first. It is a paid Discovery engagement, scoped during the first call.
Is the Readiness Index free?
No. The Readiness Index is our paid Discovery engagement. It produces real deliverables (the score, the radar chart, a 90-day plan) that take our senior practice leads two weeks to build. We scope it during a free 30-minute intro call so you know exactly what you're paying for before you commit.
Do we have to hire DGTL afterward?
No. Discovery is a standalone engagement. Most clients move forward with us because the model already told them where we can help. Some take the deliverable and run it with their internal team. Both are fine.
Why eight dimensions instead of the usual five or seven?
Because five or seven is a lie told by consultants who don't do all the work. Every company we've seen fails at the seams between practices. Engineering slips because the data isn't ready. Marketing stalls because the product isn't instrumented. Security gets bolted on because nobody owned compliance from day one. The eight dimensions match the eight practices we actually deliver, so the diagnostic is actionable, not theoretical.
What scoring inputs do you use?
Quantitative where possible (deployment frequency, pipeline conversion rate, mean time to respond, uptime, code coverage), qualitative where necessary (leadership interviews, decision ritual observation, cultural signals). Every score has a defensible backup. You can challenge any score and we'll show you the evidence.
Is this a one-time diagnostic or an ongoing measure?
Both. We score at the start of an engagement to agree on the starting point. We rescore at the end to measure the delta. Retainer clients get quarterly rescoring as part of the relationship.
Ready to see how your company scores?
The Readiness Index is our paid Discovery engagement. Two weeks, one readout, a concrete 90-day plan. Book a call and we'll walk you through how it runs and what it costs.