Why Agile maturity matters for transformation leaders

Agile has moved beyond a method for individual teams and become a critical driver of strategic success for organizations. For transformation leaders—CIOs, COOs, and PMO heads—the key challenge is scaling Agile practices in a way that connects them to broader strategic goals. While many organizations find Agile implementation straightforward at the team level, the leap to an enterprise-wide approach often proves difficult.

Understanding your organization’s current state of Agile maturity is a key starting point to bridging that gap.

💡 What is Agile Maturity? Agile Maturity refers to an organization’s level of proficiency in adopting and scaling Agile practices across teams, departments, and portfolios. It reflects how efficiently Agile principles are embedded in the organization’s culture, processes, and strategic goals.

Agile maturity goes beyond process adherence and into embedding Agile principles deeply within your organization’s day-to-day behavior, operations, and long-term strategy. This alignment allows Agile to scale across teams, departments, and portfolios while delivering measurable business outcomes.

This guide will help you evaluate where your organization stands on its Agile transformation. Through a self-assessment of critical dimensions—such as strategic alignment, visibility, collaboration, and scalability—you'll develop an understanding of your current capabilities and acquire key actions to increase your organization’s Agile maturity.

What are the stages of Agile maturity?

Understanding the stages of Agile maturity is critical for organizations looking to harness the full potential of Agile and it’s impact on value delivered at scale. For enterprise organizations, achieving Enterprise Agility is not just a goal—it’s key enabler to staying competitive in rapidly evolving markets where value delivery is of paramount importance.

This section outlines the key stages of Agile maturity, helping you identify where your organization currently stands and where it needs to go to achieve a fully integrated, enterprise-wide Agile transformation.

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1. Ad-hoc Agile

At the Ad-hoc stage, Agile practices are beginning to take shape but lack formal structure or leadership support. Teams may be autonomously experimenting with Agile methods such as Scrum or Kanban, but without consistency across departments or alignment with wider business goals. For large organizations, this stage offers limited value as the benefits of Agile remain isolated within individual teams.

• Characteristics:
  • Agile is used inconsistently across the organization, with teams operating in silos.
  • Limited visibility into how Agile efforts support broader organizational objectives.
• Challenges:
  • Inconsistent practices lead to fragmented outcomes.
  • Difficult to scale Agile or measure its impact across portfolios.
  • Lack of governance and visibility impedes strategic alignment.

2. Team-level Agile

At the Team-Level stage, Agile practices have become more consistent within individual teams, leading to improved delivery and operational efficiency. However, for large enterprises, this is just the beginning. Teams are still disconnected from each other and from higher-level strategic goals, limiting the impact of Agile on the organization as a whole.

• Characteristics:
  • Teams adopt Agile frameworks but remain isolated from one another.
  • Some gains in productivity and delivery, but the organization lacks a unified Agile approach.
• Challenges:
  • Siloed teams limit the ability to scale Agile across departments.
  • Difficulty in aligning team-level results with enterprise-wide objectives.
  • Leadership may still view Agile as a team-based operational method rather than a strategic driver.

3. Cross-functional Agile

As Agile practices evolve, organizations start to bridge the gap between individual teams and broader business objectives. Collaboration improves across functions, and leaders begin to recognize the potential of Agile as a strategic asset. While this stage brings more visibility and alignment, large enterprises often encounter challenges in scaling Agile beyond departmental boundaries.

Many organizations spend an extended period in the Cross-Functional Agile phase, as this stage involves navigating complex coordination across departments and aligning Agile practices with broader business goals. Scaling Agile beyond individual teams often requires significant cultural shifts, deeper collaboration, and refining governance structures. While progress may feel slower here, it’s essential for building the foundation needed to advance to Enterprise Agile.

• Characteristics:
  • Cross-functional collaboration improves, with teams beginning to align with strategic goals.
  • Governance and visibility mechanisms are introduced to track progress and performance.
• Challenges:
  • Scaling Agile consistently across multiple functions remains difficult.
  • Aligning Agile initiatives with long-term business strategy is still a work in progress.
  • Leadership may struggle to balance oversight with the flexibility Agile requires.

4. Enterprise Agile

Enterprise Agile represents the ultimate goal of Agile maturity for large organizations, where Agile principles are fully integrated across the entire organization, driving delivery. For large enterprises, this is the stage where Agile transforms from a set of team-based practices to a strategic framework that delivers value at scale. Enterprise Agile enables organizations to respond to market changes, innovate continuously, and successfully align initiatives with core business goals.

• Characteristics:
  • Agile is embedded in the company’s culture, seen as a strategic enabler at every level.
  • Teams operate autonomously but remain aligned with the organization’s strategic priorities.
  • Real-time visibility and governance frameworks provide leadership with insights into portfolio performance and value realization.
• Challenges:
  • Balancing team autonomy with governance to maintain consistency across the organization.
  • Managing portfolio complexity while scaling innovation and agility.

Importance of aspiring to Enterprise Agile

For large enterprises, reaching the Enterprise Agile stage is not a distant ideal—it’s a strategic advantage. Enterprise Agile provides the visibility, governance, and collaboration necessary to manage complex portfolios, align Agile transformations with business goals, and realize the full value of every initiative.

By assessing where your organization currently stands in its Agile maturity, you can identify specific areas for growth and create a roadmap for achieving Enterprise Agile success.

The next sections will guide you through the key dimensions of Agile maturity, helping you take actionable steps to drive transformation and lead your organization to the next level.

Key dimensions of Agile maturity

To truly understand your organization’s Agile maturity, it’s important to assess it across several dimensions. Each of these dimensions reveals how well Agile principles are integrated into your company’s culture, strategy, and operations. For large enterprises, mastering these dimensions is essential for scaling Agile, driving continuous improvement, and aligning with strategic objectives.

In this section, we’ll outline four key dimensions that define Agile maturity:

• Strategic Alignment
• Visibility & Governance
• Culture & Collaboration
• Scalability

Each dimension includes reflection points and insights to help you identify where your organization stands and what steps are necessary to advance to the next stage.

1. Strategic alignment

At the heart of any successful Agile transformation is the ability to align Agile initiatives with your organization’s strategic goals. For enterprises, the disconnect between Agile teams and business strategy can limit the potential of Agile, reducing its impact to operational improvements and internal enthusiasm to the transformation rather than business-wide success.

• Questions to reflect on:
  • How well are Agile initiatives aligned with your organization's strategic objectives?
  • Do teams understand how their work contributes to broader business goals?
  • Is there a feedback mechanism (such as regular company and team retrospectives) between Agile outcomes and business performance, ensuring that Agile continues to support strategic priorities?
• Indicators of maturity:
  • High: Agile is viewed as a strategic enabler, with transformations directly supporting long-term business objectives. Agile teams are fully aligned with leadership’s vision, and performance is measured against strategic outcomes.
  • Low: Agile is seen as a tactical tool rather than a strategic driver, with little to no connection between team-level outputs and organizational goals.
• Next steps:
  • Ensure leadership is actively involved in defining how Agile initiatives support strategic objectives.
  • Introduce portfolio management practices that link Agile transformations to measurable business outcomes, enhancing visibility into how Agile efforts contribute to overall performance.

2. Visibility & Governance

One of the most common pain points in large enterprises is the lack of visibility across Agile portfolios. Without the ability to see how Agile teams are progressing and how their work impacts overall business performance, organizations struggle to govern their Agile initiatives effectively. Mature Agile organizations have a clear view into portfolio performance, enabling data-driven decisions and timely pivots.

• Questions to reflect on:
  • Do you have clear visibility into the progress of Agile initiatives across teams and departments?
  • Is there a governance framework in place that allows leadership to oversee Agile efforts while preserving the flexibility Agile needs to thrive?
  • How easily can you measure and report on portfolio performance and value realization across the enterprise?
• Indicators of maturity:
  • High: Leadership has full visibility into portfolio performance and can make data-driven adjustments to Agile initiatives. Governance frameworks support both autonomy and alignment with business strategy.
  • Low: Teams operate with limited oversight, and leaders struggle to track performance or ensure Agile efforts align with strategic goals.
• Next steps:
  • Invest in portfolio management tools that provide real-time insights into team progress and overall portfolio health.
  • Establish a governance framework that balances oversight with the flexibility needed for Agile to succeed, allowing leaders to intervene when necessary without disrupting team autonomy.

3. Culture & Collaboration

A key differentiator between organizations stuck in early stages of Agile maturity and those operating at the enterprise level is culture. In large enterprises, Agile success hinges on the ability to foster cross-team collaboration, break down silos, and create a culture where Agile values are embraced from leadership down to team members. Without this, Agile efforts can become fragmented.

• Questions to reflect on:
  • Does your organization promote a culture of collaboration across teams and departments?
  • Are Agile values embedded in leadership and reflected in everyday decision-making?
  • Is there a culture of continuous improvement that allows teams to experiment, learn, and adapt quickly?
• Indicators of maturity:
  • High: Teams collaborate seamlessly across functions, and Agile principles are deeply ingrained in the organization’s culture. Leadership champions Agile practices, fostering a culture of trust and continuous improvement.
  • Low: Teams operate in silos, and Agile practices are limited to individual departments. Leadership is disconnected from Agile principles, which limits broader adoption and collaboration.
• Next steps:
  • Encourage cross-team collaboration by breaking down silos and promoting knowledge sharing.
  • Align leadership with Agile values by investing in training, coaching, and mentoring that fosters a culture of Agile at every level of the organization.

4. Scalability

For large enterprises, the ability to scale Agile across multiple teams and departments is often the biggest challenge. While Agile might work well at the team level, scaling those practices across the enterprise requires consistent frameworks, leadership support, and a clear strategy for managing the complexity of large portfolios.

• Questions to reflect on:
  • How well have you been able to scale Agile from individual teams to the enterprise?
  • Are there consistent frameworks and tools in place that allow teams to adapt Agile practices while maintaining alignment with business goals?
  • What challenges have you encountered in scaling Agile practices across functions, portfolios, or regions?
• Indicators of maturity:
  • High: Agile practices are scalable across the organization, with clear frameworks, tools, and leadership support in place. Teams can adapt Agile to their specific needs while remaining aligned with enterprise goals.
  • Low: Scaling efforts are fragmented, with different teams using inconsistent practices that don’t align with broader organizational strategy. Challenges in governance, visibility, or leadership support prevent Agile from scaling effectively.
• Next steps:
  • Standardize Agile frameworks and tools across the organization to ensure consistency and scalability.
  • Invest in solutions that enable scalable Agile, providing teams the flexibility to adapt while maintaining alignment with enterprise-level goals.

By assessing your organization across these key dimensions, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of your current Agile maturity and uncover areas for improvement. Whether it’s refining your governance frameworks, improving cross-team collaboration, or scaling Agile across portfolios, the next section will help you score your current maturity level and identify actionable next steps.

Assessing your Agile maturity

This scoring framework will help you gauge your level of maturity and identify specific areas for improvement.

By the end of this section, you’ll have a clear understanding of whether your organization is operating at an Ad-hoc, Team-Level, Cross-Functional, or Enterprise Agile maturity level.

How to score your organization

For each of the four dimensions, rate your organization on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing the lowest level of maturity and 5 the highest. Consider how your organization performs in each area based on the characteristics and questions outlined in the previous section.

1 = Very Low Maturity

Your organization shows little to no integration of Agile practices in this area, with minimal alignment to broader strategic goals.

2 = Low Maturity

Some Agile practices exist, but they are inconsistent or isolated, with limited impact on organizational performance.

3 = Moderate Maturity

Agile practices are more consistent, and there’s growing alignment with broader business objectives, though significant gaps remain.

4 = High Maturity

Your organization demonstrates strong integration of Agile practices, with clear alignment to strategy and visible improvements across teams.

5 = Very High Maturity

Agile practices are fully integrated across the organization, aligned with strategic goals, and delivering measurable value across portfolios and teams.

Dimension 1: Strategic alignment

Rate your organization’s ability to align Agile initiatives with strategic business goals.

• 1-2: Agile is not viewed as a strategic driver, and there is little connection between Agile efforts and business objectives.
• 3-4: There is growing alignment between Agile and strategy, but some teams still operate in silos without full visibility into broader goals.
• 5: Agile is deeply embedded in the strategic vision, with all initiatives clearly supporting long-term business outcomes.

Dimension 2: Visibility & Governance

Rate your organization’s visibility into Agile progress and its ability to govern Agile initiatives effectively.

• 1-2: Teams operate independently with minimal oversight, and leadership has limited visibility into progress and portfolio performance.
• 3-4: Leadership has increasing visibility into Agile efforts, with governance frameworks in place, but improvements in reporting and portfolio management are needed.
• 5: Leadership has full visibility into Agile performance and portfolio progress, with governance structures that allow for both autonomy and alignment with business goals.

Dimension 3: Culture & Collaboration

Rate how well Agile principles are embedded in your organization’s culture and how effectively teams collaborate across functions.

• 1-2: Agile practices are isolated within individual teams, and there’s limited cross-functional collaboration. Leadership does not prioritize Agile values.
• 3-4: Collaboration between teams is improving, and Agile is becoming more ingrained in the company culture, though there are still pockets of resistance.
• 5: Agile is embedded in the organizational culture, and teams collaborate seamlessly across departments, with leadership actively championing Agile values.

Dimension 4: Scalability

Rate your organization’s ability to scale Agile practices across teams, departments, and portfolios.

• 1-2: Agile practices are inconsistent across teams, with significant challenges in scaling Agile to the enterprise level.
• 3-4: Agile is beginning to scale across the organization, with some standardization of practices, though challenges in governance and consistency remain.
• 5: Agile practices are fully scalable across the enterprise, with standardized frameworks and tools that support alignment across all teams and portfolios.

Scoring Guide

Once you’ve rated your organization on each dimension, add up your total score to determine your overall Agile maturity level. Your total score will help you understand which stage of maturity your organization is currently in and what steps you should focus on to advance to the next level.

• 24–25 Points: Enterprise Agile

  Your organization is operating at the highest level of Agile maturity, with Agile fully integrated across the enterprise. Teams work autonomously but remain aligned with strategic goals, and visibility into portfolio performance is robust. To maintain this level, focus on continuous improvement, enhancing scalability, and adapting Agile to future market demands.

• 15–23 Points: Cross-Functional Agile

  Your organization is making significant progress in scaling Agile across functions, with improved collaboration and alignment to strategic objectives. However, there are still opportunities to enhance governance and visibility. To advance, focus on deepening alignment between Agile efforts and business goals while refining your scalability and portfolio management practices.

• 10–14 Points: Team-Level Agile

  Your organization is successfully implementing Agile at the team level, but there’s a clear disconnect between teams and broader business objectives. Leadership needs greater visibility into Agile efforts, and there’s a need to standardize practices across functions. To move forward, focus on improving collaboration across teams and aligning Agile initiatives with your organization’s strategic vision.

• Below 10 Points: Ad-hoc Agile

  Agile practices in your organization are fragmented and inconsistent, with little alignment to business strategy. Teams may be experimenting with Agile methods, but these efforts are not coordinated across the enterprise. To improve, start by building a clearer connection between Agile initiatives and strategic goals, introducing governance frameworks, and investing in tools that provide real-time visibility across teams.

Next steps

Your Agile maturity score will enable you to develop an initial understanding of where your organization stands and what steps are needed to evolve. Whether you're just starting your Agile transformation or working towards Enterprise Agile, the following recommendations will help you take practical, actionable steps toward advancing your maturity. This section offers tailored advice based on your current stage and outlines the key actions required to scale Agile successfully across your organization.

If you scored 24–25 points: Enterprise Agile

Your organization is operating at highest level of Agile maturity. At this stage, Agile is integrated into your company’s culture, operations, and strategy. You’ve achieved strong alignment between Agile initiatives and business goals, with effective visibility into portfolio performance and governance frameworks in place.

While you’re already working Agile, maintaining and enhancing your Agile practices is key to staying competitive and adaptive – and avoiding Agile fatigue. Consider the following next steps to ensure continued growth:

• Focus on continuous improvement: Even at the Enterprise Agile level, there’s always room for refinement. Encourage teams to experiment with new approaches and continuously optimize processes to drive innovation and efficiency.
• Adapt to future challenges: Ensure your Agile framework is flexible enough to adapt to future changes, whether they be market disruptions, technological advancements, or shifts in business strategy.
• Leverage advanced Strategic Portfolio Management tools: Invest in tools that provide even deeper insights into portfolio performance, allowing you to continuously improve value delivery across teams and initiatives.

If you scored 15–19 points: Cross-Functional Agile

You’ve made strides in fostering cross-team collaboration, improving visibility, and aligning Agile initiatives with business strategy. However, there are still areas that need refinement before you can fully scale Agile across the enterprise.

To advance to the next level of maturity, focus on the following:

• Deepen strategic alignment: Ensure that all Agile initiatives are not just aligned but tightly integrated with business goals. Establish stronger connections between leadership and teams so that everyone understands how their efforts contribute to the broader strategy.
• Enhance Governance and visibility: While governance frameworks may be in place, real-time visibility across portfolios is crucial. Invest in tools that provide comprehensive data and insights, helping leaders make data-driven decisions while maintaining the flexibility needed for Agile success.
• Standardize Agile frameworks: Consistency is key as you scale Agile. Make sure that all teams, regardless of function, are operating with standardized practices and tools that support scalability and alignment across the organization.

If you scored 10–14 points: Team-Level Agile

At this stage, your organization is implementing Agile effectively at the team level, but there is a clear disconnect between these efforts and broader strategic goals. Teams may be delivering value individually, but the lack of cross-team collaboration and strategic alignment is limiting the full potential of Agile.

To progress to the next stage, your next steps should include:

• Promote cross-team collaboration: Break down silos between teams and encourage collaboration across departments. This will help ensure that Agile practices are not isolated but contribute to the broader organization’s success.
• Improve leadership involvement: Agile maturity requires leadership engagement. Educate leaders on the strategic value of Agile, and foster an environment where leadership actively supports Agile initiatives and helps align them with long-term goals.
• Implement Governance and visibility frameworks: Begin establishing governance mechanisms that provide oversight without restricting Agile’s flexibility. Focus on improving visibility across portfolios so that leadership can track progress and outcomes more effectively.

If you scored below 10 points: Ad-hoc Agile

Your organization is in the early stages of Agile adoption, with practices often limited to individual teams and lacking consistency. Agile initiatives may not yet be connected to broader business objectives, and without strategic alignment, it can be difficult to realize the full value of Agile.

To build momentum and scale Agile effectively, start with these foundational steps:

• Align Agile with business strategy: Begin by ensuring that all Agile initiatives are connected to the organization’s long-term goals. This alignment will provide purpose and direction, helping teams understand the value of their work.
• Introduce portfolio management tools: Invest in tools that provide real-time visibility into team progress, allowing leaders to monitor Agile performance and adjust as needed. This will also help align Agile initiatives with overall business performance.
• Establish a Governance framework: As you scale Agile, governance becomes essential. Set up a framework that allows leaders to oversee Agile efforts while maintaining flexibility. This will help keep teams aligned with strategic goals without restricting their autonomy.

Speed of Agile transformation

The journey to Enterprise Agile doesn’t happen overnight, and the timeline varies depending on several factors. On average, organizations can expect to spend:

• Ad-hoc to Team-Level Agile: 6–12 months
• Team-Level to Cross-Functional Agile: 12–24 months
• Cross-Functional to Enterprise Agile: 18–36 months

However, several factors can accelerate this process:

• Leadership commitment: Organizations with strong executive sponsorship and leadership involvement tend to move faster, as Agile efforts are better aligned with strategic goals from the outset.
• Agile coaching and training: Continuous learning can help teams adopt best practices more quickly, especially when scaling across multiple departments. Kiplot’s Knowledge Center is a great resource to lean more about Agile and project portfolio management.
• Tools and frameworks: Implementing the right tools, like Kiplot’s Agile Portfolio Management software, can significantly enhance visibility, governance, and alignment, making it easier to scale Agile and improve strategic alignment.
• Culture of continuous improvement: Organizations that foster a culture of experimentation, feedback, and collaboration typically see faster progress through the maturity stages.

While there is no one-size-fits-all timeline, focusing on these key drivers can help your organization speed up the Agile transformation process and reach Enterprise Agile maturity more efficiently.

Achieving Enterprise Agile

Reaching Enterprise Agile maturity is not a linear journey, nor is it a one-size-fits-all process. Large enterprises face unique challenges in scaling Agile practices across teams, functions, and geographies. However, with the right focus on strategic alignment, visibility, collaboration, and scalability, Agile can become a key driver of business success.

Wherever your organization currently stands, the path to Enterprise Agile requires continuous learning, adaptation, and refinement. By focusing on the areas identified in this assessment and implementing the right tools and frameworks, you’ll be well-positioned to achieve the highest level of Agile maturity—driving value, innovation, and alignment across your entire organization.

Explore how our enterprise Agile portfolio management software can help your organization accelerate it’s Agile transformation.