In the past few years, workplaces have experienced a seismic shift with remote and hybrid working becoming the new workplace norm. These new working situations have forced organizations to transition from on-premise to cloud infrastructure. Businesses had to adopt new technologies to ensure remote collaboration, teamwork, and productivity is achieved. Microsoft Teams, as a part of the powerful Microsoft 365 productivity suite, has enabled organizations across the globe to cope with the pressures of remote/hybrid working, redefine workplaces and implement a digital strategy to keep the workforce integrated and collaborative.
The Rise in the Adoption of Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams has surpassed 270 million monthly active users as of its second quarter in fiscal 2022.
– Microsoft study
In the last few years, there has been tremendous growth in the organization-wide adoption of Microsoft Teams. The numbers above indicate a growth of 20 million monthly active Teams users after July 2021. Microsoft Teams platform has emerged as an incredibly powerful tool to move beyond the limitations of virtual communication and collaboration.
Microsoft Teams enables new ways to communicate and collaborate through a single app. Instead of communicating traditionally (i.e. sending email messages and waiting for a response), Microsoft Teams allows prompt communication through Chat-based forums. Instead of working independently on projects and tasks, employees can co-author the same document via Teams. In today’s hybrid work environment, when employees are not visiting offices daily, they can connect face-to-face while sitting in the comfort of their homes via Teams.
Since this modern, digital workstyle is here to stay; the question is – how well is an organization leveraging Microsoft Teams? Are you maximizing the potential of the platform or just “getting by”? To identify where an organization is at its Microsoft Teams adoption journey, they need to undergo Teams Maturity Assessment (under Maturity Model for Microsoft 365 – Communication Competency).
What is the Maturity Model for Microsoft 365 – Communication Competency?
The Teams Maturity Assessment enables organization stakeholders and managers to understand how well they are using their Teams investments, and how they can improve their existing business processes. An increase in the levels from Level 100 (low) to Level 500 (high) indicates how well the business is adopting and therefore taking advantage of the capabilities that Teams offers. With that in mind, let us introduce you to the different levels of the Teams Maturity Model and what they mean.
Microsoft Teams Maturity Model Levels
Level 100 – Initial
An organization will be at Level 100 when they are new to the platform and have never tried it before. Let’s see what it says about other aspects.
Governance, Risk, Compliance & Security
- No communication guidelines are available. Anyone can communicate with another without any restriction or limitation.
- Communications are ad hoc and they are not reviewed or approved by anyone.
Information Architecture
Communications are not targeted or weakly targeted to specific audiences.
Classification is not formally considered.
Content
- Employees are relying on emails to share content or information.
- The content shared through emails is not accurate and real-time.
- No feedback mechanism is in place.
- Tracking for readership is absent.
- The communications are not prioritized.
Impacts
- Employees are frustrated and confused.
- There is no uniformity.
- There are challenges in meeting compliance requirements.
- Poor communication and no engagement.
- Misleading communication
Level 200 – Managed
Organizations falling under this Maturity level have communication processes well drafted, managed, and made available to every user to ensure effective communication. The processes are followed and deliver consistent results. Other characteristics are:
Governance, Risk, Compliance & Security
Communication roles are identified.
Proper guidelines are available for users on appropriate communications.
Information Architecture
- Communication targeting is done based on groups or lists.
- A mechanism is in place for prioritizing messages of higher importance but it is not governed.
Content
- Templates for messaging are available but not enforced.
- Standard images and logos are available for everyone’s use.
- Multiple communication modes are available so the users can choose according to their specific requirements.
- A proper feedback mechanism is in place.
- Communications can be scheduled for the future.
Impacts
- Standards for communication are set and policies are managed by the center, but there is no shared understanding across the organization of what these are.
Level 300 – Defined
Organizations at this level have a well-defined communication process and a standard business process for every user. However, it may not be systematically or repeatedly used by the users to become fully competent. Other characteristics of this development stage are:
Governance, Risk, Compliance & Security
- Proper communications policies are published for internal as well as external communication.
- Users understand and follow the communication policies as there is some monitoring and reinforcement in place.
- Language style guides are in active use.
- Feedback and corrections are taken into consideration.
Information Architecture
- Different communication channels are understood and effectively used at an organizational level.
- The purpose of different types of communication mechanisms/channels is understood by the users.
- A variety of communication options are available, and the rules to determine which communication channel to use and when are set.
Content
- Standard images, templates, and logos are available for use and stored at a centralized location for everyone’s access.
- Mechanisms are in place to prioritize messages that exist in multiple channels.
- Processes for scheduling communication, updating, and archiving superseded or expired communications are available.
Impacts
- Proper communication strategy for different types of communications is understood and supported by users at the executive level. Users seamlessly communicate knowing all the standard practices. They can get feedback and improvise their communications. The communications are prioritized according to their importance and scheduled for the future, so they never get lost.
Level 400 – Predictable
At this level, the communication process is well defined, understood, and followed by all the users within an organization. Key metrics are used to measure the effectiveness of the communication.
Governance, Risk, Compliance & Security
- A well-defined process is available ensuring that all the timelines are met. Approvals are done on time and the progress can be tracked easily.
- Parameters like logs, feedback, site usage, etc. confirm that communication is done effectively and that tracking analytics and reporting are available.
Information Architecture
- Communications are available at as many places as needed without content redundancy.
- Communications are sent to the targeted individuals and groups consistently based on the well-maintained databases.
- Different media types are used for effective communication and maximum engagement.
Content
- Standard formats and templates are utilized during the communication.
- Mechanisms to prioritize messages are standardized and broadly adopted.
- Strict and clear processes exist to ensure the appropriate use of content and these processes are connected to incentives.
Impacts
- At this stage, users start trusting the process of organizational communications. They follow the process wholeheartedly and feel confident in the source and appropriateness of what they receive. However, this maturity level can be an issue for some users who were familiar with the old process and enjoyed the freedom to communicate anytime, anywhere, and in any way. They might feel restricted in their ability to communicate if they do not have the appropriate role or level of rights.
Level 500 – Optimizing
Having a well-defined communication process in place is not enough. Management of the communication process is the next top priority including systematic process improvement and optimization. Organizations that leverage new-age technology solutions to streamline their operations and respond to the growing business requirements are on Level 500.
Governance, Risk, Compliance & Security
- The effectiveness of the communication is improved by taking suggestions and feedback into consideration.
- Training to all users is provided to communicate on multiple platforms.
- Lifecycle management is automated.
- Compliance and DLP rules are comprehensively applied and enforced.
Information Architecture
- Effective communication messages are automatically curated by the system.
- Content or communications are sent to the readers based on their role, interests, and activities with the power of AI.
- Various media types are used to deliver the communication strategically.
Content
- Formatting and publication of content to different media types are automated e.g. text to speech or speech to text.
- A-B testing of messages is done.
- Focus time for users is encouraged and protected.
Impacts
- Level 500 indicates that the organization can achieve high ROI and all the users are following the guidelines for effective communication. At this stage, the system supports communication governance, so users don’t need to remember the rules, making interactions more intuitive and seamless.
Maximize ROI With Microsoft Teams Maturity Assessment
For the past 23 years, AgreeYa has been helping organizations to achieve their digital transformation goals by adopting Microsoft-based solutions and maximizing ROI. As a Microsoft Global Systems Integrator and Gold Partner, we are best positioned to help organizations to assess their existing IT infrastructure and leverage the power of Microsoft technologies to enhance communication and collaboration among employees, improve productivity, and scale up their business.