Strategic planning maturity doesn’t improve by luck—it progresses through intentional assessment. The performance maturity assessment process offered by the GPA Unit is a catalyst for alignment, reflection, and transformation. It guides organizations through a structured, evidence-based, and perception-informed journey to understand how well strategy is defined, communicated, and executed.

Done right, this process becomes a turning point—not just identifying what’s missing, but clarifying what’s next.

12 Steps to Strategic Clarity: The Maturity Assessment Process

1. Kick-Off and Project Initiation

The process starts with a collaborative kick-off meeting. Here, timelines are set, deliverables confirmed, and roles clarified.

Pro Tip: While the assessment is a team effort, appointing a dedicated project manager on your side is crucial. This person becomes the central point of coordination, working closely with the GPA Unit’s own project lead to keep everything on track. Announcing the initiative organization-wide also sets the tone and boosts early engagement.

2. Documentation Collection Begins

Using guidance materials provided by the GPA Unit, the organization begins gathering internal documentation that reflects its strategic planning practices.

Pro Tip: Don’t be overwhelmed by the list. We provide a clear, structured checklist and are happy to schedule a session to walk you through file availability, sampling methods, and how to package the information. You’ll also understand the “why” behind each document request—especially important when dealing with confidential materials.

Flexibility is key: You can upload documents to your own server, share via cloud folders, or submit them in a ZIP/RAR format—whichever works best for your system.

3. Validation of Documentation

After submission, the GPA Unit reviews the material and follows up in a dedicated meeting to clarify gaps, verify relevance, or request additional documents.

4. Survey Deployment: Capturing Perceptions

A tailored survey is sent to a group of internal stakeholders to gather insight into how strategy is perceived across the organization.

Pro Tip: Never underestimate the time needed to get quality responses. Even though it’s “just a survey,” getting a strong response rate takes internal promotion and encouragement. The project manager plays a vital role in championing participation.

5. Evidence-Based Assessment

Simultaneously with survey deployment, the GPA Unit begins scoring the documentation against maturity criteria, covering structure, consistency, and strategic alignment.

6. Perception-Based Analysis

Once survey data is collected, it’s analyzed to understand the lived experiences of strategy—from alignment and communication to trust and ownership. This ensures the system isn’t just well-documented, but also functional.

7. Interview-Based Analysis

Interviews with key stakeholders bring context and nuance, validating data from both documents and surveys, and uncovering blind spots.

8. Results Consolidation

Findings from all three streams—evidence, perception, and interviews—are synthesized to reveal trends, inconsistencies, and opportunities for improvement.

9. Drafting the Report

The GPA Unit crafts the draft assessment report, highlighting scores, maturity level, and practical next steps.

10. Draft Review Meeting

The client reviews the report, and if needed, a meeting is held to discuss the findings, resolve ambiguities, and ensure that conclusions are contextually accurate.

11. Final Report and Strategic Tools

Once validated, the final report is delivered alongside a visual executive dashboard and two key planning assets: the Roadmap for Improvement and the Roadmap Infographic.

12. Certification

Upon completion, the GPA Unit issues a Maturity Level Certificate, formally recognizing your organization's current stage and its readiness for future growth.

Ready to Succeed? Here’s How to Prepare

Many organizations underestimate the preparation phase—but how you start often determines how well you finish. Here’s how to make your assessment a success:

✅ Assign a Project Manager Early

This person coordinates internally, liaises with the GPA Unit, and keeps momentum going. Without one, document flow slows, surveys stall, and timelines drift.

✅ Plan for Resource Allocation

Prepare ahead for the time and people needed to gather documentation, manage internal communications, and support survey participation.

✅ Use the Checklist—and Ask for Help

We provide a detailed document submission structure. Use it. If in doubt, request a meeting to discuss what’s needed and how best to prepare it.

✅ Organize Documents Clearly

This helps us review efficiently and gives you faster feedback. Neatly packaged materials also reduce the number of clarification requests.

✅ Promote the Survey Internally

Survey response rates depend on internal trust and visibility. Communicate its purpose, protect confidentiality, and encourage honest participation.

The True Measure of Maturity

The value of the assessment isn’t just in the score—it’s in the clarity it provides. With evidence in one hand and perception in the other, the maturity assessment connects structure to experience. It shows whether strategy is just aspirational or actually operational.

As Saudi Arabia’s maturity journey and other international cases have shown, organizations that embrace structured assessment are better positioned to improve—because they begin with understanding.

And understanding is the first step to transformation.

Want to prepare your team for a successful assessment? Contact the GPA Unit for toolkits, sample checklists, and a consultation session to get started.