Maturity, Progression, Effort, and Play Ontology¶

01.020.010.030 v20260810.001

This document defines the principal ontology classes and relationships governing maturity, Progressions, Efforts, Plays, Playbooks, Pillars, Effects, and maturity subjects within the Value Realization Semantic Model.

Detailed maturity doctrine is maintained in the Capability Models document family. This ontology controls the class relationships and interpretation rules used by semantic models, registries, metadata, agents, and derivative systems.

Principal Classes¶

Maturity Subject¶

A Maturity Subject is an explicitly bounded Capability, Competency, or other qualified object whose maturity can be meaningfully assessed, advanced, sustained, or reassessed.

Maturity Model¶

A Maturity Model is an ordered, evidence-based continuum of defined anchor states used to characterize the operating condition of a Maturity Subject.

Maturity Level¶

A Maturity Level is the highest canonical anchor state sufficiently evidenced within the declared assessment basis.

Maturity Position¶

A Maturity Position is a governed decimal representation comprising the highest sufficiently evidenced Maturity Level and the evidenced Progression Position through the immediately next Maturity Progression.

Maturity Profile¶

A Maturity Profile is a multi-dimensional representation of maturity across relevant dimensions, constituent subjects, scopes, or evidence categories.

Maturity Progression¶

A Maturity Progression is a governed adjacent-level Prescribed Pattern that defines movement from one Maturity Level to the immediately next higher Maturity Level.

Reference Progression¶

A Reference Progression is a portable and explicitly illustrative interpretation of one Maturity Progression across Pillars, Effects, Plays, enabling conditions, evidence, and risks.

Progression Pattern¶

A Progression Pattern is reusable prescribed logic that may implement, contribute to, condition, or evidence one or more Maturity Progressions for one or more Maturity Subjects.

Progression Application¶

A Progression Application is the governed application of one or more Progression Patterns to a specific subject, scope, source Maturity Position, target Maturity Level, and evidence basis.

Effort¶

An Effort is a bounded intentional action, intervention, or coordinated set of activities undertaken to establish, change, protect, sustain, or evidence a realization condition or Effect.

Play¶

A Play is a reusable prescribed Effort. A Play is a subtype of Prescribed Pattern and may be selected within a Playbook, Maturity Progression, Progression Pattern, Initiative, or other governed context.

Playbook¶

A Playbook is a governed composition of Plays and supporting guidance used to pursue one or more Effects within a defined context.

Effect and Priority¶

An Effect is a canonical class of outcome against which value may be pursued, influenced, protected, recovered, or realized.

A Priority is a contextual designation of an Effect as a scope-defining intended outcome. Priority Outcome is permitted as reader-facing language for an Effect designated as a Priority and is not a separate ontology class.

Canonical Anchor States¶

The Maturity Model has the following ordered anchor states:

Canonical Adjacent Progressions¶

The Maturity Progression class has the following controlled adjacent transitions:

Improvising, M0 Conceptualized to M1 Improvised;
Normalizing, M1 Improvised to M2 Normalized;
Rationalizing, M2 Normalized to M3 Rationalized;
Optimizing, M3 Rationalized to M4 Optimized;
Harmonizing, M4 Optimized to M5 Harmonized.

Improvizing and Conceptualizing are prohibited variants for the M0-to-M1 Maturity Progression.

Core Relationships¶

Maturity Model
  has anchor state -> Maturity Level

Maturity Subject
  has designation -> Maturity Level
  has position -> Maturity Position
  has profile -> Maturity Profile
  participates in -> Progression Application

Maturity Position
  consists of -> highest sufficiently evidenced Maturity Level
  plus -> Progression Position

Maturity Progression
  advances from -> source Maturity Level
  advances to -> immediately adjacent target Maturity Level
  is interpreted by -> Reference Progression
  is implemented or supported by -> Progression Pattern
  may cite -> Play
  may require -> Practice
  may require -> Proficiency
  may depend on -> enabling condition
  may pursue or protect -> Effect
  relates to -> Value Realization Pillar
  requires -> Evidence

Reference Progression
  interprets -> exactly one Maturity Progression
  cites illustratively -> Pillars, Effects, Plays, Practices, Proficiencies, evidence, risks

Progression Pattern
  relates to -> one or more Maturity Progressions
  applies to -> one or more Maturity Subjects
  may include -> one or more Plays
  may produce -> Evidence

Progression Application
  applies -> one or more Progression Patterns
  governs -> one Maturity Subject within one declared scope
  begins at -> source Maturity Position
  targets -> immediately adjacent Maturity Level

Play
  is subtype of -> Effort
  is subtype of -> Prescribed Pattern
  may be composed into -> Playbook
  may be cited by -> Reference Progression or Progression Pattern

Playbook
  composes -> Plays
  pursues -> one or more Effects

Cardinality and Constraint Rules¶

One Maturity Model may have multiple ordered Maturity Levels.
One Maturity Subject has one canonical Maturity Level per assessment basis and may have one decimal Maturity Position.
One Maturity Progression advances between exactly two immediately adjacent Maturity Levels.
One Reference Progression interprets exactly one canonical Maturity Progression.
One Progression Pattern may relate to many Progressions and many Maturity Subjects.
One Progression Application may use many Progression Patterns but targets only the immediately next Maturity Level.
One Play may be used in many Playbooks, Progression Patterns, and Progression Applications.
An Effect may be designated as a Priority, Contributor, protected Effect, or adverse or trade-off Effect according to context.

Evidence and Value Rules¶

A maturity designation requires sufficient evidence relative to purpose, materiality, risk, scope, and consequence.
A Maturity Progression, Play, Effort, Practice, Project, or completed activity does not independently establish maturity advancement.
Maturity, adoption, Capability, performance, and compliance are realization conditions and do not independently establish realized value.
Cited Effects are hypotheses or intended outcome relationships until separately evidenced.
Fit-for-value target maturity governs Progression selection; M5 is not a universal objective.

Pillar Relationship Rules¶

Maturity Progressions, Reference Progressions, Progression Patterns, Plays, and Progression Applications may identify Pillar relationships as primary, contributing, affected, evidence-producing, or excluded.

Pillar role is contextual. The same Pattern or Play may have different Pillar roles in different applications.

Portability Boundary¶

Canonical classes, anchor states, adjacent transitions, Reference Progressions, and generalized Progression Patterns belong in the VRBoK.

Alescent-specific Plays, Playbooks, Progression Patterns, Progression Applications, Products, Platforms, assessment instruments, and commercialization assets belong in the ABoK unless intentionally generalized and adopted through VRBoK governance.

Governance¶

Changes to principal classes, controlled anchor states, adjacent transitions, prohibited variants, or cardinality rules require canonical governance and synchronized updates to the taxonomy, controlled vocabulary, Capability Models, registries, and derivative guidance.