Validation of a Maturity Model for Applied R&D: Adding Value to Business

EMBRAPII was developed and has been using a maturity model since 2014 to help accredited research groups to reach high performance when conducting applied research to industry. Although the benefits of using such a model have already been demonstrated on many occasions, the model has not been subjected to full scrutiny and formal validation. To do so, a validation procedure is proposed to answer four questions: 1) whether the EMBRAPII model congregates the expected features of this class of evaluation tools, 2) whether the implemented tool complies with its design principles, 3) how the model results benefit research groups and 4) how the achieved maturity relates to group goals and results. The first two questions were answered through a cross-analysis between the model characteristics and well-known conceptual references. To answer question 3), a survey was conducted to verify the user's perceptions about the model. To answer question 4), a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) was compared with achieved maturity levels. Results show that the discussed model complies with the fundamental characteristics of business process maturity models and provides clear evolution guidance to research groups, not only about the improvement of processes but also on business results expressed by KPIs.