Every ILEA domain uses the same four-level ladder. Level 4 is the domain’s desired state (to-be),[1] and it is reached when the domain’s standards are met. The ladder makes it possible to identify the gaps between the current state and the desired state.[2]
| Level | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1. Ad hoc | Work depends on specific people and is not documented; results are not reliably repeated.[3][4] |
| 2. Managed | Work is documented, planned, and measured within each area.[3][4] |
| 3. Integrated | There are common standards, and work is connected end to end across areas, systems, and data.[3][5] |
| 4. Optimized | Work is continuously improved with data, redesigned, and automated: it is the domain’s desired state.[3][1] |
Basis
The ladder is based on the CMMI maturity levels: Initial, Managed, Defined, Quantitatively Managed, and Optimizing.[3][4][6] “Integrated” deliberately replaces “Defined,” because in ILEA the domains operate as an interconnected system.[5] CMMI levels 4 and 5 are merged into “Optimized” to keep four levels. Both changes are the author’s adaptation.
Scope rule
The level is measured on what is being assessed: a process, a department, or the whole enterprise. This follows the logic of CMMI, which measures the capability of each area separately and lets the organization choose what to improve first according to its business objectives.[3][7][8]
For a process, “Integrated” means connected end to end with the systems and data it uses, which is a prerequisite for automating it. A quick win can therefore take one process to “Optimized” within a department without waiting for the rest.
At the enterprise level, another rule applies: an enterprise’s digital maturity is defined not by its best capability but by its weakest (author’s adaptation).[9]
By domain
In the AI metadomain, each level also carries, in parentheses, the name given in the author’s work Lean AI-CMM-SMB: (AI-Curious), (AI-Enabled), (AI in Operation), and (AI-Driven).[10]
The ladder is public. How to assess an organization and how to chart its path to the next level are not part of ILEA.
References
- Peschard, M. (2026). Intelligent & Lean Enterprise Architecture (ILEA), v1.21, §1 (desired state, “deber ser”). INDAUTOR Reg. 03-2026-020309540400-01. https://ilea.works/en/
- Peschard, M. (2026). ILEA, v1.21, §3: “identification of gaps between the current state and the desired state.”
- CMMI Institute. CMMI Levels of Capability and Performance. https://cmmiinstitute.com/learning/appraisals/levels
- White, S. K. (2018, September 10). CMMI maturity levels: A guide to optimizing development processes. CIO. https://www.cio.com/article/222225/cmmi-maturity-levels-a-guide-to-optimizing-development-processes.html
- Peschard, M. (2026). ILEA, v1.21, §17: the domains “operate as an interconnected system.”
- Kirvan, P., & Lutkevich, B. (2025, September 3). What is Capability Maturity Model (CMM)? TechTarget. https://www.techtarget.com/it-infrastructure/definition/What-is-Capability-Maturity-Model-CMM
- IBM Rational. (2008). CMMI the Rational Way [presentation transcript]. https://public.dhe.ibm.com/software/info/television/swtv/Rational_Software/demos/cmmi/CMMItheRationalWay_Transcript.pdf
- Visure Solutions. What is CMMI – Free White-paper. https://visuresolutions.com/what-is-cmmi-free-white-paper/
- Peschard, M. (2026). Chapter 2, “Transformación Digital Inteligente,” in GOCHY® Consulting Consortium, GALACRÁCKTICO® El Ejecutivo de 2040: Pensar Futuro. Decidir Hoy. Original: “La madurez digital de una empresa no la define su mejor capacidad, sino la más débil.”
- Peschard, M. (2025). Lean AI-CMM-SMB.