ICT Process Level 5 (16-20 points)

Leading with Process Excellence

Congratulations on getting your act together! Your assessment indicates your organisation is at Level 5 in the ICT Process dimension of accessibility maturity. Delivering equitable experience is just how things should be done. It is part of business as usual and great to see it embedded in your organisations day-to-day activities.! This represents the highest level of process integration and sophistication.

Organisations at this level:

• Have accessibility deeply embedded as a fundamental aspect of all development
• Employ highly efficient, innovative testing methodologies across all projects
• Maintain exemplary governance of accessibility throughout the development lifecycle
• Have advanced technical expertise distributed throughout development teams
• Conduct sophisticated research with users with disabilities that drives innovation

Sustaining Excellence

To maintain your leadership position:

• Continue to innovate in accessible development processes as technologies evolve
• Share your process approaches and success with other organisations
• Contribute to the advancement of technical standards and practices
• Don’t let yourselves become complacent – keep working on it
• Review your digital accessibility processes regularly, or talk to us about specific aspects

Your organization demonstrates exceptional process maturity. By sharing this expertise, you can help raise standards for accessible development throughout the technology community.

ICT Process Level 4 (12-15 points)

Advanced Accessibility Processes

Your assessment indicates your organisation is at Level 4 in the ICT Process dimension of accessibility maturity. Design, Developer, and Content accessibility checklists exist. Documented processes are in place for triaging and prioritizing accessibility issues and address customer-reported feedback on accessibility. User research is regularly undertaken. This shows your development processes increasingly integrating accessibility.

Organisations at this level typically:

• Are embedding accessibility throughout the entire development lifecycle
• Conduct comprehensive accessibility testing with sophisticated methodologies
• Implement rigorous accessibility sign-off requirements across all projects
• Employ skilled technical accessibility experts who guide development teams
• Regularly involve diverse users with disabilities in structured testing processes

Key Opportunities

To advance to the highest level of process maturity:

• Develop metrics to ensure the processes are being adhered to
• Ensure the bug tracking system includes accessibility
• Ensure that updates to digital products are checked for accessibility before release
• Innovative your testing approaches to anticipate emerging needs
• Establish user research programs that effectively inform product development

Your organization demonstrates strong accessibility integration in development. The path forward involves refining these processes while driving innovation and excellence.

ICT Process Level 3 (8-11 points)

Established Accessibility Processes

Your assessment indicates your organisation is at Level 3 in the ICT Process dimension of accessibility maturity. Product designs delivered to developers include accessibility information that meets relevant accessibility standards. Technical audits of products are being undertaken. This shows you’ve established more systematic processes but still have opportunities for enhancement.

Organisations at this level typically:

• Have integrated accessibility across most phases of the development lifecycle
• Conduct regular accessibility testing during development
• Are establishing accessibility sign-off processes for most projects
• Have staff with solid accessibility expertise in key roles
• Consider including users with disabilities in testing

Key Opportunities

To enhance your ICT processes:

• Establish an accessible design review process with templates, checklists, and output
• Establish technical testing processes for automated and manual accessibility testing, utilising assistive technology
• Prepare accessibility checklists to guide the design, development, and content preparation
• Ensure accessibility is consistently addressed from project conception
• Strengthen sign-off requirements and ensure consistent enforcement
• Establish more regular involvement of users with disabilities in testing

You’ve built solid accessibility processes. Your next steps involve ensuring these practices are consistent, efficient, and integrated across all development activities.

ICT Process Level 2 (4-7 points)

Developing Your Accessibility Processes

Your assessment indicates your organisation is at Level 2 in the ICT Process dimension of accessibility maturity. Design style guides include accessibility considerations and WCAG is becoming a requirement. This shows you’ve begun integrating accessibility into your development processes but still have significant room for growth.

Organisations at this level typically:

• Have started integrating accessibility in some phases of development
• Conduct accessibility testing, though perhaps inconsistently
• Have introduced some accessibility checkpoints in project workflows
• Have identified staff with basic accessibility skills
• May occasionally involve users with disabilities in testing

Key Opportunities

To develop more mature ICT processes:

• Implement more consistent and comprehensive accessibility testing
• Undertake technical audits to see how accessible your digital products are – think about adding this a development requirement
• Annotate design work with accessibility requirements to give engineers a clear guide as to what is expected from them
• Extend accessibility integration to all phases of the development lifecycle
• Formalise accessibility sign-off requirements in project milestones
• Explore options for including users with disabilities in testing

You’ve made initial progress integrating accessibility into your processes. Now you can focus on expanding and strengthening these practices throughout your development lifecycle.

ICT Process Level 1 (0-3 points)

Beginning Your ICT Process Journey

Your assessment indicates your organisation is at Level 1 in the ICT Process dimension of accessibility maturity. While you might think nothing is happening, there may be some awareness or discussion going on among some staff. This suggests that accessibility is not yet integrated into your development and technology processes.

Organisations at this level typically:

• Seldom consider accessibility during development
• Conduct minimal or inconsistent accessibility testing
• Lack sign-off processes for accessibility in project phases
• Have few or no dedicated technical accessibility experts
• Rarely involve users with disabilities in testing or validation

Key Opportunities

To develop more mature ICT processes:

• Start the discussion about where accessibility might fit in your digital development and publishing processes
• Begin implementing basic accessibility testing before release
• Consider adding accessibility checkpoints in project workflows
• Look at your style guides and brand guides for where accessibility might fit
• Identify staff who can develop accessibility expertise
• Offer accessibility training to designers, developers and content folk to enhance their understanding of their contribution to delivering on digital accessibility

Incorporating accessibility throughout your ICT processes is essential for sustainable results. Your assessment shows you’re ready to begin this important integration.