DevRel Maturity Model | Requirements & Use Cases

[j12y]

Using this thread for brainstorming and prioritization. Add new ideas and/or vote up any below and add comments.

If you had the perfect DevRel Maturity Model to help with definitions, org structure and behavior, what would you find and how would you use it?

• is it a glossary of standard terminology?
• is it a book with chapters? what are those chapters?
• is it a public data set of organizations and their structure?
• is it a repos with a checklist and framework that can be used like the capability maturity model for an organizational audit/assessment?

fyi: @Ijeoma-Onwuka @tonyblank @mplacona @kellyjandrews @rapchic

[j12y]

I would use the devrel maturity model to make a case with executive leadership on the reporting structure that puts DevRel in the best position to succeed.

[j12y]

I would use the devrel maturity model to provide a reference to important stakeholders in marketing, sales, engineering, product, operations, etc. on the responsibilities and expectations of DevRel.

[j12y]

for instance, identifying and clarifying areas of overlap such as field marketing (events), product marketing managers (content), product managers (feedback), engineering (sdks), speaking (public relations), support (solutions engineering, technical support, pre-sales engineering, customer success), etc.

[j12y]

I would use the maturity model as the canonical definition of DevRel.

[j12y]

ie. replacing this page https://dev-rel.org/learn/what-is-devrel with something that we can build a consensus around and get signatories who endorse it as the definition we should rally around #96.

[j12y]

I would use the maturity model to provide clarity on how roles map across an organization. For example, we have a job title "Software Engineer" but this does not necessarily distinguish if the person is full stack, front-end, back-end, prompt, etc. the job title is often not tightly bound to the function.

Should the same be true of devrel org structures? Might the job title "Developer Advocate" really be better positioned as a "Software Engineer, Advocacy" or a "Community Manager" as a "Communications, Community" or "Program Manager, Community" roles to the same effect but removing ambiguity?

Further, I'd like to see a table that includes other job titles: field marketing, product marketing, etc. to line up common responsibilities and skills so that we see these could be synonyms and/or duplicative across an organization depending on other decisons around the org chart.

[arun-gupta]

When I think about DevRel Maturity Model, I think like this https://waydev.co/devops-maturity-model/.

Define different levels at which DevRel is happening within the org across various verticals. For example, docs, events, metrics, and content. Then there are base, beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert levels in horizontal rows. Any DevRel should be able to look at this maturity model and then assess their current state, and see what needs to be done to move to a higher state.

[mplacona]

I’d love to see a DevRel Maturity Model that’s both practical and adaptable depending on a company’s stage. A few thoughts on what would make it useful in the real world:

• Foundational glossary – agreed that common language is critical. Too many teams still use different terms for the same thing, which makes benchmarking and comparing nearly impossible.
• Phased framework (like CMMI but for DevRel) – instead of a static checklist, something that defines what “Level 1” vs. “Level 3” looks like across dimensions like content, community, product feedback loops, and measurement. This makes it easier to self-assess and track progress.
• Org + role guidance – examples of team structures and hiring priorities at different maturity levels. (e.g. at early stages one strong IC may cover docs + content, but at later stages you’ll want specialists across community, advocacy, and education.)
• Audit template – a practical worksheet companies can actually fill out. Helps surface gaps quickly and provides a conversation starter between DevRel and leadership.
• Case studies / benchmarks – anonymized data or examples of how real orgs grew their DevRel function and what outcomes they tied to business goals.

The key for me would be making it actionable rather than theoretical. Something that a head of DevRel could take to their exec team and say: “Here’s where we are, here’s where we want to be, and here’s why investing in this function matters.”

And here's my take on what a maturity model would look like:

Locate yourself on this ladder, then use the checkpoints to climb with intent.

Stage	Typical Team Shape	Primary Mandate	Core KPIs	Common Pitfalls	Graduation Criteria
1. Reactive	1 advocate juggling docs + support	Answer inbound questions, write first docs	Tickets closed, time‑to‑first‑response	Burnout; no feedback loop; zero metrics	Budget + head‑count approved; quarterly objectives set
2. Programmatic	2–4 people (advocate, writer, community mgr)	Build repeatable content & community programs	Site traffic, Hello World conversions, community engagement	Activity > outcomes; vanity metrics	Cross‑functional OKRs; DX telemetry instrumented
3. Strategic	5–10 people embedded with Product & Marketing	Tie DevRel to revenue and roadmap	Activation → Adoption rates, expansion ARR, feature uptake	Misaligned incentives with sales, process debt	DevRel represented in quarterly business reviews
4. Transformational	10+ people and an external champion's network	Influence market direction & partner ecosystems	Developer‑driven pipeline, community contributions, ecosystem revenue	Bureaucracy; loss of authenticity	The external community creates & maintains the flagship integrations

[j12y]

I like that you called out the foundational glossary which is where I gravitated as a place to start as well. One of the challenges without that can be other roles that look similar so coming up with a definition that clarifies the label independent of the function could really help bring clarity.

• Developer Advocate or Technical Support Specialist
• Developer Advocate or Pre-Sales Engineer
• Developer Advocate or Product Marketing Manager
• Community Manager or Field Marketing Manager
• etc.

I'd argue those are synonyms when it comes to functional definitions in certain contexts / maturity levels.

[j12y]

I also agree that a few tables will bring clarity, we just need to build consensus around the specific columns and rows (and number of tables needed).

[arun-gupta]

@mplacona I was thinking on similar lines, here is my shot at it

DevRel Maturity Model - Assessment Matrix

Vertical	Initial (Level 1)	Managed (Level 2)	Defined (Level 3)	Measured (Level 4)	Optimized (Level 5)
Documentation	• Minimal, outdated docs • No clear ownership • Reactive fixes only	• Basic documentation exists • Single owner assigned • Regular but inconsistent updates	• Comprehensive doc strategy • Style guides in place • Standardized formats • Regular review cycles	• Docs analytics tracked • User feedback integrated • Performance metrics defined • Data-driven improvements	• Continuous optimization • AI/automation integration • Community contributions • Predictive content gaps
Community Management	• No dedicated community focus • Ad hoc responses • Scattered presence	• Basic community presence • Designated community manager • Consistent response times	• Multi-channel strategy • Community guidelines • Moderation processes • Regular engagement programs	• Community metrics tracked • Sentiment analysis • Growth KPIs measured • ROI calculated	• Self-sustaining community • Advanced automation • Predictive engagement • Community-led initiatives
Content Strategy	• Random content creation • No editorial calendar • Inconsistent messaging	• Basic content plan • Simple editorial calendar • Brand guidelines exist	• Comprehensive content strategy • Multi-format approach • Persona-driven content • Cross-team coordination	• Content performance analytics • A/B testing implemented • Conversion tracking • Data-driven decisions	• AI-powered personalization • Predictive content planning • Community-generated content • Cross-platform optimization
Events & Speaking	• Occasional conference attendance • No speaking strategy • Limited event presence	• Regular conference participation • Basic speaker training • Event calendar maintained	• Strategic event selection • Speaker bureau established • Event ROI framework • Consistent messaging	• Event performance measured • Lead quality tracked • Speaker effectiveness analyzed • Budget optimization	• Predictive event selection • Advanced speaker development • Community-driven events • Innovation showcases
Developer Experience (DX)	• No DX focus • Developer friction ignored • Reactive bug fixes	• Basic DX awareness • Simple onboarding flow • Basic developer tools	• Comprehensive DX strategy • Streamlined onboarding • Developer journey mapping • Consistent tooling	• DX metrics tracked • Time-to-first-value measured • Developer satisfaction surveys • Friction point analysis	• Continuous DX optimization • Predictive friction detection • AI-powered assistance • Self-service excellence
Metrics & Analytics	• No DevRel metrics • Anecdotal reporting • Activity-focused only	• Basic activity tracking • Simple reporting dashboard • Monthly/quarterly reviews	• Comprehensive KPI framework • Business impact metrics • Regular reporting cadence • Cross-team dashboards	• Advanced analytics platform • Predictive modeling • Attribution tracking • ROI measurement	• Real-time optimization • ML-powered insights • Automated reporting • Strategic forecasting
Feedback Loops	• No systematic feedback • Ad hoc developer input • Slow response times	• Basic feedback channels • Regular collection cadence • Simple triage process	• Multi-channel feedback system • Structured feedback analysis • Clear escalation paths • Response SLAs	• Feedback analytics tracked • Sentiment trend analysis • Impact measurement • Closed-loop reporting	• Real-time feedback processing • Predictive issue detection • Automated routing • Community-driven solutions
Cross-team Collaboration	• Siloed operations • Minimal cross-team contact • Reactive coordination	• Basic stakeholder relationships • Regular check-ins • Informal coordination	• Structured collaboration model • Clear escalation paths • Regular cross-team meetings • Shared OKRs	• Collaboration effectiveness measured • Cross-team project tracking • Impact attribution • Process optimization	• Seamless integration • Predictive collaboration • Automated workflows • Strategic alignment
Developer Advocacy	• No external developer presence • Reactive industry participation • Limited thought leadership	• Occasional speaking/writing • Basic social media presence • Ad hoc industry engagement	• Consistent advocacy strategy • Regular content publication • Active industry participation • Brand ambassador program	• Advocacy impact measured • Thought leadership metrics • Influence tracking • ROI on advocacy activities	• Industry leadership position • Predictive trend identification • Community-amplified advocacy • Global influence network
Partner & Ecosystem Relations	• No partner DevRel strategy • Isolated ecosystem approach • Minimal third-party engagement	• Basic partner identification • Simple integration support • Reactive partner requests	• Strategic partner program • Structured onboarding • Regular partner engagement • Co-marketing initiatives	• Partner success metrics • Ecosystem health tracking • Integration analytics • Partner ROI measurement	• Automated partner enablement • Predictive partner needs • Self-service ecosystem • Strategic alliance optimization
Product Feedback Integration	• No systematic feedback flow • Product team disconnect • Lost developer insights	• Basic feedback collection • Informal product discussions • Simple issue escalation	• Structured feedback pipeline • Regular product meetings • Prioritized feature requests • Developer advisory groups	• Feedback impact tracking • Product adoption metrics • Feature usage analytics • Developer satisfaction correlation	• Real-time product optimization • Predictive feature demand • Automated feedback routing • Community-driven roadmap input
Education & Training	• No formal training programs • Ad hoc learning resources • Limited skill development	• Basic tutorials available • Simple onboarding guides • Occasional workshops	• Comprehensive learning paths • Multi-format training content • Regular educational events • Certification programs	• Learning effectiveness measured • Skill progression tracked • Training ROI calculated • Competency assessments	• Personalized learning paths • AI-powered recommendations • Community-led education • Predictive skill gap analysis
Open Source Strategy	• No open source presence • Reactive contribution handling • Limited community projects	• Basic open source projects • Simple contribution guidelines • Occasional community engagement	• Strategic OSS portfolio • Active maintainer community • Clear governance model • Regular project releases	• OSS impact measured • Contribution analytics • Community health tracking • Project success metrics	• Self-sustaining OSS ecosystem • Predictive project needs • Automated maintenance • Strategic innovation pipeline
Developer Tools & SDKs	• Basic tools available • Limited SDK support • Reactive tool development	• Core SDKs maintained • Basic developer tooling • Simple integration guides	• Comprehensive SDK strategy • Multi-language support • Advanced developer tools • Regular updates and releases	• Tool usage analytics • Developer productivity metrics • SDK adoption tracking • Performance optimization data	• AI-powered development tools • Predictive developer needs • Self-updating SDKs • Community-contributed tools
Crisis Communication	• No crisis communication plan • Ad hoc responses • Inconsistent messaging	• Basic incident response • Simple communication templates • Designated crisis contacts	• Comprehensive crisis strategy • Pre-approved messaging • Multi-channel coordination • Stakeholder communication matrix	• Crisis response effectiveness measured • Communication timing tracked • Sentiment analysis during crises • Recovery metrics	• Proactive crisis prevention • Real-time sentiment monitoring • Automated response systems • Predictive issue detection

Scoring Framework

Per Vertical:

• Level 1 (Initial): 1 point
• Level 2 (Managed): 2 points
• Level 3 (Defined): 3 points
• Level 4 (Measured): 4 points
• Level 5 (Optimized): 5 points

Overall Maturity Score:

• 15-30 points: Initial - Focus on establishing basic processes
• 31-45 points: Managed - Build consistency and structure
• 46-60 points: Defined - Implement measurement and optimization
• 61-75 points: Measured - Drive advanced optimization and innovation

Key Benchmark Metrics

Metric	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Developer NPS	Not measured	Basic tracking	>0	>30	>50
Time to First Value	Not measured	Measured	<1 day	<1 hour	<10 minutes
Community Growth	No tracking	10% quarterly	20% quarterly	30% quarterly	40%+ quarterly
Documentation Usage	No analytics	Basic analytics	Growth trending	Optimization data	Predictive insights
Cross-team Projects	None	1-2 annually	3-5 annually	5+ annually	Continuous
SDK Downloads	No tracking	Basic tracking	Growth trending	Adoption analytics	Predictive modeling
Partner Integrations	None	<5 active	5-15 active	15+ active	Self-service ecosystem
Speaking Engagements	None	1-2 annually	1-2 quarterly	1-2 monthly	Weekly+ presence
Content Channels	Single channel	2 channels	3+ channels	Multi-format optimization	AI-powered distribution

[j12y]

Nice! I like the clear and discrete verticals that help assess each dimension independently. It may at first appear a bit more complex, but find it to be much more prescriptive for action items one might take to improve their program.

[arun-gupta]

This was mostly Claude-generated, but I prompted-engineered the heck out of it :) I think we need a working session to move this forward.

[robearlam]

Yeah I like this approach, I like the breakdown by Vertical as then teams can choose the ones that apply to them, and also use it to help evaluate verticals that they might not be repsonsible for but are owned by others in the business.

Agreed there is a lot in here to discuss in a single GH discussion though. We should spin of a working call just to drill down into these, come up with an initial set of definitions, then we can release it for comment like we did with the events & tools catalogs.