CRO maturity audit: methodology and process

Running a few A/B tests is within the reach of any marketing team. However, building a sustainable experimentation program capable of generating growth year after year is a much more complex challenge. Often, companies reach a plateau: marginal gains diminish and the "culture of testing" struggles to take root beyond the CRO team.

This is where the maturity audit comes in. At Welyft, we don't just analyze your tools. We assess your organizational capacity to transform data into business decisions. This methodology allows you to move from a tactical approach (running tests) to a strategic vision (being an experimental company).

What methodology should be used to assess CRO maturity?

For aConversion Rate Optimization (CRO) strategy to be effective, it must be systemic. Asa CRO agency, Welyft has developed an audit approach that scans your entire value chain: from data collection to decision-making at the executive committee level.

The 4 pillars of performance in experimentation

Our maturity audit breaks down your organization into four critical areas. A weakness in any one of these pillars is often enough to jam the entire conversion machine.

1. Strategy & Data Culture

That's the foundation. We check whether the experiment is supported by C-level management or whether it remains an isolated initiative.

   
• Sponsorship: Does management allocate budget and time to risky assumptions?
   
• Data-Driven vs. HiPPO: Are decisions made based on evidence or according to the opinion of the highest-paid person (HiPPO)?
   
• Failure culture: Does the company value "failed tests" as learning opportunities?

2. Governance & Processes

Without a process, A/B testing becomes chaotic. We analyze the organization of your teams to streamline the speed of testing.

   
• RACI matrix: Who validates the assumptions? Who develops? Who analyzes? Roles must be clear to avoid bottlenecks.
   
• Fluidity: Is there friction between the Marketing, Product, and Tech teams?

3. Methods & Skills

Having the right tools is not enough if the methodology is flawed. This pillar assesses the scientific rigor of your teams.

   
• Quality of assumptions: Do your tests address real user problems or intuitions?
   
• Statistical reliability: Are the concepts of significance, statistical power, and sample size well understood?
   
• User Research: Using qualitative data (interviews, heat maps) to inform the roadmap.

4. Technology Stack & Tools

The audit verifies that your technical stack is adequate for your ambitions.

   
• Tool consistency: Integration between your A/B testing solution (AB Tasty, Kameleoon, etc.), your analytics tools (GA4, Piano), and your CRM.
   
• Knowledge management: Use tools such as Jira or Airtable to archive learnings and avoid testing the same thing twice.

How is a CRO maturity audit conducted?

The maturity audit is not an end in itself, it is a tool for transformation. Our iterative process consists of five key steps to ensure immediate impact.

   
1. Immersion and listening: We conduct cross-functional interviews with your teams (developers, UX designers, product owners, marketers) to understand current frustrations and obstacles.
   
2. Defining the target vision: Where do you want to be in 12 months? Together, we define an MVP (Minimum Viable Process) to achieve quick wins.
   
3. Gap analysis: We compare your current situation with your ambitions to identify gaps in terms of resources, skills, or tools.
   
4. Maturity scoring: We evaluate your company based on 10 key factors (testing speed, data quality, roadmap alignment, etc.).
   
5. Feedback and action plan: You receive a prioritized roadmap, distinguishing urgent projects from long-term structural changes.

Where do you stand?

At the end of the audit, we position your organization on a precise scale. This allows us to set realistic goals.

   
• Beginner (Level 1): Sporadic testing, often conducted on a whim. No documented process. The objective is to get the machine running.
   
• Essential (Level 2): Initial successes achieved. Management is beginning to take an interest in the subject. The challenge is to establish a structure to maintain momentum.
   
• Expertise (Level 3): Data guides most decisions. Experimentation is integrated into product sprints. The goal is industrialization.
   
• Excellence (Level 4): Experimentation is in the company's DNA (as at Booking or Amazon). Teams are autonomous and decentralized.

Example of key recommendations

During our audits, we regularly identify three obstacles that prevent ROI from taking off:

   
• Organizational silos: Marketing wants to test, but tech doesn't have the bandwidth.
  Welyft solution: Creation of dedicated "Squat Teams" or implementation of agile processes specific to CRO.
   
• Vanity Metrics: Focusing on KPIs that flatter the ego (clicks) rather than on the business (margin, retention).
  Welyft Solution: Redefining KPIs and aligning them with the company's OKRs.
   
• Lack of archiving: Teams repeat the same mistakes because previous tests are not documented.
  Welyft solution: Implementation of a shared "Knowledge Center."

Move from intuition to science

A CRO maturity audit is not just a technical check. It is the starting point for a cultural transformation that puts the customer and data at the center of your strategic decisions. By structuring your approach, you are not just testing button colors: you are minimizing business risks and maximizing the return on every dollar invested.

Is your experimentation program stagnating? It's time to take it to the next level. Find out how our experts can support you with our A/B testing training program, or request your pre-audit today.