Do you feel like your organization should be doing more with data, but can’t seem to “flip the switch” on actually becoming data-driven?
You’re not alone! Our Data and Analytics study of over 200 operations peers showed that a majority of teams are still chasing the aspiration of true data-driven decision-making.
One result stood out, reflecting a large gap in data maturity. 23% of Advanced or Leading organizations have a formal organization-wide data strategy, while only 1.4% of Beginning or Developing organizations have such a strategy.
This research summary will give you a candid look at the reality versus the hype – and why bridging the maturity gap is the next big challenge for marketing and revenue operations pros like you.
Each year, we set out to understand how Marketing Ops, RevOps, and related teams are using data to guide decisions and what separates the most effective organizations from the rest.
For the 2025 Data and Analytics Research, we surveyed and interviewed hundreds of MOps and RevOps professionals across industries, company sizes, and maturity levels. Participants were asked about:
We then grouped responses into three maturity stages, which were Beginning/Developing, Intermediate, and Advanced/Leading. They were classified based on criteria such as system integration, process standardization, and leadership engagement with data.
This maturity segmentation allowed us to spot patterns and quantify differences, from who owns the data strategy to how often insights are shared and how aligned metrics are with company-wide objectives.
The result is a clear, data-backed picture of what digital maturity looks like today, and a roadmap for how organizations can move forward.
When we compared Advanced/Leading organizations to those still in the early stages, the contrasts were hard to miss. Here are three clear trends we found when analysing higher maturity organizations-
1. Clearer Strategies
Higher-maturity organizations are far more likely to have a formal, organization-wide data strategy. In early-stage organizations, the strategy is often still in progress, leaving teams collecting data without a clear plan for turning it into action.
2. Faster Insight Cycles
Advanced teams share key data insights more frequently, sometimes daily, which keeps decisions aligned with current realities. In contrast, slower reporting cycles at lower maturity levels mean teams are often acting on outdated information.
3. More Confident Decisions
Mature organizations not only act on their data more quickly, they trust it more. This comes from integrated systems, defined ownership, and leadership that sees data as a driver of sustainable growth rather than a reporting requirement.
It became clear that digital maturity reflects actions and capabilities, not just a name. It is a measurable factor that shapes how effectively an organization turns data into action.
We saw how high-maturity organizations stand out, but what stops most organizations from getting there?
On analysing lower maturity organizations, we found that a set of recurring challenges widens the maturity gap, and many of them have the same root causes:
1. Data quality issues
Inconsistent, incomplete, or duplicate records remain the most common challenge, confirmed by 60% of cases. Without reliable inputs, even the most advanced analytics tools produce shaky insights. This problem is especially common in organizations running multiple platforms without strong governance.
2. Integrating data across systems
When platforms aren’t integrated, they create barriers that hinder the movement of information. 37% of organizations listed system integration as a top priority, yet many still rely on manual exports instead of automated, real-time syncing, especially in the Beginning/Developing group.
3. Limited bandwidth or resourcing
Many teams are stretched thin, leaving little room for proactive analysis or process improvements. In lower-maturity orgs, the bulk of the time is spent producing reports rather than interpreting them.
4. Gaps in strategy ownership
Without a clearly assigned team managing the data strategy, momentum is lost. In lower-maturity organizations, ownership is often split between Marketing Ops, Sales Ops, IT, and analytics teams, with no one accountable for driving alignment.
5. Difficulty aligning metrics to business outcomes
Campaign-level metrics dominate in early stages, but they don’t always connect to revenue or customer value. Mature organizations are much more likely to have KPIs that are fully tied to company-wide objectives.
These challenges rarely exist in isolation. Many trace back to the same issues- fragmented tech stacks, siloed ownership, limited leadership involvement, and a shortage of talent who can bridge the gap between business goals and technical execution.
The maturity gap is not just about outcomes. It begins with the way the work is organized and how decisions are made. Here’s how maturity makes all the difference-
1. Strategy has a real owner
In higher-maturity organizations, there is a formal, company-wide data strategy. Nearly 23% of Advanced or Leading organizations report having one in place, compared to only 1.4% of Beginning or Developing organizations.
2. Insights move on a faster clock
Mature teams produce and share insights far more frequently. Almost 25% of Advanced or Leading organizations deliver insights daily, while lower-maturity organizations often share on a monthly or quarterly cycle. That difference means the gap between seeing a trend and acting on it can be days instead of weeks.
3. Ownership and collaboration are clearer
Roles are defined. Marketing Ops, RevOps, IT, and data teams know their place in the process and how to work together. In early-stage organizations, ownership is often split or unclear, leading to duplicated work or missed opportunities.
4. Leadership signals matter
When leaders value and act on data, teams invest the time to integrate systems, clean inputs, and agree on definitions. This consistency creates a single source of truth and boosts confidence in the numbers.
These habits, like clear strategy, faster cycles, defined ownership, and visible executive support, are the conditions that turn raw data into timely and confident decisions.
Closing the maturity gap is not about skipping straight to advanced analytics or buying more tools. Our research showed that the biggest gains come from getting the basics right and building from there.
1. Data quality comes first
Across all maturity levels, improving data quality should be the top priority. 58% of those surveyed identified it as their top challenge. Without clean, consistent, and complete data, every dashboard, report, or forecast rests on shaky ground!
2. Integration is a close second
The next step is unifying data across platforms. Mature organizations are more likely to have connected systems, which means fewer silos and faster, more reliable insights. For those still developing, integration is one of the highest-impact steps available.
3. Reporting that drives action
Implementing new reporting frameworks is another sign of maturity. The goal is not more reports. It’s reports that show what is happening, why it’s happening, and what to do next.
4. Giving command to Marketing Ops
Marketing Ops sits at the center of this shift. From setting data quality standards, to coordinating integrations, to designing reporting frameworks, to ensuring KPIs are linked to business goals – MOps teams are the connectors between strategy, systems, and execution.
Our research confirmed that they should be strategic partners shaping how data fuels growth, with almost 80% of study participants sharing that Marketing Operations either owns or contributes to the organization’s data and analytics strategy.
5. Aligning metrics to business goals
High-maturity teams track metrics that connect directly to revenue, customer value, and operational efficiency. Early-stage teams tend to focus on more surface-level campaign data without tying it back to outcomes.
The common thread is focus. Mature organizations choose fewer, higher-value priorities and build processes with role clarity to deliver on them consistently.
The research makes one thing clear: the difference between struggling with data and thriving with it is often the organization’s maturity level.
This was the first of three posts breaking down the findings from our 2025 Data and Analytics Research. Next, we will discuss the most common challenges and hidden opportunities in data and analytics today.
This blog is just a snapshot. The full report has a treasure of actionable insights that you can apply today to truly become data-driven!
Become a member for access to the complete research, including maturity-level benchmarks, industry-specific insights, and practical recommendations for moving up the curve.
Let’s clear something up: MOpza isn’t over but it is evolving. And it’s coming back in 2026. We’ve seen the questions, the comments, the speculation. So let’s be transparent. Because if there’s one thing this community thrives on, it’s clarity and connection. You Spoke & We Listened When we shared
MOps-Apalooza 2025 brought more than four hundred marketing operations, revenue operations, and GTM professionals together at The Westin Anaheim for three days of hands-on learning, live workshops, and community conversations. This year’s program made room for everything from AI agent building to leadership development and tech stack decision-making. Attendees came
AI is now table stakes for marketing operations teams. From automating tasks to reshaping how teams collaborate, it is making marketing more efficient, scalable, and data-driven. But with opportunity comes tough questions: To find out, we asked marketing operations professionals to share their perspectives on where AI is headed and
