1. Usage — is it still being used?
An initiative that nobody uses anymore isn’t finished, no matter how well it was delivered. This is the hardest part because it’s the first thing to drop off.
The Afmaakindex: does the Dutch SME sector finish what it starts?
A lot is measured in the Netherlands about whether companies are starting digitalization. We score high on that: 89% of SMEs reach the basic level. Whether they finish it is not measured. We score low on that — the lowest of all surveyed countries. The Completion Index fills that gap.
What the index measures: of everything you started over the past year, how much is still being used, documented, measured, and owned by someone?
The method, in public
A measuring stick you can’t reproduce isn’t a measuring stick. That’s why the full methodology is here, and anyone can use it—with attribution.
You assess one initiative that you started in the past twelve months: a tool, an integration, a way of working, an AI application. Four components, two questions each. Each answer is worth 12.5 points.
2. Safeguards — is it documented somewhere?
Is it in someone’s head or on paper? Can a new colleague take it over without calling the person who came up with it?
3. Measurement — do you know if it worked?
Without an agreed measure in advance, you can't determine afterward whether it worked. All that's left is a feeling, and feelings disappear from the agenda.
4. Ownership — is there a name attached to it?
Not who came up with it, but who will still be maintaining it six months from now. Without a name, it fades away.
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 75 to 100 | Done. It’s running, documented, measured and has an owner |
| 50 to 75 | Running, but dependent on people. If someone leaves or goes on vacation, it falters |
| 25 to 50 | Purchased, but not adopted. The best-known pattern in SMEs |
| 0 to 25 | Faded away. Nobody called it out; it disappeared from the agenda |
Calculate your Completion Score
Think of one thing you started in the past year. Answer about that one initiative, not your company in general.
0Completion score
Why this index and not another study
Existing research asks about ownership: do you use AI, do you have a CRM, do you analyze data? The resulting percentages are high because buying a license is easy. The Completion Index asks what’s still in place twelve months later.
It's a more uncomfortable question, which is why almost no one asks it. But it is the question a director lies awake with: we started so much last year — what’s actually still running?
| Existing research | The Completion Index | |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Are you using it? | Is it still being used? |
| Measurement point | Now | Twelve months after the start |
| Unit | The company | One initiative |
| Outcome | Percentage of companies | Score from 0 to 100 |
| Method | Often not public | Fully public, free to use |
What happens to the results
Once fifty completed measurements have been collected, we’ll publish the Afmaakindex on this page by industry and company size, with distribution and source citations. Below that, we’ll keep quiet, because then every figure is just chance.
The figures can then be freely used by anyone—journalists, industry associations, competitors—with attribution. A benchmark you keep to yourself isn’t a benchmark.
What’s recorded: industry, size category and score. No company name, description of the initiative or contact details.
What is your next step?
Free self-assessmentTwelve click questions, three minutes, immediate score and your biggest risk.
Fresh LookBusiness case, benchmark and priority. Settled once we build after this.
What it costsFixed price per package, no price per user, no hourly billing.
From the fieldWhat changed at companies that started with this.
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