Close the critical geotechnical gap and stabilise tailings evidence ownership.
Illustrative case
An illustrative maturity assessment
A fictional example showing the shape of a maturity baseline output - scores, confidence, coverage, the critical gate, findings and a roadmap. Every name and number is invented to demonstrate the format.
Mine profile
Meridian Ridge Mine (fictional)
A mid-scale open-pit operation under new ownership, preparing for a first board-level maturity baseline and an upcoming lender review.
- Mine
- Meridian Ridge Mine (fictional)
- Type
- Surface - open pit
- Commodity
- Copper concentrate
- Pathway
- Surface pathway (SUR-001 to SUR-048)
- Assessed period
- Illustrative 12-month period
Assessment scope
What was assessed
- All eight management dimensions
- Surface pathway question set
- Document review, interviews and a two-day site walkthrough
- Independent technical moderation of critical controls
Evidence base
What it rested on
- Mine plan, permits and licence conditions
- Risk register and critical-control records
- 12 months of incident and monitoring data
- Two prior internal audits and the action register
Dimension scorecard
Scores, levels and confidence
Each dimension is shown with its score out of five, the level it maps to, and the confidence in the assessment basis.
| Dimension | Score / 5 | Level | Confidence | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governance and leadership | 3.4 | Defined | High | |
| Legal and regulatory management | 3.1 | Defined | Medium | |
| Safety and occupational health | 2.6 | Developing | High | |
| Mine planning and operational controls | 3.2 | Defined | Medium | |
| Tailings, geotechnical and mine-waste integrity | 2.2 | Developing | Low | |
| Environmental management and closure | 2.9 | Developing | Medium | |
| Social and community performance | 3.3 | Defined | Medium | |
| Evidence, monitoring and improvement | 2.7 | Developing | Medium |
Overall result
How the level was reached
2.93
Raw overall score
Developing / Defined boundary
Medium
Evidence confidence
Strength of the assessment basis
86%
Evidence coverage
86% of applicable questions answered with usable evidence
Gate D
Developing (capped by Gate D)
Overall level capped at Developing
Gate D - Overall level capped at Developing
Geotechnical slope-monitoring verification could not be confirmed for one active pit sector, and evidence confidence for the tailings and geotechnical dimension was Low. The critical-control gate caps the overall level regardless of the higher arithmetic average.
Strengths
What was working well
- Clear board and executive accountability for critical risk
- Well-run community engagement and grievance handling
- Strong incident-reporting culture with visible learning
- Sound mine-plan integration for the main pit
Priority findings
What to act on first
| Severity | Finding |
|---|---|
| Critical | Slope-monitoring verification unconfirmed for one active pit sector; independent geotechnical review overdue. |
| High | Tailings evidence fragmented across owners, reducing confidence in an otherwise reasonable design. |
| High | Corrective actions from prior audits repeatedly reopened without effectiveness verification. |
| Medium | Occupational-health monitoring inconsistent across contractor crews. |
90-day roadmap
Near-term, accountable actions
| Action | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Commission independent geotechnical review of the affected pit sector and confirm slope-monitoring verification. | Technical services manager | Weeks 1–4 |
| Consolidate tailings evidence under a single accountable owner with a controlled index. | Environment manager | Weeks 2–6 |
| Introduce a closure-evidence standard so audit actions cannot be reopened without verification. | Improvement lead | Weeks 4–10 |
| Standardise occupational-health monitoring across all crews and contractors. | Health and safety manager | Weeks 4–12 |
Twelve-month pathway
Lifting maturity and confidence over the year
Embed closure-evidence discipline and lift evidence confidence in weaker dimensions.
Extend field verification of critical controls across all pit sectors and contractors.
Reassess against the frozen baseline to confirm sustained effectiveness.