What is a maturity model primarily used for in the context of IT alignment?

A maturity model is primarily utilized to assess process capability, which involves evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization's processes in relation to a defined framework or set of criteria. This assessment helps organizations understand their current level of maturity in various areas, such as project management, service delivery, or IT alignment.

By benchmarking against established maturity levels, organizations can identify strengths and weaknesses in their processes. This understanding is crucial for planning improvements and advancing to higher maturity levels, which ultimately leads to better alignment of IT with business goals. The focus on assessing process capability allows organizations to prioritize areas that need development and to measure progress over time.

The other options, while relevant to organizational practices, do not directly relate to the primary purpose of a maturity model. For example, while defining business objectives is important, it does not specifically involve the assessment of process maturity. Similarly, implementing security measures and allocating IT resources are specific actions that may come after understanding process capabilities but are not the primary focus of a maturity model itself.