A maturity assessment evaluates the current state of IT governance processes to identify gaps in capability that need improvement. The CGEIT Review Manual 8th Edition states that the primary purpose of a maturity assessment is to identify capability gaps to guide governance framework enhancements.

Extract from CGEIT Review Manual 8th Edition (Domain 1: Governance of Enterprise IT):"The primary purpose of a maturity assessment is to identify gaps in IT governance capabilities, such as processes, skills, or controls, relative to desired maturity levels. This enables the enterprise to prioritize improvements and enhance governance effectiveness." (Approximate reference: Domain 1, Section on Maturity Assessment)

Identifying gaps in capability (option D) focuses on assessing the maturity of governance processes and determining where enhancements are needed to achieve desired outcomes.

Why not the other options?

A. Benchmark IT performance: Benchmarking compares performance, not capability maturity.

B. Identify gaps in performance: Performance gaps are a secondary outcome, while capability gaps are the primary focus.

C. Support impact analysis: Impact analysis is not the primary purpose of maturity assessments.