Home / Vol. 38 No. E1 (2026): SPECIAL VOLUME (OCT,2026) - The ICTs and their impact on society. Technical Track TICEC 2026

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Engineering a Web Platform for Assessing the Digital Maturity of Ecuadorian Micro-Entrepreneurs

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Abstract

Digital transformation represents a challenge for Ecuadorian microenterprises due to the limited availability of accessible and methodologically grounded tools to assess their digital maturity level. This article presents the design and engineering of a free web-based platform, developed in Spanish, for evaluating the digital maturity of microenterprises, focusing on the construction of the assessment instrument and the technological architecture supporting its operation. The instrument was developed through a systematic process of review, comparison, and adaptation of recognized digital maturity models, including references from models designed for small and medium-sized enterprises, the European Commission’s Digital Maturity Assessment, and the Digital Checkup instrument developed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and implemented in Ecuador by the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL). Based on this process, six dimensions and twenty-one assessment items were defined and adapted to the Ecuadorian microenterprise context. The digital maturity level was calculated through a composite index based on the methodology proposed by the OECD and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), applying min–max normalization, linear aggregation with equal weighting, and automated recommendation generation. The developed platform provides a technological tool to facilitate digital maturity diagnostics and establishes the foundation for future empirical studies with Ecuadorian microenterprises, contributing to the design of contextualized digital transformation strategies.

Keywords

self-assessment entrepreneurship digital maturity digital transformation web platform

How to Cite

Sánchez-Montero, I., Morales Játiva, J., & Cajas-Cajas, V. E. (2026). Engineering a Web Platform for Assessing the Digital Maturity of Ecuadorian Micro-Entrepreneurs. Revista Tecnológica - ESPOL, 38(E1), 154-171. https://doi.org/10.37815/rte.v38nE1.1591
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Author Biographies

  • Ivanna Sánchez-Montero, Universidad Indoamérica

    Ivanna Sánchez Montero is a faculty member at the Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Administrativas y de Negocios of the Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica (Ecuador). She holds a degree in Business Administration Engineering and has postgraduate training in areas related to business management. Her research interests focus on digital transformation, strategic planning, business intelligence, entrepreneurship, and innovation. She has participated in research projects aimed at developing technological tools to assess the digital maturity of microenterprises.

  • Joel Morales Játiva, Universidad Indoamérica

    A student in the Information Technology Engineering program at Universidad Indoamérica and a member of a research project approved through a competitive research call.

  • Viviana Elizabeth Cajas-Cajas, Universidad Internacional SEK

    Ph.D. Viviana Elizabeth Cajas Cajas holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina), a master's degree in Information Technology with a specialization in Digital Transformation and Innovation, a master's degree in Business Administration and Marketing, and a bachelor's degree in Computer Systems and Informatics Engineering. She is currently a research faculty member and coordinator of the Computer Engineering and Software Engineering programs at the Universidad Internacional SEK (UISEK). She has over a decade of experience in software development projects and higher education. Her research interests include digital transformation, user-centered design, the porting of web applications to mobile devices, consumer behavior, green software, and entrepreneurship.

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