| name | Capability Map |
| description | "Use when mapping business capabilities, identifying overlap or gaps across the enterprise, or aligning IT investments to business outcomes. Triggers on "capability map", "business capability", "domain map", "enterprise architecture"." |
Capability Map
When to invoke
- "Build a capability map for the payments domain."
- "Where do two teams overlap in ownership?"
- "Which capabilities are core, which are commodity?"
Concept
A capability is what the business does, not how. Capabilities are stable (decade-scale); applications and processes are volatile.
Structure (3 levels)
- L1: Top-level business area (e.g., "Tax Collection", "Customer Service").
- L2: Major sub-functions (e.g., "Tax Assessment", "Payment Processing").
- L3: Specific capabilities (e.g., "Calculate penalty interest", "Reconcile payments").
Rule of thumb: 8-12 L1 capabilities for a medium enterprise.
Steps
- Start with outcomes, not org chart. "What does this business do for its customers?"
- Decompose top-down to L3 (stop when a capability maps to a single accountable owner).
- Tag each capability:
- Core: differentiates, build in-house.
- Supporting: necessary, buy or configure.
- Commodity: undifferentiated, outsource or SaaS.
- Overlay systems: which application(s) realise each L3 capability. Look for:
- Duplicates (two systems doing the same thing)
- Gaps (capability with no owner)
- Monoliths (one system covering many L1s)
- Overlay investment: where is the money going vs. where is the differentiation?
Output template
## Capability Map - <Domain>
### L1: <Top area>
#### L2: <Sub-function>
- **<L3 capability>** [Core|Supporting|Commodity]
- Owner: <team>
- Systems: <app1>, <app2>
- Maturity: 1-5
- Investment: $$$
Mermaid example
flowchart TD
A[Tax Collection] --> B[Assessment]
A --> C[Payment Processing]
A --> D[Enforcement]
B --> B1[Calculate Penalty]
B --> B2[Audit Taxpayer]
C --> C1[Reconcile Payments]
C --> C2[Refund Issuance]
Quality gate
Every L3 capability must have exactly one accountable owner and a Core/Supporting/Commodity tag.
