capability-map

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

1. Start with outcomes, not org chart. "What does this business do for its customers?"
2. Decompose top-down to L3 (stop when a capability maps to a single accountable owner).
3. Tag each capability:
   • Core: differentiates, build in-house.
   • Supporting: necessary, buy or configure.
   • Commodity: undifferentiated, outsource or SaaS.
4. 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)
5. 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.