Using a capability map

One page, one vocabulary

A capability map lays the capabilities of the organization out on a single page, usually domains as columns and capabilities as boxes within them. Its first value is a shared vocabulary: when finance, operations and IT point at the same box, they are finally talking about the same thing.

Keep two versions: the map as it is today and the target the strategy implies. The difference between them is the agenda.

Heat maps

Color each capability by an assessment and the map becomes a heat map: strategic importance, current performance, maturity, cost, risk. Two rules keep heat maps honest. Score only what someone will act on, and do not aim for top maturity everywhere; a capability that does not differentiate the organization should be good enough and cheap, not excellent.

This catalog deliberately carries no scores. Importance and performance are facts about one organization at one moment, and a reference catalog that shipped them would be inventing data. Export the catalog and add assessment columns in your own tool.

Decisions a map supports

• Investment: rank proposed initiatives by the capabilities they improve and how much those capabilities matter.
• Application rationalization: map each application to the capabilities it supports to find overlap and gaps. Retire on overlap and fit, not on cost alone, or a business-critical system goes with the savings.
• Technology risk: link capabilities to the applications and platforms behind them to see which abilities depend on technology near end of life.
• Regulatory and continuity exposure: mark which capabilities carry obligations or must survive a disruption, and check the plans cover them.
• Mergers and divestments: compare two organizations capability by capability to decide what to combine, keep or separate.

Keeping it alive

Maps go stale when nobody owns them. Give each capability an accountable owner, review the map on a fixed cycle, and version it. This catalog publishes numbered releases with a changelog, and ids are never reused: a merged capability's old link redirects to its successor, so references in your documents keep working.