capability-mapping

Original source / Raw SKILL.md

---
name: capability-mapping
description: Business capability modeling using BABOK Business Capability Analysis. Creates hierarchical capability maps (L1-L3) linking strategy to architecture with Mermaid visualization.
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep, Task, Skill
---

# Business Capability Mapping

Create hierarchical business capability models that bridge strategy and architecture. Based on BABOK v3 Business Capability Analysis (10.6).

## What is a Business Capability?

A **business capability** defines "what" a business does at its core, independent of:

- **How** it's done (processes)
- **Who** does it (organizational structure)
- **Where** it's done (locations)

Capabilities are stable over time, even as processes, technology, and org structure change.

## Capability Hierarchy

| Level | Scope | Example | Description |
|-------|-------|---------|-------------|
| **L1** | Domain | Customer Management | Strategic capability areas (typically 8-15) |
| **L2** | Sub-Domain | Customer Onboarding | Decomposition of L1 (3-7 per L1) |
| **L3** | Activity | Identity Verification | Detailed activities (3-10 per L2) |
| **L4+** | Optional | KYC Document Processing | Granular (map to SOA services) |

## Capability Types

| Type | Description | Investment Priority |
|------|-------------|---------------------|
| **Strategic** | Drive competitive advantage | High - differentiate |
| **Core** | Essential to value delivery | Medium - optimize |
| **Supporting** | Enable other capabilities | Low - commoditize/outsource |

## Workflow

### Phase 1: Discovery

Before creating a capability map, understand the business domain:

1. **Analyze existing documentation**
   - Review business processes, org charts, strategy docs
   - Identify actors, work objects, activities

2. **Conduct stakeholder interviews**
   - Invoke `stakeholder-analysis` skill to identify key stakeholders
   - Interview domain experts for capability insights

3. Use discovered patterns as L1 capability candidates

### Phase 2: Capability Identification

#### Step 1: Define L1 Capabilities

Start with industry frameworks, then customize:

```markdown
## L1 Capabilities (Example: Retail)

| # | Capability | Type | Description |
|---|------------|------|-------------|
| 1 | Product Management | Core | Manage product lifecycle |
| 2 | Customer Management | Core | Manage customer relationships |
| 3 | Order Fulfillment | Core | Process and deliver orders |
| 4 | Supply Chain | Core | Manage suppliers and inventory |
| 5 | Finance & Accounting | Supporting | Financial operations |
| 6 | Human Resources | Supporting | People management |
| 7 | IT Services | Supporting | Technology operations |
| 8 | Marketing | Strategic | Brand and customer acquisition |
```

#### Step 2: Decompose to L2

For each L1, identify sub-capabilities:

```markdown
## L2 Decomposition: Customer Management

| L2 Capability | Owner | Maturity | Systems |
|---------------|-------|----------|---------|
| Customer Onboarding | Customer Success | 3 | CRM, KYC |
| Customer Support | Support Team | 4 | Ticketing, Chat |
| Customer Retention | Marketing | 2 | CRM, Analytics |
| Customer Analytics | Data Team | 2 | BI Platform |
```

#### Step 3: Decompose to L3 (as needed)

Only decompose where detail is needed for planning:

```markdown
## L3 Decomposition: Customer Onboarding

| L3 Capability | Description | Status |
|---------------|-------------|--------|
| Identity Verification | Verify customer identity | Automated |
| Account Creation | Create customer account | Automated |
| KYC Processing | Know Your Customer compliance | Semi-manual |
| Welcome Communication | Onboarding emails/guides | Automated |
```

### Phase 3: Cross-Mapping

Map capabilities to other domains for strategic analysis:

| Cross-Map Domain | Purpose | Example Questions |
|------------------|---------|-------------------|
| **People** | Ownership | Who owns this capability? |
| **Process** | Execution | What processes implement this? |
| **Technology** | Enablement | What systems support this? |
| **Strategy** | Alignment | How does this support strategy? |
| **Investment** | Prioritization | Where should we invest? |
| **Risk** | Exposure | What are the risks? |

### Phase 4: Assessment

Score each capability on maturity and strategic importance:

**Maturity Scale (1-5):**

1. Initial - Ad hoc, reactive
2. Developing - Some structure
3. Defined - Standardized processes
4. Managed - Measured and controlled
5. Optimizing - Continuous improvement

**Heat Map Visualization:**

```markdown
## Capability Heat Map

| Capability | Maturity | Importance | Gap | Action |
|------------|----------|------------|-----|--------|
| Customer Onboarding | 3 | High | Low | Maintain |
| Customer Analytics | 2 | High | High | Invest |
| IT Services | 4 | Medium | Low | Maintain |
| HR Admin | 3 | Low | Low | Outsource? |
```

## Output Format

### Narrative Summary

Provide human-readable analysis:

```markdown
## Capability Map Summary

**Organization:** [Name]
**Scope:** [Enterprise / Business Unit / Domain]
**Date:** [ISO date]

### Key Findings

1. **Strategic Capabilities:** [List with assessment]
2. **Investment Priorities:** [Capabilities needing attention]
3. **Optimization Opportunities:** [Capabilities to streamline]

### Recommendations

1. [Specific, actionable recommendation]
2. [...]
```

### Structured Data (YAML)

```yaml
capability_model:
  version: "1.0"
  organization: "Acme Corp"
  scope: enterprise
  generated: "{ISO-8601-date}"
  generated_by: capability-analyst

  capabilities:
    - id: CAP-001
      name: "Customer Management"
      level: 1
      type: core
      description: "Manage customer lifecycle and relationships"
      owner: "Chief Customer Officer"
      children:
        - id: CAP-001-01
          name: "Customer Onboarding"
          level: 2
          owner: "Customer Success Director"
          maturity: 3
          importance: high
          systems:
            - CRM
            - KYC Platform
          processes:
            - "Customer Registration"
            - "Identity Verification"
          children:
            - id: CAP-001-01-01
              name: "Identity Verification"
              level: 3
              maturity: 4
              automation: high
```

### Mermaid Diagram

```mermaid
mindmap
  root((Enterprise))
    Customer Management
      Customer Onboarding
        Identity Verification
        Account Creation
        KYC Processing
      Customer Support
        Ticket Management
        Live Chat
      Customer Retention
    Product Management
      Product Catalog
      Pricing
      Promotions
    Order Fulfillment
      Order Processing
      Shipping
      Returns
```

## Integration Points

### Upstream (Discovery)

- **stakeholder-analysis** - Identify capability owners and domain experts
- **process-modeling** - Understand AS-IS processes
- **value-stream-mapping** - Understand value flow

### Downstream (Consumers)

- **Requirements** - Capability → Requirements traceability
- **Systems design** - Capability → System mapping
- **Investment planning** - Capability → Budget allocation

## When to Use

| Scenario | Use Capability Mapping? |
|----------|------------------------|
| Strategic planning | Yes - align investments |
| M&A integration | Yes - identify overlaps |
| Digital transformation | Yes - prioritize initiatives |
| Application rationalization | Yes - map apps to capabilities |
| Process improvement | Partial - use with process modeling |
| Specific feature design | No - too high-level |

## References

- Load `references/capability-hierarchy.md` for detailed hierarchy guidance
- See BABOK v3 Section 10.6 for formal technique definition

## Related Skills

- `stakeholder-analysis` - Identify capability owners
- `value-stream-mapping` - Map value flow across capabilities
- `benchmarking` - Compare capability maturity against industry standards
- `prioritization` - Prioritize capability investments
- `swot-pestle-analysis` - Strategic context for capabilities
- `decision-analysis` - Evaluate capability investment options

## Version History

- **v1.0.0** (2025-12-26): Initial release


---

## Referenced Files

> The following files are referenced in this skill and included for context.

### references/capability-hierarchy.md

```markdown
# Capability Hierarchy Reference

## Industry Frameworks

Start with an industry-specific framework and customize. Common starting points:

### Technology Company (SaaS)

```text
L1 Capabilities:
├── Product Development
│   ├── Product Strategy
│   ├── Product Design
│   ├── Engineering
│   └── Quality Assurance
├── Go-to-Market
│   ├── Marketing
│   ├── Sales
│   └── Partnerships
├── Customer Success
│   ├── Onboarding
│   ├── Support
│   ├── Retention
│   └── Expansion
├── Platform Operations
│   ├── Infrastructure
│   ├── Security
│   └── Reliability
├── Data & Analytics
│   ├── Data Platform
│   ├── Business Intelligence
│   └── Data Science
├── Finance
│   ├── Revenue Operations
│   ├── Accounting
│   └── FP&A
├── People
│   ├── Talent Acquisition
│   ├── People Operations
│   └── Learning & Development
└── Legal & Compliance
    ├── Legal Operations
    ├── Compliance
    └── Privacy
```

### Financial Services

```text
L1 Capabilities:
├── Customer Management
│   ├── Customer Acquisition
│   ├── Customer Onboarding (KYC/AML)
│   ├── Customer Service
│   └── Relationship Management
├── Product Management
│   ├── Product Development
│   ├── Product Pricing
│   └── Product Distribution
├── Transaction Processing
│   ├── Payment Processing
│   ├── Settlement
│   └── Reconciliation
├── Risk Management
│   ├── Credit Risk
│   ├── Market Risk
│   ├── Operational Risk
│   └── Fraud Prevention
├── Compliance
│   ├── Regulatory Reporting
│   ├── AML/BSA
│   └── Consumer Protection
├── Investment Management
│   ├── Portfolio Management
│   ├── Trading
│   └── Custody
└── Enterprise Services
    ├── Finance
    ├── HR
    ├── IT
    └── Legal
```

### Healthcare

```text
L1 Capabilities:
├── Patient Care
│   ├── Patient Access
│   ├── Clinical Services
│   ├── Care Coordination
│   └── Patient Experience
├── Clinical Operations
│   ├── Clinical Workflow
│   ├── Medical Records
│   ├── Lab & Diagnostics
│   └── Pharmacy
├── Revenue Cycle
│   ├── Patient Registration
│   ├── Charge Capture
│   ├── Claims Management
│   └── Collections
├── Quality & Compliance
│   ├── Quality Improvement
│   ├── Regulatory Compliance
│   └── Risk Management
├── Population Health
│   ├── Care Management
│   ├── Analytics
│   └── Wellness Programs
└── Enterprise Services
    ├── Finance
    ├── HR
    ├── IT
    └── Facilities
```

### Retail

```text
L1 Capabilities:
├── Merchandising
│   ├── Assortment Planning
│   ├── Pricing
│   ├── Promotions
│   └── Private Label
├── Supply Chain
│   ├── Sourcing
│   ├── Inventory Management
│   ├── Distribution
│   └── Logistics
├── Store Operations
│   ├── Store Management
│   ├── Associate Management
│   ├── In-Store Experience
│   └── Loss Prevention
├── Digital Commerce
│   ├── E-commerce Platform
│   ├── Mobile Commerce
│   ├── Digital Marketing
│   └── Omnichannel Fulfillment
├── Customer
│   ├── Loyalty Programs
│   ├── Customer Service
│   └── Customer Insights
└── Enterprise
    ├── Finance
    ├── HR
    ├── IT
    └── Real Estate
```

## Decomposition Rules

### L1 → L2 Decomposition

#### Rule: 3-7 L2 capabilities per L1

Ask:

- What distinct activities make up this capability?
- What could be owned by different people?
- What has different maturity levels?
- What uses different systems?

### L2 → L3 Decomposition

#### Rule: 3-10 L3 capabilities per L2, only where needed

Only decompose to L3 when:

- Detailed planning is needed
- Maturity varies within L2
- Different investment decisions apply
- System mapping requires granularity

### Stop Decomposition When

- You're describing "how" instead of "what"
- Further breakdown doesn't enable decisions
- The capability is simple and atomic
- You've reached organizational task level

## Naming Conventions

### Use Noun Phrases (What)

**Good:** "Customer Onboarding"
**Bad:** "Onboard Customers" (verb phrase = process)

### Be Specific

**Good:** "Identity Verification"
**Bad:** "Verification" (too generic)

### Avoid Technology

**Good:** "Customer Communication"
**Bad:** "Email System" (technology, not capability)

### Avoid Organization

**Good:** "Financial Reporting"
**Bad:** "Finance Department Work" (org, not capability)

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Why It's Wrong | Fix |
|---------|---------------|-----|
| Too many L1s | Overwhelming, loses strategic view | Consolidate to 8-15 |
| Process in capabilities | Capabilities are "what", not "how" | Rename to noun phrases |
| Technology as capability | Systems change, capabilities don't | Abstract to business capability |
| Org as capability | Departments ≠ capabilities | Map capabilities to owners instead |
| Inconsistent granularity | Hard to compare/assess | Apply decomposition rules consistently |

## Maturity Assessment Rubric

### Level 1: Initial

- Ad hoc, reactive
- Heroic efforts to deliver
- No documentation
- Person-dependent

### Level 2: Developing

- Some structure emerging
- Basic documentation exists
- Inconsistent execution
- Limited measurement

### Level 3: Defined

- Standardized processes
- Documented procedures
- Consistent execution
- Basic metrics tracked

### Level 4: Managed

- Quantitative management
- Proactive improvement
- Advanced metrics
- Predictable outcomes

### Level 5: Optimizing

- Continuous improvement
- Innovation culture
- Industry-leading practices
- Strategic differentiator

## Strategic Classification Guidance

### Strategic Capabilities

Characteristics:

- Differentiate from competitors
- Create unique customer value
- Hard for competitors to replicate
- Core to business model

**Action:** Invest, innovate, build in-house

### Core Capabilities

Characteristics:

- Essential to operations
- Expected by customers
- Industry standard
- Must execute well

**Action:** Optimize efficiency, ensure reliability

### Supporting Capabilities

Characteristics:

- Enable other capabilities
- Not customer-facing
- Commodity activities
- Can be standardized

**Action:** Minimize cost, consider outsourcing

```