Capability Map
What can you actually do — and where are the gaps?
CAPABILITY MAP
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CAPABILITY MATURITY GAP?
────────────────────────── ──────── ────
[capability-1] ████░ (4)
[capability-2] ███░░ (3)
[capability-3] ░░░░░ (0) CRITICAL
[capability-4] █░░░░ (1) GAP
[capability-5] ██░░░ (2)
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The Capability Map is the fourth flow engineering map. It answers the question the other three maps depend on: can you actually execute?
Maturity Levels
| Level | Name | Description | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Not Built | Capability doesn't exist | N/A |
| 1 | Ad-hoc | Depends on individuals | Individual doing it |
| 2 | Repeatable | Basic processes exist | Process exists |
| 3 | Defined | Documented, standardised | Documentation |
| 4 | Managed | Measured, data-driven | Metrics tracked |
| 5 | Optimised | Continuous improvement | Improvement data |
Capability Categories
| Category | Description | Investment Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Core | Differentiates from competitors | Build internally, invest heavily |
| Supporting | Enables core, not differentiating | Make efficient, consider buying |
| Generic | Commodity, everyone needs it | Buy, don't build |
Build core capabilities. Buy generic ones. The investment mistake is building what you should buy and buying what you should build.
Integration
| Map | Connection |
|---|---|
| Outcome Map | Obstacles often reveal capability gaps |
| Value Stream | Bottlenecks correlate with capability gaps |
| Dependency Map | Critical path requires capability timeline |
The full sequence: Outcome -- Value Stream -- Dependencies -- Capabilities -- A&ID
Gate
Before executing:
- All capabilities assessed with evidence-based maturity
- Capabilities categorised (Core / Supporting / Generic)
- Gaps identified and prioritised (P1 / P2 / P3)
- Investment strategy matches category
- Action plan has owners
- Critical gaps have escalation paths
If core capabilities have P1 gaps, address before project execution.
Context
- Dependency Map — Previous: understand blockers
- A&ID — Next: how agents orchestrate
- Flow Engineering — The methodology these maps serve
- Knowledge Stack — Capabilities graduate through the stack