Capability map
Strategy & decisionsField guide · Strategy & decisions · 4 of 6
What must an organization be able to do, whatever its structure?
A capability map names what an organization does, each capability a box, the lower levels of a capability drawn as boxes inside it, and the first level sorted into tiers.
| Mark | Drawn as | Stands for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| capability | a box with a noun phrase | something the business does: “what we do”, not “how we do it” | G189 §2.1 |
| lower level | boxes inside the box they divide | the Level 2 or Level 3 capabilities that make up the one around them | G189 §3.2.2, Fig. 2 |
| tier | a row of first-level boxes under its name | strategic capabilities, core ones that face the customer, and supporting ones behind the scenes | G189 §3.2.1, Table 2 |
| heat map | each box colored green, yellow, red or purple | at the maturity wanted, one level short, two or more short, or wanted and missing; not in the figure, which is drawn in one color | G189 §4.1 |
A line with an arrowhead
Section titled “A line with an arrowhead”A capability map has no lines: a box inside another is part of it, a lower level of the capability around it, and a box’s tier is the row it sits in. Nesting shows neither order nor cause: an effect produces a change in the variable at its head, and a box inside another only belongs to it. G189’s authors build the map apart from the organization’s current structure, its ways of working and its IT systems.
A city zoo
Section titled “A city zoo”Most of the capabilities are a licensed zoo’s duties under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, section 1A: conservation breeding or research, public education, animal care to a high standard of husbandry, veterinary care and nutrition, preventing escapes, keeping out pests and vermin, and up-to-date records of the collection. Conservation planning, licensing and inspection, and visitor admissions are added, and animal care is drawn to its second level. The tier each capability sits in is a judgement.
When to draw one
Section titled “When to draw one”Draw one to set an organization’s investments against what it does: G189’s authors ask whether strategic investments are targeted appropriately, and where redundancy or duplication can be cut, which mapping capabilities to organizational units shows.
When not to draw one
Section titled “When not to draw one”The steps by which a capability’s work gets done are a process map’s: G189’s authors name a capability with a noun, “what we do”, not with a verb, “how we do it”. Five or six capabilities with no lower levels are a list.
Reasoning and polish
Section titled “Reasoning and polish”- Stable level-one capabilities in strategic, core and supporting tiers
- Lower levels, each capability described as the ability to do something
- Heat maps of maturity, effectiveness and cost, and capabilities mapped to organizational units and value streams
Related types
Section titled “Related types”No type is listed as related to this one.
Sources
Section titled “Sources”- TOGAF Series Guide: Business Capabilities, The Open Group, G189 (June 2018), §§2.1, 3.2 and 4.1–4.2, Table 2 and Fig. 2, on what a capability is, its levels and tiers, heat maps and mapping to organizational units; read from a copy hosted by a third party. G189 is superseded by G211 (April 2022), whose text is behind a login.
- Zoo Licensing Act 1981, section 1A, for the figure’s capabilities, as read on 10 October 2026.