In business, capabilities are the Rosetta stone for translating strategy into action.[1]

A relatively new topic outside of Defense[[1]] capability-based management is being applied to align organizations to strategic intent and to accelerate results.[2] Currently, the topic has insufficient coverage (articles and discussion) on Wikipedia. Most related pages need to be wikified and sourced. I proposed the following outline for editing and/or new articles

Operating Model - level of business process integration and standardization to deliver the organizations proposition, goods and services.[3] Informs leaders the number of capability models required and how enabling capabilities are shared.

Enterprise Architecture - organization logic for business capabilities and IT architecture

Capability-based Management (AKA Capability Systems Engineering[[2]]) - an approach that uses the organization’s business and customer value propositions to establish performance goals for capabilities based on value contribution.

Enterprise Capability Model - a blueprint for the business expressed in terms of the capabilities necessary to execute strategy including delivery of services. Includes strategic, core and enabling capabilities. (Sub-topics include performance targets and gap analysis)

Capability – A business capability is WHAT the company needs to be able to do to execute its’ business strategy (e.g., Enable ePayments, Tailor Solutions at Point of Sale, Demonstrate Product Concepts with Customers, Combine elastic and non-elastic materials side by side, etc.). Another way to think about capabilities is a container of people, process and technology that is addressable for a specific purpose.

  1. ^ The Capable Company: Building the capabilities that make strategy work, Lynch, Diezemann & Dowling (Wiley-Blackwell, 2003)
  2. ^ The Next Revolution in Productivity, Merrifield, Calhoun and Stevens (Harvard Business Review, June, 2008)
  3. ^ Enterprise Architecture as Strategy Ross, Weill and Robertson (Harvard Business School Press, 2006)