Business capability mapping provides a clear view of what a business does to generate value

CANBERRA, Australia - Jan. 10, 2023 - PRLog -- A business capability is defined as the tasks, systems and processes that must occur in order for a business to meet its goals. A business capability map is a visual display of the structure and hierarchy of an organisation's defined capabilities. In their latest article, the Acorn subject matter experts dive into business capability maps, describing what makes them tick and how to create one.

The Acorn experts have released many articles on capability frameworks in the past. They say while both frameworks and maps complement each other, they are different. Capability frameworks provide levels of competency for an array of purposes such as performance development. The business capability map only names capabilities and relays their hierarchical position.

"Business capabilities create a universal language for the many change initiatives happening in different functions," said Blake Proberts (CEO and Co-Founder). "They enable you to make more informed decisions on investments and priorities based on the structure of your business and its strengths and weaknesses."

When looking to structure a business capability map, there are a few different approaches an organisation might use. They can start from scratch with a straw-based approach. They can look at industry trends and examples to shape around customer needs with a whiteboard approach. They can also think top-down (senior stakeholders define high level capabilities) or bottom-up (capabilities are defined at the task level).

Whatever approach an organisation lands on, they will likely follow the same three core steps to structure and organise their map. This starts with organising high-level capability groups that need to be as absolute as possible. This is followed by defining and further decomposing sub-capabilities to create capability levels.

The Acorn subject matter experts round out their article by flagging some pitfalls that organisations should seek to avoid. These include ensuring mapping is a cross-functional and iterative process, and ensuring the organisation defines their competitive edge through their capabilities.

You can read the Acorn experts' full article elaborating on business capability maps on Acorn Labs: https://hubs.ly/Q01v_yrP0

Pursuit Technology is one of Australia's fastest growing HR technology companies. Pursuit, via Acorn LMS, takes a different view to strategically enabling HR and L&D teams compared to traditional providers. Rather than focusing on analytics after learning experience, their products use workforce planning and capability frameworks prior to any learning. By linking to a company's strategy, Pursuit products can inform organisational capability gaps and suggest education, deliver this education, then measure the impact – proving business impact by the HR and L&D team in a quantifiable way.