Using a Customizable Generic Business Capability List for Enterprise Capability Modeling

Is there a universal business capability list that can serve as a starting point for capability mapping? Yes – Capstera offers several customizable generic capability lists focused on industries or functional domains.

Business capabilities act as a crucial glue that connects execution with strategy and provides a blueprint for orchestrating a target operating model. Their value in aligning business vision with IT support is clear.

Large, complex enterprises often spend months or years building enterprise‑wide capability models, which can feel like reinventing the wheel. Starting from a generic capability model can avoid this.

Instead, by selectively adding, modifying, and improving a comprehensive generic capability list, organizations can accelerate time‑to‑value.

Example: Level‑1 Enterprise Business Capabilities

One can argue for a special capability or point to a capability outside Level 1. For instance, customer management could be a sub‑capability of “Operations,” or shared enterprise functions might be listed as a top‑level capability with finance, HR, procurement, etc., underneath. The key is that there is no single correct path; using a generic list as input lets architecture teams design a resonant set of Level‑1 capabilities.

Now consider the next level. Assuming consensus on Level‑1 capabilities, the next task is to dive into Level‑2. Level‑2 capabilities are foundational, reflecting specific domains and breaking them into logical business capabilities. Unlike Level 1, Level 2 goes deeper and the expertise is more dispersed, so a customizable generic list helps reduce dependence on subject‑matter experts while remaining comprehensive.

Human Capital Management Capability Decomposition Example

Further work involves breaking Level‑2 capabilities into logical, fundamental building blocks. The need for deeper levels (3, 4, 5) depends on the context, purpose, and use case of the capability model.

Detailed Decomposition of Recruiting and Hiring Capabilities

What are the pros and cons of using a generic business capability list as input for building an enterprise‑wide capability model?

Using Pre‑Built Customizable Business Capability Models

Pros

Time to value: A customizable generic list accelerates and completes capability definition without starting from scratch.

Reference point: White‑board brainstorming often misses items; a pre‑built list provides a solid reference to avoid endless ideation.

Opportunity cost: Reducing the time subject‑matter experts spend on capability conceptualization frees them for core duties.

Cons

Fit for purpose: Any generic list differs from a tailor‑made model and may introduce burdens.

Potential inconsistency and buy‑in: When a team creates a critical artifact like a capability model, the process itself drives consistency and ownership; a purchased capability diagram may feel like a different experience—adding, removing, and modifying rather than co‑creating.