Capability Modelling Guidelines

Capability Modeling Guidelines

Phase: Focus | Explore | Co-Create | Lead & Coordinate | Realise | Sustain

Scope: Architecture

Flight Level: Operations | Coordination | Strategy |

Author: Wolfgang Goebl, Intersection Group

Guidelines for Designing Purpose-Aligned and Adaptive Enterprises

The Capability Modelling Guidelines help co-design your Capability Map, enabling people to focus investments according to the enterprise’s purposes and to create modular, adaptive enterprises. They explain how to structure the map, engage co-creators from both top-down and bottom-up, address social aspects, benchmark the current state, clarify the vision, and identify which capabilities to prioritise for investment and change.

Content

How to Structure a Capability Map

The first section, “How to Structure a Capability Map”, explains how to design capabilities as organic modules and organise them into categories and hierarchies. It shows how to optimise capabilities for flow and provides guidelines for naming and layout.

How to Use Capabilities to Align Investments with Purpose

The second part, “How to Use Capabilities to Align Investments with Purpose”, provides practical guidelines for using the Capability Map to align co-creators (from senior leaders to people at the operational level) around the shared purposes of the enterprise. It offers practical guidance on turning strategy into action by applying capability benchmarking techniques to determine which capabilities should be prioritised for investment.

Coming in 2026: “How to Derive Your Organisational Structure from Capabilities” will explain how a “capability first, organisational structure second” approach can be a game-changer for creating better organisations. Message us at hello@intersection.group if you would like to contribute or review.

Resources

• Guidelines as pdf
• Spreadsheet to calculate the “focus” indicator (Excel Download)