Capability mapping an effective tool for future business planning

CANBERRA, Australia - Nov. 22, 2022 - PRLog -- The Acorn subject matter experts have published many articles on capabilities and capability frameworks in recent months. Now, they've turned their attention to the capability map. While a capability framework outlines an exhaustive list of necessary skills, knowledge and behaviours, a capability map focuses on visualising capabilities by expertise, business value or function. It can be used to highlight what capabilities are needed to reach an ideal future state against their current availability and maturity.

Capability maps are visual and usually arranged in a hierarchy. At the highest level, there are a few capabilities that are core to business success, each followed by a set of complementary capabilities that support them.

Capability maps provide a more helpful bird's eye view of how your business works than other visual aids. It keeps the focus on your big picture and aligns internal business processes with people and technology.

Two benefits to be gained from capability mapping are better prioritisation of resources and smarter investment decisions. Utilising heatmaps, capability mapping can articulate the business capabilities that need attention to reach a desired future state. A business capability map can assist departments with processes like strategic planning, roadmap building, and risk management.

"Staying afloat and even thriving during times of economic instability comes down to the strength of your organisational capabilities," said Blake Proberts (Co-Founder and Managing Director). "A capability map enables you to proactively uncover immature or at-risk capabilities and prioritise them for development, adding another layer of security to your organisation."

Human resources are most commonly the stewards of capability mapping. This means implementing a business capability map is as much about creating one as it is generating buy-in for the process. To be successful, a case must be built for consensus, managers must buy-in, and process ownership established.

You can read the Acorn experts' full article about capability mapping on Acorn Labs: https://hubs.ly/Q01rJPd_0

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.