Business Capability Mapping Skill

This skill generates comprehensive L1–L3 business capability maps organized around three pillars — [Persona] Journey, Value Chain, and Supporting Domains — for any industry. The journey pillar name adapts to the industry (e.g., "Guest Journey" for hospitality, "Patient Journey" for healthcare, "Customer Journey" for B2B SaaS). The maps are designed for C-suite and senior leaders at large enterprises who need a clean, executive-grade view of organizational capabilities with optional maturity heat mapping.

1. Conceptual Model

Every capability map has three L1 categories. Understanding why they're separate — and where they overlap — is the key to building maps that are both journey-centric and holistically useful to leadership.

Dynamic Journey Naming

The first pillar is named based on the primary user/customer of the business. Do NOT default to "Guest Journey" — that only applies to hospitality. Identify the correct persona from the industry context:

When the user describes their industry, determine the right persona and pillar name before generating. If ambiguous, ask: "Who is the primary end user of your product or service?" Use that answer to name Pillar 1 throughout all outputs.

The Three Pillars (+ Optional Fourth)

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   [PERSONA] JOURNEY                         │
│  L1: Awareness → Consideration → Purchase → Onboarding     │
│       → Usage/Experience → Retention/Renewal                │
│  (What the [persona] sees and feels at each stage)          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                        VALUE CHAIN                          │
│  L1: Strategy Dev → Marketing → Sales → Service Delivery   │
│       → Customer Success → Product/Service Innovation       │
│  (Internal functions that power each journey stage)         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                   SUPPORTING DOMAINS                        │
│  L1: Finance → HR/People → IT/Technology → Legal/Compliance │
│       → Facilities/Operations → Data & Analytics            │
│  (Cross-cutting functions that enable the value chain)      │
├ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ┤
│              [INTERNAL PERSONA] JOURNEY  (optional)         │
│  L1: Recruit → Onboard → Develop → Perform → Retain        │
│  (What the employee/provider/team member experiences)       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Optional: Internal Persona Journey (Pillar 4)

When enabled, this pillar captures the internal workforce experience — the stages an employee, provider, or team member moves through. Like Pillar 1, the name adapts:

This pillar is off by default. Only include it when the user requests it or when the engagement context involves workforce transformation, talent strategy, or operating model design. L2/L3 capabilities here often share with Supporting Domains (e.g., HR capabilities appear in both) — tag those with [shared:Supporting-L1-Name].

[Persona] Journey captures the outside-in view — the stages the primary user moves through. Each stage has L2/L3 capabilities describing what the organization must be able to do to deliver that stage well (e.g., Journey L1 "Awareness" → L2 "Brand Presence" → L3 "Social Media Management").

Value Chain captures the inside-out operational view — the internal functions that power the journey. These are aligned to journey stages, so some L2/L3 capabilities will appear in both pillars. That duplication is intentional — it shows the same capability from two perspectives (customer-facing vs. operational).

Shared capability rules — tag a capability as [shared] when:

• A Value Chain L3 directly enables a specific Journey stage (tag as [shared:Journey-L1-Name])
• The same L3 capability name or function appears in both Journey and Value Chain pillars
• A Supporting Domain L3 is critical to a specific Value Chain function (tag as [shared:VC-L1-Name])

Do NOT mark capabilities as shared just because they're loosely related. The link must be direct and defensible — a C-suite leader should immediately understand why the connection exists. In the XLSX Shared column, list the specific pillar and L1 it connects to (e.g., "Journey: Onboarding" rather than just "Yes"). In PPTX and HTML, render shared tags as small colored badges showing the cross-reference.

Supporting Domains are cross-cutting — they don't map to a single journey stage but enable the entire value chain. Finance, HR, IT, Legal, etc.

L2 and L3 Depth

• L2 = a capability group (e.g., "Digital Marketing")
• L3 = a specific capability (e.g., "SEO & Content Optimization")

Each L3 capability can optionally carry additional data through optional lenses. All lenses are off by default — include only what the user requests.

Optional Lenses

All lenses add columns to the single Capability Map sheet. The column order flows logically: what it is → how mature → where it's going → who owns it → investment decision. When multiple lenses are enabled, columns appear in this order after the base capability columns (Pillar, L1, L2, L3, Shared With):

1. Current Maturity (1-5) + Maturity Label — how mature is this capability today
2. Target Maturity (1-5) + Maturity Gap (formula) — where does it need to be
3. Strategic Initiative — what strategy this supports
4. Owner — who is accountable
5. Investment Priority — what to do about it

Maturity Assessment

• Current Maturity score (1–5): 1=Ad-hoc, 2=Developing, 3=Defined, 4=Managed, 5=Optimized
• Maturity Label auto-fills from the score via formula
• Leave scores empty for workshop use. Wire up dropdowns and conditional formatting.
• When investment lens is also enabled, maturity columns are shared (Current Maturity serves both lenses — do not duplicate).

Investment Prioritization

• Current Maturity (1-5): Shared with maturity lens if both are enabled
• Target Maturity (1-5): Where the capability needs to be
• Maturity Gap: Formula (Target - Current). Conditional formatting: larger gap = darker red
• Strategic Initiative: Which strategic priority this capability supports (free text)
• Investment Priority: Invest / Maintain / Divest / Sunset
• In PPTX: add an Investment Summary slide showing a 2x2 matrix (Strategic Importance vs. Current Maturity) with L1 capabilities plotted as bubbles. Detail slides show investment priority as colored tags (Invest=green, Maintain=blue, Divest=orange, Sunset=red) next to each L3.
• In HTML: add investment priority as colored pill badges next to each L3. Add a filterable view that lets users filter by investment priority. Include a gap analysis summary section at the top showing total capabilities by priority bucket.

Capability Ownership

• Owner: The role, team, or individual accountable for the capability (e.g., "VP Digital", "Product Ops", "Chief Medical Officer")
• In PPTX: add owner as a small label beneath each L3 capability in the detail tables. Add an Ownership Summary slide grouped by owner showing which capabilities roll up to each leader — this directly supports operating model and org design conversations.
• In HTML: show owner as a gray label beneath each L3. Add a "Group by Owner" toggle that reorganizes the entire map by owner instead of by pillar — this lets leaders see "what do I own?" at a glance.

Supplemental Tabs (Separate Sheets)

These tabs provide deeper analytical views. They are generated as separate sheets in XLSX, additional slides in PPTX, or toggle-able views in HTML.

People / Process / Tools Assessment (off by default — enable when user asks)

This tab breaks down each L2 capability across the three foundational dimensions of any capability: People (skills & expertise), Process (how work gets done), and Tools (technology & systems). This is based on the CMMI-aligned maturity model where capabilities comprise an integrated set of processes, technologies, and deep expertise.

• Assessed at the L2 level (not L3) — L3 is too granular for this analysis
• Columns: Pillar | L1 | L2 | Process Maturity (1-5) | Process Notes | Tool-set Maturity (1-5) | Tool-set Notes | People/Expertise Maturity (1-5) | People Notes | Org Reach (1-5) | Performance Measurement (1-5)
• Process Maturity: 1=ad hoc, 2=repeatable but inconsistent, 3=standard and consistent, 4=predictable and flexible, 5=continuously improved
• Tool-set Maturity: 1=manual/no tools, 2=individual steps automated, 3=some automation and standard tools, 4=appropriate automation across capability, 5=optimal automation with cross-capability integration
• People/Expertise: 1=insufficient expertise, 2=limited expertise, 3=select pockets of expertise, 4=sufficient expertise and staffing, 5=advanced expertise and fully staffed
• Org Reach: 1=ad hoc, 2=within team, 3=within department, 4=across organization, 5=across organizational ecosystem
• Performance Measurement: 1=none, 2=activity tracked, 3=output measured, 4=outcomes measured, 5=business outcomes measured and controlled
• Notes columns provide qualitative context (e.g., "HRIS/HR technology org misalignment", "Data exists on different platforms; accessibility and integrity concerns")
• Apply the same 1-5 conditional formatting heat map colors to all maturity columns
• Leave all scores and notes empty for workshop use unless the user asks you to pre-populate
• In PPTX: render as a summary slide per pillar showing a table with Process / Tools / People columns and traffic-light indicators. Add a detail slide per focus area with strengths, needs/opportunities, and representative quotes (matching the Metis assessment format)
• In HTML: render as a separate toggle-able tab view with the same heat map colors and expandable notes

Industry Benchmark (off by default — enable when user asks)

This tab compares each L2 capability's maturity against industry averages, highlighting where the organization is above, at, or below peer maturity. This is the slide that makes C-suite leaders pay attention — it answers "how do we compare?"

• Assessed at the L2 level (same grain as People/Process/Tools)
• Columns: Pillar | L1 | L2 | Company Maturity (avg of L3s) | Industry Average | Delta | Benchmark Insight
• Company Maturity: Calculated as the average of L3 current maturity scores within that L2 (from the main Capability Map sheet)
• Industry Average: Generated from first principles based on industry knowledge. Consider company size, market position, and digital maturity when calibrating. Scores should be defensible in a C-suite presentation — cite industry reports, APQC benchmarks, or Gartner/Forrester frameworks when possible.
• Delta: Formula (Company - Industry Average). Positive = above peers, negative = gap.
• Benchmark Insight: Brief qualitative insight explaining the delta and what it means strategically (e.g., "Significantly below peers; #1 gap area. DAP and health scoring are standard at this ARR", "Above peers; key competitive differentiator — protect this investment")
• Apply conditional formatting to Delta column: ≥0.3 = green (strength), ≤-0.5 = orange (attention), ≤-1.0 = red (critical gap)
• In PPTX: render as a bar chart slide showing Company vs. Industry Average by L1, with delta annotations. Follow with a "Key Gaps & Strengths" summary slide listing the top 5 gaps and top 3 strengths with benchmark insights.
• In HTML: render as a toggle-able tab with sortable columns. Include a filter to show only gaps (negative delta) or strengths (positive delta). Add a summary banner showing the count of capabilities above, at, and below industry average.

Roadmap / Sequencing (off by default — enable when user asks)

This tab sequences strategic initiatives across quarters, showing what to do when and why. It transforms the capability gap analysis into an actionable implementation plan that leadership can approve and fund.

• One row per strategic initiative (derived from the Capability Map sheet's Strategic Initiative column when investment lens is enabled, or generated fresh)
• Columns: Quarter | Pillar | L1 | L2 | Strategic Initiative | Current Maturity (1-5) | Target Maturity (1-5) | Gap | Dependencies | Milestone 1 | Milestone 2 | Milestone 3 | Success Metric | Owner | Investment Priority
• Quarter: Q1 through Q8 (2-year horizon). Color-coded by half-year:
  • Q1-Q2 = green (Year 1 H1), Q3-Q4 = blue (Year 1 H2),
  • Q5-Q6 = purple (Year 2 H1), Q7-Q8 = orange (Year 2 H2)
• Dependencies: What must be in place before this initiative can succeed. Critical for sequencing logic — later initiatives should reference earlier ones.
• Milestones: Three discrete columns (M1, M2, M3), each containing a single clear deliverable — not paragraphs. M1 is typically planning/procurement (month 1-2), M2 is build/pilot (month 3-4), M3 is the outcome/steady-state milestone (month 5-6).
• Success Metric: A specific, measurable outcome in baseline → target format so progress is actually trackable (e.g., "POC win rate: 45% → 60%", "Support tickets from new users: 85/mo → 50/mo"). Avoid vague metrics — every metric should have a number.
• Sequencing logic: quick wins and foundation-building in Q1-Q2, scale and expand in Q3-Q4, transformational initiatives in Q5+. Initiatives that depend on earlier work must be scheduled after their dependencies.
• In PPTX: render as a horizontal swimlane timeline with quarters on the x-axis and pillars as swim lanes. Each initiative is a colored bar spanning its quarter. Add a summary slide showing initiative count and key theme per quarter.
• In HTML: render as a toggle-able tab with a Gantt-style timeline view. Filterable by pillar, quarter, and investment priority. Clickable initiatives expand to show milestones, dependencies, and success metrics.
• Generate a Roadmap Summary sheet/slide aggregating initiative counts by quarter and pillar, with a key theme per quarter.

Capability Definitions (off by default — enable when user asks)

This tab provides plain-language definitions for each L3 capability, giving workshop participants shared vocabulary and reducing scope debates during maturity assessments.

• One row per L3 capability (same grain as the main Capability Map sheet)
• Columns: Pillar | L1 | L2 | L3 | Definition | Business Value | Example Activities | Common Enterprise Tools
• Definition: A clear, concise description of what this capability is. Vary the language — do NOT start every definition with "The organizational ability to..." Use diverse openers: "Creating and distributing...", "Measuring and analyzing...", "Designing, testing, and evolving...", "Embedding security testing into...", etc. Written for a mixed audience of business and technology leaders.
• Business Value: Why this capability matters — the business outcome it drives or the risk it mitigates. Frame in terms a CFO, CEO, or board member would care about.
• Example Activities: Concrete examples of what "doing this capability" looks like in practice. Helps participants calibrate their maturity assessment.
• Common Enterprise Tools: Representative tools and platforms commonly used by large enterprises for this capability. Not prescriptive — included to ground conversations in what "good" looks like and to identify potential tool gaps. Only include where relevant (some capabilities like "Cultural Integration" don't have specific tools).
• In PPTX: render as an appendix section with one slide per L1 showing a table of L3 definitions. Include a "Common Tools" column when tools are relevant.
• In HTML: render as a toggle-able tab with searchable definitions. Each L3 expands to show Business Value, Example Activities, and Common Tools.

README (always included when any supplemental tab is enabled)

A reference sheet explaining every column across all tabs. Generated automatically when any supplemental tab is enabled. Includes the column name and a plain-language description of its purpose, format, and how to interpret it.

2. Generation Workflow

Step 1: Gather Context

Ask the user for:

1. Industry & company type — "What industry are you in, and roughly what does your company do?" (e.g., "luxury hospitality," "B2B SaaS fintech," "regional healthcare system"). This drives the journey stages and capability vocabulary.

2. Journey stages — "Do you have existing customer/guest journey stages, or should I generate industry-standard ones?" If they provide a journey map file, parse it.

3. Scope — "Should I include all three pillars (Journey, Value Chain, Supporting), or focus on a subset? Would you also like an internal [Employee/Provider] Journey pillar?"

4. Optional lenses — "Would you like any of these optional lenses?"

   • Maturity assessment (empty scores for workshop use)
   • Investment prioritization (invest/maintain/divest + current vs. target maturity gap)
   • Capability ownership (owner field for operating model / org design conversations)
   • People / Process / Tools assessment (separate tab breaking down each L2 across process, tool-set, and people/expertise maturity with qualitative notes)
   • Industry benchmark (separate tab comparing L2 maturity against industry averages with delta analysis and benchmark insights)
   • Roadmap / Sequencing (separate tab sequencing initiatives by quarter with milestones, dependencies, and trackable success metrics)
   • Capability definitions (separate tab with plain-language definitions, business value, example activities, and common enterprise tools for each L3)

5. Output format — "Which format: PPTX deck, XLSX spreadsheet, interactive HTML, or multiple?" Default to XLSX + PPTX if they don't specify.

Input Modes

The skill supports three input modes. Detect which one the user is using and adapt:

Mode A: Generate from scratch — The user describes their industry/company and you generate the full map from first principles. This is the default mode.

Mode B: Refine an existing map — The user uploads an existing capability map (XLSX, CSV, PPTX, PDF, or pasted text). Read the file, parse the existing capabilities, and:

• Identify gaps (missing L2/L3 capabilities you'd expect for the industry)
• Flag potential overlaps or redundancies
• Suggest re-leveling (e.g., an L3 that should be an L2, or vice versa)
• Present a "gap analysis" summary before generating the improved version
• Preserve the user's original naming conventions where possible — don't rename capabilities they've already socialized with stakeholders unless they ask

Mode C: Extend from a document — The user uploads a strategy doc, org chart, annual report, or journey map. Extract relevant context (business units, strategic priorities, customer segments, pain points) and use it to inform a more tailored capability map. Call out which capabilities were derived from the document vs. generated from industry knowledge.

If the user provides a file (journey map, strategy doc, org chart, existing capability map), read it and extract relevant context to inform the capability generation.

Step 2: Generate the Capability Map

Build the map industry-by-industry from first principles — do not use a fixed template. The map should feel tailored to the user's specific industry and company type.

Process:

1. Define L1 stages for each pillar based on the industry (include Pillar 4 if requested)
2. For each L1, generate 3–6 L2 capability groups
3. For each L2, generate 2–5 L3 specific capabilities
4. Tag shared capabilities between Journey and Value Chain with [shared]
5. For each enabled optional lens, add columns to the same Capability Map sheet (do not create separate tabs per lens). Leave all lens columns empty for workshop use:
   • Maturity: Current Maturity dropdown (1-5), Maturity Label formula (CHOOSE), conditional formatting for heat map colors.
   • Investment: Target Maturity dropdown (1-5), Maturity Gap formula (Target - Current), Strategic Initiative (free text), Investment Priority dropdown (Invest/Maintain/Divest/Sunset). If maturity lens is also enabled, share the Current Maturity column — do not duplicate it.
   • Ownership: Owner column (free text) for the client to populate during org design or operating model workshops.

Naming conventions:

• L1: Noun phrases (e.g., "Customer Onboarding," "Financial Management")
• L2: Noun phrases describing a capability group (e.g., "Digital Engagement," "Talent Acquisition")
• L3: Specific, actionable capability names (e.g., "Chatbot & Virtual Assistant Management," "Employer Brand Development")

Quality bar for C-suite audiences:

• Use business language, not technical jargon
• Each capability should be distinct — no overlapping L3s within the same L2
• Journey stages should reflect the actual customer experience, not internal process steps
• Value chain L1s should map clearly to journey stages (include the mapping in output)
• Generate enough L3 capabilities to be comprehensive without being exhaustive — let the industry and scope guide depth naturally

Step 3: Build the Output

Read references/output-formats.md for format-specific build instructions. The general approach:

• XLSX: Structured spreadsheet with columns for Pillar, L1, L2, L3, Shared With, plus optional lens columns (Maturity, Investment, Owner). Conditional formatting for heat maps. All optional columns have dropdowns pre-wired.
• PPTX: Executive deck using the metis-pptx skill's design system. Table/grid layout with color-coded cells. One slide per pillar + summary/overview slides. When investment lens is enabled, include a 2x2 investment matrix slide. When ownership is enabled, include an ownership summary slide grouped by leader.
• HTML: Standalone interactive page with collapsible L1→L2→L3 hierarchy, color-coded badges, and search/filter. When ownership is enabled, include a "Group by Owner" toggle. When investment is enabled, include filterable investment priority views and gap summary. No external dependencies.

3. Maturity Heat Map

When the user enables maturity scoring, apply this color scale to all visual outputs:

In XLSX, use conditional formatting on the Maturity column. In PPTX, use cell background colors in the capability table. In HTML, use colored badges next to each L3.

4. Industry Adaptation

Do not hardcode capabilities. Generate them from first principles based on the user's industry. Here are calibration examples to show the expected depth and vocabulary — use these as a quality reference, not as templates to copy:

Example: Manufacturing (Pillar 1 = "Buyer Journey")

• Buyer Journey L1: Awareness → Specification → Quoting → Order → Production → Delivery → After-Sales Support
• Value Chain L1: Product Engineering → Sourcing & Procurement → Production Planning → Manufacturing Operations → Quality Management → Distribution & Logistics → Customer Service
• Supporting L1: Finance → HR → IT/OT → Legal & Compliance → EHS (Environment, Health, Safety) → Facilities

Example: Travel & Hospitality (Pillar 1 = "Guest Journey")

• Guest Journey L1: Discovery → Booking → Pre-Arrival → Arrival → Stay/Experience → Departure → Post-Stay/Loyalty
• Value Chain L1: Brand Strategy → Revenue Management → Reservations → Guest Services → F&B Operations → Property Operations → Loyalty & CRM
• Supporting L1: Finance → HR → IT → Legal → Procurement → Sustainability

Example: B2B SaaS (Pillar 1 = "Customer Journey")

• Customer Journey L1: Awareness → Evaluation → Purchase → Onboarding → Adoption → Expansion → Renewal
• Value Chain L1: Product Strategy → Product Development → Marketing → Sales → Customer Success → Support → Platform Operations
• Supporting L1: Finance → People Ops → Engineering Platform → Legal → Security → Data & Analytics

Example: Telecommunications (Pillar 1 = "Subscriber Journey")

• Subscriber Journey L1: Awareness → Plan Selection → Activation → Usage → Support → Upgrade/Renewal → Win-Back
• Value Chain L1: Network Strategy → Network Engineering & Build → Product & Service Development → Sales & Distribution → Service Provisioning → Network Operations → Customer Retention
• Supporting L1: Finance → HR → IT/BSS/OSS → Legal & Regulatory → Supply Chain → Real Estate & Facilities

5. Python Environment

CRITICAL: Python is installed but NOT on the git bash PATH. You MUST use the full path every time. Do not attempt python, python3, or py — they will fail.

PYTHON="C:/Users/manvi/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python312/python.exe"

Before generating any output file, run this setup block exactly once per session:

PYTHON="C:/Users/manvi/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python312/python.exe"
"$PYTHON" --version  # Verify it works
"$PYTHON" -m pip install --quiet openpyxl python-pptx  # Required packages

Required packages:

• openpyxl — for XLSX generation
• python-pptx — for PPTX generation

Build pattern: Always write the full Python script to a .py file first, then execute:

"$PYTHON" build_capability_map.py

Do NOT use inline Python (python -c "...") for anything beyond trivial checks. Complex scripts must be written to files for debuggability.

6. Output-Specific Instructions

Read references/output-formats.md for detailed build instructions for each format. That file contains the exact Python code patterns, column structures, and styling rules.

When building PPTX output, also read the metis-pptx skill's references/design-system.md and references/layout-grids.md for brand constants and slide construction patterns. The capability map deck should follow the same design system (colors, fonts, margins) as all other Metis decks.