A key first step in building a business capability map is bringing business and IT stakeholders together. Enterprises often start by holding workshops involving IT managers, enterprise architects, business analysts, and business managers. Staff representing different hierarchical views may participate as well. These sessions are usually designed to relate architecture to business goals and visualize capabilities in a collaborative manner. The end deliverable is typically a draft of a map and set of goals to be achieved though the ongoing capability program. Templates exist for maps specific to a variety of industries, including banking, retail, and manufacturing, which can be used to aid the process.
After the initial map is in place, the focus shifts to business capability management—and ongoing improvement. Stakeholders meet periodically to manage project portfolios, analyze strategies for capability improvements, and design metrics for their evaluation. Firms may elect to carry out a gap analysis; most develop some mechanism for analysis and reporting, which forms the basis for capability governance. The overarching goal is to forge a culture of continuous improvement—in the quality of the capability program, and, by extension, in building a portfolio that brings more value to the enterprise.