Introduction
Excerpt Capabilities are one of the most misunderstood concepts in modern businesses. The idea isn't new, you only have to look at how the defence and nuclear industry have used this term for over 20+ years. Quite often people use the terms capabilities and function interchangeably, but it's important to note that they are NOT the same thing and can NOT be used in this interchangeable manner. In this section of the TOGAF AIDES Space, we attempt to define capability and demonstrate why it's not just a function.
Capability can be defined as - the ability to achieve a desired effect in a specific operating environment, it is a logical construct that is made manifest through the components of an organisation.
...
So the first thing to remember about a capability is that it is more than just a business function, service or team. It is a logical entity with distinct measurable characteristics that work together to achieve a goal. Typically a capability considers the following (a MOD perspective on the characteristics of a capability (TEPIDOIL)
- skills and competency (roles/personnel)
- training
- philosophy (way of thinking)
- equipment (operational level)
- organisation (required organisation structure)
- information (data and processes)
- infrastructure (platforms, communications, and core primary services)
- logistics (pulling it all together)
An easy acronym to remember might be Alternatively one could choose to approach a capability from the architectural unification approach POLDAT
- Process (business processes)
- Organisation (structures)
- Location (Geographical information)
- Data (models, life cycles, security etc)
- Application (software, security, interoperability etc)
- Technology (infrastructure)
Defining a capability is an extensive task but once done can lead to a major simplification in the overall understanding and modelling of a problem domain. Consider the following example, you you want to build a home from scratch, core required capabilities
...