Eight Ways CIOs Use Capability Maps To Embed Business In The Management Of IT

Business capabilities define what your organization does to execute its mission or support its position in the marketplace. These capabilities, such as "customer management," "product development," and "employee management" are the key building blocks of the organization. The capability map — which identifies all capabilities and their relationships — provides the overarching framework the CIO can use to align IT with the business, rationalize the application portfolio, and communicate IT's value to the users and consumers of IT's services. CIOs must shift from an inward-looking perspective, where the technology infrastructure is a collection of platforms, to an outward-looking one, where the business and its structure frame all discussion and decisions — and thus elevate the CIO role from technologist to business partner.