Data Analytics and BI Capabilities Map | Capstera

This capability map decomposes the data analytics and business intelligence function into about 175 capabilities across three levels, from broad strategic groupings down to granular, individually named activities. It's built for a business or enterprise architect who needs to describe what a company's data and BI function actually does, in more detail than "reporting and analytics" on an org chart.

Data analytics and BI has grown from a back-office reporting function into something closer to a strategic capability in its own right, spanning everything from data governance to self-service dashboards to predictive modeling. A capability map at this level of detail — roughly 175 items rather than a dozen headline boxes — gives a business architect enough granularity to actually plan around, whether that's a footprint analysis, a target-state design, or a capability maturity assessment.

A single box labeled "Business Intelligence" on a capability map is wall art: it tells a reader the function exists but nothing about its scope, depth, or where it overlaps with something else on the chart. Decomposing the function to 175 capabilities across three levels is what makes the model usable for actual planning work — a systems inventory, a footprint analysis, a maturity assessment — rather than just a slide in a strategy deck.

What's Inside

About 175 capabilities across three levels, delivered in three parallel formats: a nested PowerPoint visualization of the top two levels, a full grouped listing in Excel, and a capability list in Word. Capability definitions are included at Level 3, and a set of KPIs is provided at Level 2 as a starting point for measurement.

• About 175 capabilities across 3 levels
• Nested capability map (PowerPoint), full listing (Excel), and capability list (Word)
• Capability definitions at Level 3
• KPIs at Level 2

How Teams Use It

An enterprise architect building a target-state architecture for the analytics function starts from Level 2 to define the major capability groupings, then drills into Level 3 for the specific capabilities a systems roadmap needs to address.

A business architect running an application portfolio review cross-maps existing BI tools against Level 3 capabilities, looking for capabilities with three overlapping systems and others with none.

A data governance lead uses the relevant Level 3 capabilities and definitions to scope what a governance program should actually cover, rather than defining the program's boundaries by committee.

An analytics team preparing a maturity assessment scores itself against the Level 2 KPIs to identify where current performance falls short before asking for budget to close the gap.

A business architect fielding a request to explain "what BI actually covers" to a non-technical steering committee walks through the Level 1 and Level 2 groupings as a shared vocabulary before the conversation moves into specific tools or projects.

A capability owner newly assigned a Level 2 grouping uses the Level 3 definitions underneath it to scope exactly what falls inside their remit, instead of inheriting an ambiguous mandate.

A transformation office sequencing a multi-year analytics roadmap uses the three-level structure to decide which capabilities to mature first, rather than prioritizing initiatives in whatever order stakeholders happen to raise them.

Format & Delivery

The capability map is delivered in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, all editable on download, along with the Level 2 KPI document and a set of business architecture reference materials as bonus files. Everything is available instantly after purchase. As a generic capability set built to fit most organizations, it won't match any single company's analytics function capability for capability — some items may not apply, and your organization may have capabilities the model doesn't include; that's expected of an off-the-shelf model. Pricing for single-user and enterprise licenses appears at the top of this page.