Using the Digital Technology Capability Model: Instructions and Guidance
The Digital Technology Capability Model provides a structured view of the capabilities needed to run a digital organisation. It is designed to help departments understand what they have, how it aligns to organisational needs, and where improvements are required. The steps below explain how to use the model to map and assess your own capabilities.
1. Understand the Structure of the Model
The model is organised into nine Level 1 domains:
- Service Applications
- Corporate Services
- Integration
- Data & Information Management
- Artificial Intelligence
- DevOps
- Foundational Services
- Governance & Standards
- Security
Each domain contains Level 3 capabilities, each with a definition and core activities. You can use these artefacts to map your department's technology landscape against these domains and capabilities. You can find the list of the capabilities and definitions under the documentation section at the top of the page.
2. Define the Scope of Your Assessment
Before mapping, clarify:
- Which part of the organisation you are assessing (team, business unit, service area).
- What should be included (applications, services, data platforms, tools, infrastructure).
- Who needs to contribute information (service owners, technical leads, product teams).
Ensure everyone understands that the assessment is capability-focused, not system-focused.
3. Map Department Capabilities Using the Model
Use a hierarchical format to ensure consistency. The required structure is:
Domain → Capability → Application/Service → Technology → Infrastructure
Follow these steps:
Step 3.1: Start with the Domains
For each of the nine domains, confirm whether your department uses or relies on capabilities within it. If a domain is not relevant, mark it as "Not in scope" and move on.
Step 3.2: Map Capabilities
For each relevant domain, review the Level 3 capabilities listed in the model. Identify which capabilities your department uses, delivers, or depends on.
Step 3.3: List Applications or Services
Under each capability, record the applications, digital services or platforms your department uses to deliver that capability. Examples:
- Under "Case Management" you might list Dynamics, Salesforce or an internal system.
- Under "API Management" you might list Apigee or Azure API Management.
Step 3.4: Identify Technology Components
Document the enabling technology behind each application or service. Examples: databases, middleware, workflow engines, integration layers.
Step 3.5: Link Infrastructure
Capture supporting infrastructure such as hosting environment, storage, compute, networks or cloud services.
This structured mapping ensures every capability has a consistent trail from domain to infrastructure.
Next Steps
Identify Duplication and Fragmentation
Once the mapping is complete, review the outputs to find:
- Capabilities delivered by multiple applications.
- Applications with overlapping functionality.
- Technology stacks that are inconsistent or unnecessarily varied.
- Infrastructure components that are duplicated or misaligned.
Ask the following questions:
- Do we have more applications than needed to deliver one capability?
- Are we maintaining outdated or redundant technology?
- Are similar services or platforms used in different areas without coordination?
- Is the infrastructure footprint larger or more complex than required?
This helps identify rationalisation opportunities and areas for convergence.
Assess Interoperability and Integration
Review how well the mapped capabilities work together:
- Identify where applications rely on point-to-point integrations.
- Check whether APIs, event streaming or shared data platforms are used consistently.
- Look for gaps where integration is manual or missing.
- Identify dependencies that could block future change.
Use the Integration domain as a reference for what good interoperability should look like.
Evaluate Capability Strength and Gaps
Rate each capability based on:
- Coverage: Do you have tools that support the capability?
- Quality: Are the tools effective and up to date?
- Alignment: Does the capability meet business needs?
- Efficiency: Is the capability duplicated or fragmented?
- Risk: Are there weaknesses in security, resilience or supportability?
This will give you a balanced view of maturity and risk across all domains.
Create Investment and Rationalisation Insights
Based on the mapped results, identify:
- Applications or technologies that could be retired or consolidated.
- Capabilities that require investment to meet demand.
- Areas where standardisation would reduce costs or complexity.
- Dependencies affecting future transformation.
- Opportunities to adopt shared platforms or enterprise services.
These insights should connect directly to your organisation's strategy and roadmap.
Use Visual Tools to Communicate Findings
Create clear visuals to support decision-making:
Heat Maps
Use colour-coding to show capability strength, duplication, risk, cost or strategic importance.
Application Footprint Maps
Show how many applications support each capability.
Technology Stacks
Present technology layers aligned with capabilities.
Rationalisation Targets
Highlight applications recommended for consolidation or retirement.
These visuals will help non-technical stakeholders understand the findings quickly.
Build an Actionable Roadmap
Translate assessment insights into a capability-driven improvement plan:
- Define short-term actions (e.g., remove redundant tools).
- Set medium-term targets (e.g., consolidate platforms or improve interoperability).
- Set long-term ambitions (e.g., move to event-driven architecture or adopt enterprise AI foundations).
- Assign owners, timelines and success measures.
The roadmap should show how capability improvements support the organisation's goals.
Remember
Keep the Model Alive
The capability model should be reviewed regularly:
- Update mappings as systems or services change.
- Reassess capabilities when new projects begin.
- Use it as a reference point for investment decisions, architecture reviews and governance.
- Appoint an owner for the model.