Strategy Viewpoints: Capability Maps, Resource Maps, and Value Streams

Strategy Viewpoints: Capability Maps, Resource Maps, and Value Streams

Strategy viewpoints are designed to bridge the gap between high-level strategic thinking and the operational architecture of an organization. These viewpoints utilize elements from the Strategy Layer, such as capabilities, resources, and courses of action, to model the strategic direction and choices an enterprise makes to create value for its stakeholders. Within Visual Paradigm’s certified toolset, these viewpoints act as specialized filters that allow architects to transition from executive summaries to actionable implementation blueprints.

1. The Capability Map Viewpoint

A Capability Map provides a structured overview of the capabilities—the abilities that an active structure element, such as an organization or system, possesses to execute its strategy. This viewpoint focuses on “what” an enterprise does or can do at a high level of abstraction, rather than “how” it performs activities. Architects frequently use this viewpoint as a “heat map” to identify areas of investment or gaps in abilities that must be addressed to achieve business outcomes.

• Stakeholders: CxOs, business managers, and enterprise architects.
• Practical Example: Using the AI Chatbot, an architect can input the prompt: “Generate an ArchiMate diagram of the Capability Map viewpoint mapping the core and supporting capabilities of a regional bank”. The tool instantly generates a nested diagram showing core abilities like “Asset Management” or “Credit Scoring,” which can then be color-coded to indicate maturity levels.

2. The Resource Map Viewpoint

The Resource Map viewpoint focuses on the assets owned or controlled by the organization, which are often sources of competitive advantage. Resources can be classified as tangible (financial or physical assets), intangible (technology, reputation, or culture), or human (skills and motivation). This view is critical for planning the allocation of resources to specific capabilities or work packages.

• Stakeholders: Business managers, enterprise architects, and project managers.
• Practical Example: An architect can prompt the AI Diagram Generator to “Generate an ArchiMate diagram of the Resource Map viewpoint illustrating the allocation of human, technological, and financial resources in a software development project”. The resulting model visualizes how specific resources, like “Social Media Apps” or a “Budget,” are assigned to realize strategic outcomes.

3. The Value Stream Viewpoint

A Value Stream models a sequence of activities that create an overall result for a customer, stakeholder, or end-user. Unlike business processes, value streams are always defined from the perspective of the recipient and are typically named using a verb-noun construct in the active tense. This viewpoint often includes cross-mapping, showing how specific enterprise capabilities serve or support different stages of the value-creation process.

• Stakeholders: Business architects and value stream owners.
• Practical Example: An insurance company might model a value stream titled “Acquire Insurance Product”. This stream would consist of stages such as “Develop Products,” “Market and Sell Products,” and “Serve Customers,” with each stage linked to realizing capabilities like “Campaign Management” or “Customer Relation Management”.

Summary of Strategy Viewpoint Intentions

By leveraging Visual Paradigm’s AI capabilities, teams can instantly generate these models from natural language descriptions, ensuring that the ArchiMate 3.2 syntax and notation are perfectly applied while reducing manual drawing time.