Map capabilities

Skill: map-capabilities

Translate a committed bet into a structured Capability Map — so the team knows exactly what capabilities the initiative implies, which to build versus buy/partner/adopt, and in what order to build them.

When to invoke

Confirm scope is initiative or capability level, not a single feature or endpoint. If clearly feature-scoped, name the altitude mismatch and redirect to frame-intent. If altitude is genuinely ambiguous, ask.

Procedure

1. Intake. Resolve output_dir via the three-tier config procedure (repo-scope agentbundle-layout.toml [product] → user-scope → two-branch elicitation). Realpath-expand; reject .. escapes and symlink chains that exit the intended root. Resolve slug from the active shaping queue entry; surface multiple candidates if they exist; ask when none; never mint.

Check <output_dir>/shaping/<slug>/bet.md. If found: surface option, appetite, and rationale as elicitation context. If absent: offer place-bet first; if the PE declines, proceed on free-form vision — note "reduced traceability" in the artifact frontmatter.

Check <output_dir>/shaping/<slug>/situation-framing.md. If found: carry its Wardley capability assessments as pre-assessed entries. If absent: proceed on bet — "proceed on bet" is the branch taken.

2. Vision. Elicit or confirm product vision (1–2 sentences naming the outcome the initiative pursues). Record in capability-map.md frontmatter under vision.

3. Domains and capabilities. Propose candidate L1 domains derived from the bet and vision; confirm with PE. When the bet is underdetermined, elicit more context first. When elicitation yields zero capability areas after confirmation, surface this and ask PE to expand scope — do not emit an empty artifact.

For each domain, elicit capabilities one at a time. Each entry has seven fields: id (kebab-case stable slug), name, description (one sentence), Wardley stage, strategic criticality, disposition, and dependencies (other capability ids, or empty).

Wardley stages: Genesis (novel/uncertain; explore); Custom-built (hand-crafted; invest to differentiate); Product (standardised solutions exist; buy/adopt unless differentiating); Commodity (utility; competing here is waste).

Strategic criticality: Differentiating (competitive advantage; prioritise Build); Parity (table stakes; match market, don't over-invest); Utility (overhead; minimise cost).

Disposition: Build (own full lifecycle; core to differentiation); Buy (commercial licence; standard function); Partner (co-developed; shared governance); Adopt (OSS/open-standard; no licence cost; carries maintenance obligation).

Default depth: L1. Elicit L2 only when the bet explicitly scopes a capability area.

After all entries: scan for Commodity + Differentiating pairs — surface each as a "strategic tension", describe the mismatch, and require PE acknowledgement before finalising that entry.

4. Build sequence. Collect Build-disposition capabilities. Order dependency-first, then Wardley-informed (Genesis/Differentiating first; blockers before dependents). Mark the section "recommendation not mandate". Non-Build capabilities appear in domain tables only — their disposition is the action (buy / partner / adopt), not a build task.

5. Emit. Write <output_dir>/shaping/<slug>/capability-map.md using assets/capability-map-template.md. Surface the resolved absolute path before writing; confirm before overwriting an existing file. Append "Next step readiness" when lean-canvas / author-brief is not detected in available skills.

6. Suggest workspace.toml transition. Print the TOML snippet to transition the slug. Direct PE to capture-work or manual edit. Do not write to workspace.toml.

Anti-patterns to refuse

• Never use for a single feature — redirect to frame-intent.
• Never write to workspace.toml or a literal hardcoded path.
• Never mint a new slug.
• Never include Buy / Partner / Adopt capabilities in the suggested build sequence.
• Never fabricate domains from thin input — elicit more context first.
• Never produce a brief (lean-canvas / author-brief owns that hand-off).