Why use Capability Maps?
Business capability maps provide a single, structured view of what the organization does, independent of how it does it. Without them, Salesforce programs often suffer from:
Misalignment between business priorities and Salesforce initiatives.
Fragmented solutions, where different teams optimize processes in silos without seeing dependencies.
Poor communication between executives, architects, and business analysts due to the lack of a shared business view.
By using capability maps in Elements, you create a bridge between business strategy and Salesforce solution design. This ensures every system change is justified by business need, and every process improvement can be traced back to a capability.
When to use Capability Maps?
Capability maps should be used when:
Framing Salesforce programs: before starting major transformation initiatives (Sales, Service, Experience Cloud).
Prioritizing backlog: to link Epics and requirements to business value, not just technical complexity.
Designing architecture: to identify which capabilities require automation, integrations, or new apps.
Communicating with stakeholders: providing executives with a non-technical, outcome-focused view.
Avoid using capability maps when:
Documenting how processes are executed (use Business Process diagrams instead).
Mapping systems or metadata dependencies (use System Architecture or Metadata Dictionary).
Prerequisites
A free Elements workspace
Permission to create and edit diagrams in your workspace
Perform: Build and Use a Capability Map
Step 1: Create a new Capability Map
From the diagram canvas, select Capability Map as your diagram type.
Use the full card shape for high-level business capabilities (e.g., Lead Management, Customer Support).
Use the simplified card for sub-capabilities or when visual clarity is more important than detail.
Learn more about capability map drawing canvas here.
Step 2: Structure your capabilities hierarchically
At the top level, define business capabilities aligned with strategic objectives.
Break them down into sub-capabilities for clarity (e.g., Customer Support → Case Management → Escalation Handling).
Keep the hierarchy stable over time—capabilities rarely change, unlike processes or systems.
Step 3: Drill down into supporting diagrams
Each capability can drill down into more detailed analysis diagrams:
Business Process – show how the capability is executed.
System Architecture – illustrate supporting Salesforce clouds, apps, and integrations.
Customer Journey – align customer experience outcomes with capabilities.
Data Model – identify which Salesforce objects/fields support the capability.
This multi-level drilldown ensures a single source of truth connecting business intent to Salesforce implementation.
Step 4: Link capabilities to Salesforce metadata & requirements
Attach metadata from the Salesforce dictionary (objects, fields, flows) to specific capabilities.
Raise business requirements directly from a capability to ensure traceability from strategy to delivery.
Step 5: Use capability maps in governance & communication
Share maps in steering committee meetings to frame discussions around business outcomes, not technical details.
Use them in backlog prioritization workshops to ensure Epics are ranked by business impact.
Keep them living diagrams—update when new Salesforce initiatives arise, not as a one-off artifact.
✅ Outcome: With capability maps, Salesforce architects and business analysts create a shared strategic view of business needs, directly linked to system architecture, processes, and metadata. This ensures executive alignment, smarter prioritization, and traceable delivery.