Capability Pyramid Framework — Foundation To Differentiator (Infographic)
Best for: explaining which capabilities are table stakes and which ones create advantage Avoid when: capabilities are all equally strategic (a grid fits better) Answers: what must exist before higher-level capabilities can be built
infographic list-pyramid-badge-card
theme
colorPrimary #2b66c4
palette
- #2b66c4
- #2f9e44
- #f3a33c
- #d1242f
- #7048e8
- #0f9b9b
- #c16f8a
- #7c5a3d
data
title Deliverability Capabilities
desc Foundation at the base, differentiators at the top
lists
- label Differentiators
desc Real-time routing intelligence
- label Advantages
desc Multi-region failover
- label Enablers
desc Unified event pipeline
- label Foundation
desc Identity and access controlData Shape
lists in top-down order: top item is the narrow apex. Each label names a tier, desc names the
representative capability. Four tiers is the sweet spot.
Key Options
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
infographic list-pyramid-badge-card |
Badge tiers, reads as a stack of levels |
list-pyramid-rounded-rect-node |
Flat nodes; useful for printed one-pagers |
list-pyramid-compact-card |
Tighter cards when tier names are long |
Pitfalls
- ❌ Tiers that overlap ("Platform", "Core") → ✅ tiers should imply build order
- ❌ More than one capability per tier → ✅ pick the most representative; lists belong in a grid
- ❌ Using this for prioritisation → ✅ a pyramid shows dependency, a quadrant shows priority
Alternatives
| Variant | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Capability ownership by team | department-capability-tree.md |
| Capability relationships between systems | capability-relationship-map.md |
| Maturity over time | reliability-maturity-ladder.md |