Towards a Framework for Shaping & Forming Enterprise Capabilities

Part 4: Reviews and Analyses of Modeling MethodsInternational audienceIn this era of rapid change and major technology-enabled transformations, information systems design needs to take into account the specific context of the organizational setting and the strategic direction of the enterprise. To this end, researchers and practitioners have built on the concept of capability to analyze what a business can and should do to manage its strategic trajectories. This paper describes four categories of modeling and analysis requirements to deal with capability formation. The requirements are identified through a review of the origins of the capability concept in the strategic management literature. A set of guidelines is proposed as part of a modeling framework based on the i* language. Enterprise Capabilities are modeled as a specialized type of intentional actor so that their socio-technical characteristics can be specified and analyzed. This approach to modeling capabilities enables reasoning about (1) why a capability is needed, (2) how it is achieved, (3) how it fits within the organizational and social setting of the enterprise, and (4) what relationships are required for its success. The applicability of the guidelines and associated viewpoints are demonstrated on a chatbot example