Large operators unite to map capabilities for the industry

The race to innovate and please customers in our ever-evolving digital environment may mean that communications service providers’ (CSPs’) focus can often become consumed in getting brand new products and services out there without taking into consideration whether they have the means, capacity and technology to even do so. A new TM Forum initiative is aiming to change that.

As companies plan their growth strategy, to increase the potential for success it’s important for CSPs to build upon core capabilities of their businesses – more so the capabilities entrenched inside their businesses that are difficult to imitate.

A new TM Forum collaborative initiative called the Business Capability Map (part of the Forum’s Business Architecture) enables firms to take a step back and get a clear focus on the business outcomes they want and holistically assess what they can actually do as a business, before embedding their decision and findings into the strategy and eventual delivery.

While operators are at different stages of their digital transformation journeys, many recognize that the same underlying business capabilities exist. Collaborators BT, Deutsche Telekom, Verizon, Vidéotron and Vodafone spent some time over the past year sharing their own capability maps –including meeting at TM Forum’s Action Week in February this year. The result is collaboration on a single, harmonized version.

This means that the industry has captured the capabilities that exist today or that will be needed in the future, creating a framework to help solve a number of business challenges, including:

• Ensuring that business growth strategies build upon core capabilities


• Identifying where investment in future capabilities is required


• Demystifying future growth strategy by focusing on gap capabilities


• Providing a framework that is ‘business first’


• Providing the framework for improved communications and effective working between business and technology leaders

Realizing value

The Value Stream Mapping activities that accompany the Capability Map meanwhile helps initially to design and validate the proof of value, and of how value will be realized to the customer.

“In today’s rapidly changing environment, a business outcome-based approach to any IT change/transformation is critical to unlocking true business value,” explains Josie Smith, IT Architecture Director, BT. “BT has been championing this approach across its organization to drive a new platform-based architecture that also utilizes the TM Forum’s Open API framework.”

Smith added that BT believes that business capability-based planning helps to link business strategy with execution in a way that translates business outcomes to people, processes and technological change, helpfully using a single glossary and language for a unified clarity.

Joann O’Brien, TM Forum’s Vice President, 5G Digital Ecosystems, asserts that as well as the holistic ‘outside-in’ approach, a key perspective in this methodology is that of being business driven.

“The Business Capability Map and Value Stream Mapping activities of TM Forum captured in the Business Architecture Framework, provide essential, foundational tools to accelerate diversification and strategic growth planning,” she adds.

In terms of benefits, Pierre Bonin Chief Information Officer, Videotron, is able to share some tangible results:

“We knew we had the right approach when the Quebecor Internal Audit team (Videotron’s media holding company) used the Business Capability Map to help scope their audit initiatives,” he says. “They were capable of defining their scope and the IT systems impacted in just a couple of sessions. Prior to using the map, it would have taken weeks just to define the scope and impacted IT systems.”

Watch the video below where Tony Sheperd, Principal Business Architect, BT lauds the virtues of TM Forum's business outcomes based approach to digital strategy:

Interested in contributing to this ongoing initiative? Contact Joann O’Brien.