Mapping the Academic Capability Model – Aligning Faculties, Programs, and Research Centres to Capabilities and Systems
In higher education, strategy often speaks the language of aspiration: world-class teaching, transformative student experiences, breakthrough research. But when it comes to execution, the conversation quickly shifts to faculties, programs, research centres, and the systems that underpin them.
The bridge between these worlds?
A well-designed Academic Capability Model.
Why Capabilities Matter in Higher Education
In enterprise architecture, capabilities describe what an organisation does—without getting tangled in how or who. For universities and colleges, this means focusing on core academic functions like:
- Curriculum Design
- Student Recruitment & Retention
- Research Project Management
- Industry Partnerships
By mapping these capabilities, you create a shared language that links strategic goals with operational reality—whether that’s enhancing research output, improving graduate employability, or boosting online learning adoption.
From Faculties to Capabilities
Academic structures are traditionally faculty- and program-centric. While this works for governance and accreditation, it often hides capability overlaps or gaps.
For example:
- Two faculties may have separate systems for research grant management, duplicating effort.
- Student wellbeing support may be scattered across departments, making it hard to deliver a consistent experience.
- Digital learning platforms may be fragmented, preventing smooth cross-faculty collaboration.
Mapping capabilities exposes these patterns, showing where consolidation, investment, or innovation is needed.
Connecting Research Centres and Systems
Research centres often sit at the intersection of multiple faculties, partnering with industry and external bodies. An Academic Capability Model helps by:
- Clarifying which capabilities each centre delivers (e.g., data analytics, community engagement)
- Linking those capabilities to the systems that enable them
- Highlighting integration points and opportunities to share infrastructure
When paired with system mapping, this ensures technology investments directly support academic outcomes rather than becoming disconnected IT projects.
The Payoff: Alignment and Agility
A mapped Academic Capability Model gives leadership:
- Clarity – A single view of academic functions across faculties and centres
- Strategic Alignment – Clear line of sight from institutional strategy to operational systems
- Investment Insight – Evidence-based decisions on where to invest, integrate, or innovate
- Agility – The ability to pivot quickly in response to funding changes, student demand, or research priorities
Where to Start
- Define Academic Capabilities – Involve academic leaders, faculty staff, and researchers to capture the breadth of functions.
- Map to Faculties & Centres – Identify who delivers each capability today.
- Link to Systems – Show which platforms, applications, and data sources support each capability.
- Spot Gaps & Overlaps – Prioritise opportunities for consolidation, integration, or enhancement.
Achieve Academic Alignment with Colloquial
Colloquial helps higher education institutions build and visualise Academic Capability Models that drive alignment between faculties, programs, research centres, and the systems that support them—making strategy execution faster, smarter, and more connected.
Ready to take the next step? Let Colloquial help you map your academic capabilities, connect them to your systems, and bring your institutional strategy to life.