HCD Capability and Maturity Model
What is this resource?
The Human-Centred Design Capability Model provides a structured view of the capabilities required to design, deliver and continuously improve human-centred services across the organisation.
The model organises capabilities into domains, capability groups and detailed capabilities to support a consistent understanding of how HCD practices contribute to strategic outcomes, service improvement and organisational maturity. It is intended to help teams assess current capability strength, identify gaps, prioritise uplift activity and support investment and workforce planning over time.
The resource also introduces capability maturity, uplift priority and AI targeting indicators to help guide decisions about where effort, enablement and innovation opportunities may deliver the greatest value.
How this resource is intended to be used
This resource is intended to support strategic planning, capability assessment and transformation decision-making across teams, programs and business areas.
It can be used to:
- Assess current HCD capability maturity across the organisation
- Identify capability gaps, duplication or areas of dependency
- Prioritise capability uplift initiatives and investment decisions
- Support workforce planning, role definition and capability development
- Align HCD capability planning to strategic priorities and transformation outcomes
- Identify opportunities where AI may augment, accelerate or support specific HCD activities
- Create a shared language for discussing design capability across business, delivery and leadership teams
- Inform roadmap planning for future operating models, tools and ways of working
The model is not intended to be used as a rigid compliance framework or maturity scorecard in isolation. Its value comes from supporting informed discussion about how design capability contributes to better organisational and human outcomes, and where capability uplift is most likely to improve delivery effectiveness, service quality and long-term adaptability.
