By [Your Name]
Introduction
Have you ever sat in a meeting wondering why so much potential in your team is going unnoticed? Or perhaps you’ve been part of an organization where the skills data exists but is so scattered, outdated, or irrelevant that no one uses it?
That’s exactly the kind of experience that led me to start working on CapabiliSense—a platform born out of real-world frustration, curiosity, and a genuine desire to unlock the hidden strengths within teams and organizations.
In this article, I’ll walk you through:
- Why I’m building CapabiliSense
- What problems it’s solving
- Who it’s for
- A bit about my journey
- And how you can start thinking differently about capability intelligence
Let’s dive in.
The Problem: Organizations Don’t Really Know What They Know
We live in a world where technology can detect faces, understand speech, and drive cars—yet somehow, organizations still struggle to answer one basic question:
“What are our people truly capable of?”
It might sound simple, but in reality, this question reveals a major blind spot in modern organizations.
Here are just a few situations that make this painfully clear:
- Teams repeatedly hire consultants for skills they already have in-house (but didn’t know about)
- Internal mobility is stunted because no one knows what skills exist beyond job titles
- Talent gets misallocated due to outdated or vague HR data
- L&D (Learning and Development) initiatives feel like guesswork rather than targeted investment
We’ve spent decades building systems for payroll, attendance, and project tracking—but when it comes to capabilities, things are still mostly done through spreadsheets, surveys, or gut feeling.
And that’s not good enough anymore.
A Personal Anecdote: The Seed for CapabiliSense
A few years ago, I was working with a fast-growing tech company. The pace was intense. The team had ballooned from 30 to 150 people in under a year. One day, a project came in that required niche skills in data visualization and product storytelling.
Leadership immediately started looking outside. Agencies. Freelancers. You name it.
But guess what? Two people—both full-time employees—had those exact skills. One had done amazing Tableau work at a previous job, and the other had published multiple interactive data stories on Medium.
No one knew. Not their managers. Not HR. Not even each other.
That hit me hard.
It was a perfect example of how capabilities—real, practical, often hidden—are underutilized just because they’re invisible in traditional systems.
That’s when I realized: we need better tools to map, surface, and activate these capabilities.
What Is CapabiliSense?
So what exactly is CapabiliSense?
At its core, CapabiliSense is a platform designed to help organizations:
- Map individual and team capabilities
- Understand skill gaps and overlaps
- Visualize organizational intelligence
- Enable smarter talent deployment and planning
Think of it as LinkedIn meets real-time skills intelligence, but designed not for resumes or recruiting—rather, for internal visibility, collaboration, and growth.
It’s not about job titles. It’s about capability signals—the nuanced, often informal data about what people can do, want to do, and have done—across projects, roles, and interests.
Why Medium? Why Now?
You might be wondering, “Why write about this on Medium?”
Well, a few reasons:
1. Build in public
One of my core values is transparency. I want to share the journey of building CapabiliSense—the decisions, the pivots, the lessons—because others might be walking a similar path. Medium gives me that space.
2. Reach thinkers, not just buyers
This isn’t just a product. It’s a movement toward better ways of understanding people at work. Medium has an audience of thoughtful leaders, designers, builders, and technologists—exactly the kind of people who resonate with that mission.
3. Learn through writing
Every time I write, I clarify my thinking. Medium forces me to explain CapabiliSense not in corporate lingo, but in plain, human words. If I can’t explain it simply, I’m not ready to build it.
The Building Blocks: What Goes Into CapabiliSense
Let’s get into the nuts and bolts. CapabiliSense isn’t built overnight. It’s a multi-layered system with several critical components.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
Step 1: Capture Capability Signals
Capabilities are everywhere—but they’re not always labeled. We start by collecting capability signals from various sources:
- Past project contributions
- Peer endorsements
- Skill self-assessments
- Manager feedback
- Learning journeys
These signals are the raw ingredients.
Step 2: Normalize and Tag Skills Data
Using natural language processing (NLP) and taxonomy models, we normalize the data and map it to a structured capabilities taxonomy. Think of it like turning messy skill names (“React”, “frontend stuff”, “UI work”) into meaningful categories.
This forms the backbone of capability mapping.
Step 3: Build a Capability Graph
Imagine being able to see how one team’s strengths complement another’s. Or how a department’s skillset has shifted over time.
CapabiliSense builds a capability graph—a visual and searchable map of how skills and people connect across the organization.
Step 4: Make It Actionable
The end goal isn’t just a pretty dashboard. It’s actionable intelligence.
- Managers get visibility into talent for upcoming projects
- HR teams can spot skill gaps before they become blockers
- Employees can explore growth paths based on their existing strengths
Who It’s For
While we’re still shaping our ideal customer profile, here are the primary groups who can benefit from CapabiliSense:
- People Operations / HR leaders looking for better workforce visibility
- Team managers wanting to allocate the right people to the right projects
- L&D professionals trying to personalize upskilling pathways
- Organizational designers building future-proof operating models
- Employees who want their skills and growth aspirations to be seen and acted on
In short, anyone trying to understand and activate human potential at scale.
Why Now? The Market Shift
Let’s be honest—skills intelligence, capability platforms, and talent visibility tools aren’t new ideas. But what’s changed is urgency.
Here’s why the timing is right:
- Remote and hybrid work has fragmented visibility into teams
- AI automation is reshaping what skills are valuable—and fast
- Talent mobility is becoming a competitive advantage, not a perk
- Employees expect growth and recognition, not just roles
Organizations that invest in capability intelligence today are setting themselves up to be more adaptive, inclusive, and resilient tomorrow.
Challenges We’re Navigating
Building something meaningful never comes without challenges. Here are a few we’re navigating:
- Data sensitivity – People are (rightfully) cautious about how their skills are represented. We’re building with privacy and consent at the core.
- Bias in visibility – We want to ensure that extroverted or vocal employees don’t overshadow quieter talent who have deep expertise.
- Dynamic skills – Capabilities aren’t static. We’re designing for change, not just snapshots.
If we get this right, CapabiliSense becomes not just a tool—but a philosophy shift.
Final Thoughts: This Is Bigger Than a Product
CapabiliSense isn’t just about making companies more efficient. It’s about making work more human.
I’m building this because I’ve seen brilliant people overlooked, underused, or burned out—not because they lacked ability, but because the systems couldn’t see them.
We have the technology. We have the data. What we need is the will to rethink how we understand and value human capability.
So, if this resonates with you—whether you’re in HR, tech, leadership, or just passionate about people—I’d love for you to follow along on this journey.
