npbuilds Capability Radar — The Opportunity Gap Map
The most common product failure for intelligence systems isn't building the wrong thing — it's failing to surface what the system already knows how to do.
The capability radar maps three zones:
- Surfaced — Capabilities actively exposed as products. Users interact with these.
- Latent — Capabilities the system has but hasn't exposed. The hidden inventory.
- Emerging — Capabilities that are 60-80% there, not yet reliable enough to surface.
The gap between Surfaced and Latent is the immediate opportunity space — no new building required, just exposure decisions. The gap between Latent and Emerging is the cultivation space — capabilities worth investing in.
Scanning Process
Step 1 — Inventory Surfaced Capabilities
Read loom-briefings/initiative-log.md for initiatives in surfaced, evolving, or mature states. These are the capabilities currently meeting the world.
Step 2 — Map Latent Capabilities
Read data/registry.json and scan domain orchestrators for:
- High-maturity domains not involved in any surfaced initiative → latent capability
- Cross-domain combinations never tested → latent synthesis
- Skills with high auto_score but zero usage (read
data/usage.jsonl) → hidden power - Domain orchestrators with mature sub-skills that haven't been engaged by The Loom → untapped threads
For each domain orchestrator, assess:
| Domain | Maturity | Surfaced In Products? | Latent Capability |
|---|---|---|---|
| {domain} | {mature/growth/emerging} | {yes: which / no} | {what it could contribute} |
Step 3 — Identify Emerging Capabilities
Consult neocortex/architecture (skill-cartographer, growth-architect) for:
- Domains under active development
- Skills recently added or upgraded
- Gap areas being actively filled
Cross-reference with frontier-antenna output for capabilities that frontier developments have just made possible.
Step 4 — Produce the Radar
=== CAPABILITY RADAR — {date} ===
--- SURFACED (actively exposed) ---
{capability}: via {initiative/product} — state: {evolving/mature}
{capability}: via {initiative/product} — state: {evolving/mature}
--- LATENT (ready but unexposed) ---
{capability}: from {domain(s)} — readiness: {high/medium}
Why unexposed: {no initiative / no surface form / no demand signal}
Opportunity: {what product could this enable}
{capability}: from {domain(s)} — readiness: {high/medium}
Why unexposed: ...
Opportunity: ...
--- EMERGING (60-80% ready) ---
{capability}: from {domain(s)} — needs: {what's missing}
Timeline: {when it could be ready}
Blocking: {specific skills or capabilities needed}
--- OPPORTUNITY GAPS ---
Top 3 highest-value latent capabilities:
1. {capability} — value: {why}, readiness: {assessment}
2. {capability} — value: {why}, readiness: {assessment}
3. {capability} — value: {why}, readiness: {assessment}
--- SYNTHESIS OPPORTUNITIES ---
Cross-domain combinations never tested:
- {domain A} × {domain B}: potential for {what}
- {domain A} × {domain C}: potential for {what}
Connection to The Loom Cycle
The capability radar feeds:
- Envision (possibility-mapper) — the radar IS the raw input for possibility mapping
- Surface (exposure-strategist) — latent capabilities ready for exposure decisions
- Synthesize (pattern-weaver) — radar trends over time reveal meta-patterns
When to Run
- Weekly as part of the product synthesis cycle
- On demand when The Loom is evaluating a new product idea (does the capability already exist?)
- After frontier shifts when frontier-antenna identifies an unlock or commoditization