Established

Established capability has been used repeatedly in practice, with well-understood preconditions, limitations and operational requirements. There is clear evidence of use, defined routes to engagement, and a realistic pathway for adoption or reuse where relevant conditions are met.

Listings at this stage provide sufficient information to support confident decision-making, including expectations around support, ownership boundaries and response. Established capability is suitable for reuse or adoption but still requires contextual judgement rather than automatic transfer.

Emerging

Emerging capability has been implemented and used in practice in specific, defined contexts. There is some evidence of value, learning from use, and a clearer understanding of where the capability is appropriate and where it is not.

At this stage, constraints, preconditions and dependencies should be clearly articulated, enabling users to judge whether the capability could be applicable in their own setting. Emerging capability may be suitable for reuse or extension in similar contexts but still requires careful assessment rather than straightforward adoption.

Exploratory

Exploratory capability represents early-stage activity with a clearly articulated intent, but limited real-world implementation. It may include concepts, prototypes, or approaches that are still being tested, refined or scoped, and where learning is actively underway.

Listings at this stage are expected to be explicit about what is not yet known, including limitations, dependencies and areas of uncertainty. Exploratory capability may be appropriate for learning, collaboration, piloting or shaping future investment, but is not positioned as adoption-ready beyond defined experimental contexts.