I think the Business Model Canvas, crafted by Alexander Osterwalder, is a highly effective tool. It condenses crucial business elements onto a single page, including customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partnerships, and cost structure. Its simplicity fosters collaborative discussions, offering a comprehensive snapshot of the business. In my opinion, this visual framework is invaluable for strategic planning, innovation, and making informed decisions.

Back in 2018, I discovered Alexander Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas, which gave me the much-needed clarity. It segmented the entire business into nine building blocks, all interconnected and interdependent. These are customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partnerships, and cost structure. It helped us diagnose the root issues and the changes required in our business for further growth. This one-page canvas also became a common business language, making it easier to communicate and collaborate with other decision makers.

The BMC indeed serves as a comprehensive framework for mapping out the intricate aspects of a business model. Its real strength lies in fostering a holistic view, ensuring that key components are not siloed but rather seen as interdependent. This interconnectedness is crucial when generating scenarios, as it allows for a nuanced understanding of how changes in one area, like customer segments or pricing strategies, ripple through the entire model. However, the BMC's broad strokes can sometimes gloss over the subtleties of market dynamics and internal capabilities. It's essential to complement it with deep market analysis and an honest appraisal of the organization's competencies.

The Business Model Canvas by Strategyzer is a great tool, but I also love the simplicity of the business model navigator by St.Gallen visualization. In addition, I often miss the sustainability part, f.e. what are the costs and benefits for the environment. This can also be integrated in the Costs and Value Proposition part of the Business Model Canvas by Strategyzer. After working for many years now with the Business Model Canvas of Strategyzer, we developed a new Business Model Template in my current company, which is the mix of the versions mentioned above.

Business Model Canvas: Visual framework to outline key components of a business. SWOT Analysis: Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Scenario Planning: Analyzing potential future situations and their implications. Value Proposition Canvas: Focused on understanding customer needs and value creation. Porter's Five Forces: Analyzing industry competition and dynamics. McKinsey 7S Framework: Assessing organizational effectiveness and alignment. PESTLE Analysis: Examining external factors - Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental. Ansoff Matrix: Strategy tool for growth by market and product diversification. Risk Matrix: Evaluating and prioritizing potential risks and uncertainties.

This can sometimes lead to an overemphasis on external factors, potentially overshadowing internal capabilities and adaptability. While it's crucial to anticipate market shifts and technological changes, there's a risk of becoming too speculative or detached from current operational realities. The key is to balance foresight with actionable strategies, ensuring that scenarios remain grounded in the organization's core competencies and realistic execution capabilities. This approach not only prepares a business for future challenges but also strengthens its present-day resilience and agility.

I think Scenario Planning is a crucial strategic tool that envisions diverse future scenarios, allowing organizations to anticipate challenges and opportunities effectively. By embracing a proactive and adaptive approach, businesses can prepare for uncertainties, make informed decisions, and enhance their overall strategic resilience in the long term.

If time allows, it can be helpful to add an Unknown Unknown scenario which describes a scenario of something you are not expecting (Black Swan) or which has a very low probability as a stress case.

An important aspect when thinking future scenarios is considering the systemic impacts of each future element. Considering, for instance, flying cars, must take into account the security impacts and how this would shape this "future world". Also, how would roads work? Or wouldn't they exist anymore? In this case, what's the impact on street stores? How would society adapt and evolve? Also, what sort of technologies, legislations, economics would need to take place before that future technology come to live? And what would be the derived technologies and business originated from such this change? All this interlinked questions must be connected when thinking the future. It's not just a trivial job. ;-)

The Scenario Planning is a good method if you are searching for new business opportunites in the field of "revolution" or "explore", meaning you have a greenfield approach. Therefore the foresight methodology where trends, f.e. tech trends, consumer trends, retail trends, household trends etc. is useful. The other path is to analyze the business model status quo with a stress test to identify key challenges and chances and then further develop the current business model in a focussed and strctured way (evolution, exploit).

While they provide a starting point, the real challenge lies in adapting these patterns to the unique context of your business. The risk is in adopting a pattern too rigidly, leading to a lack of differentiation in the market. Successful implementation demands a deep understanding of your customer base and competitive landscape. It's crucial to blend these patterns with original, context-specific insights to create a truly competitive and sustainable business model. This approach ensures that while you leverage proven strategies, you also maintain a distinct market position.

I think business model patterns are invaluable frameworks that offer proven structures observed in successful business models. By studying these patterns, organizations can gain insights into effective strategies, reducing risks and increasing the likelihood of success. These established blueprints, such as the subscription model or freemium model, provide a foundation for creating, delivering, and capturing value that can be adapted to specific industries and markets. Leveraging business model patterns can enhance strategic planning and contribute to the development of more robust and successful business models.

Bizz model patterns are a huge help during the exploration phase. I've been using AI to enhance the process by selecting a specific number of patterns suitable for the context and quickly generating multiple variations of these patterns. I then place these BMC's in platforms like Miro for discussions. Next thing, I’ll be looking into will be 'mash-up patterns'—for example, combining 'Software-as-a-Service' with 'lock-in.' This might lead to some interesting business concepts :-) The patterns could also be use for competitor analysis – in your specific context/domain, are competitors using the same patterns? And which other pattern might yield an advantage?

Business Model Pattern are a key tool to be able to get out of the used thinking patterns. In all business model innovation workshops, the business model pattern enable new thinking ways. I can recommend on checking the business model pattern by Business Model Navigator (St. Gallen) and also the pattern in the Invincible Company (Strategyzer). I used them for several years now and based on that I developed a long list of pattern where I select just a few for a specific project.

The environment is crucial for understanding external influences, yet it risks oversimplification. In dynamic markets, the interplay between these domains is often nonlinear and unpredictable. For instance, technological advancements can reshape market needs faster than anticipated, rendering some scenarios obsolete. A critical approach involves not just identifying these forces but deeply analyzing their interconnectedness and potential for disruptive change. This requires a continuous, adaptive process rather than a static, one-time analysis, ensuring that strategies remain relevant in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

The "Stress Test" based on external pressure on the business model is an important step while developing a business model. BUT it is also important to derive therof the key challenges and key chances. Therefore it is important to look at the value chain of the business model and critical success factors in the value chain for the business.

While adept at balancing risk and return, can oversimplify the complex dynamics of multiple business models. Its matrix structure, categorizing into core, growth, innovation, or exploration, risks pigeonholing dynamic models that might straddle categories or evolve rapidly. A critical approach would involve a more nuanced analysis of interdependencies and potential synergies between models. It's essential to recognize that this tool, while useful for high-level strategizing, may not capture the subtleties and real-time shifts in a fast-paced business environment. Regular reassessment and flexibility in categorization are key to leveraging its full potential.

Looking at a portfolio of business models, I can recommend to take a look at the portfolio matrix of Strategyzer in the book "Invincible company". It divides the portfolio in two buckets: explore and exploit. Within those you can use the portfolio map to evaluate and visualize the portfolio, which is a great base as a decision base within management meetings.

I would also recommend reading 'Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup' by Bill Aulet along with the Business Model Canvas. It will equip you with the fundamentals of business and give you absolute clarity on building a business from scratch.

In my work as a Strategy Consultant, I use Intuitive Business Design. This innovative tool plays a pivotal role in generating and organizing business model scenarios. Intuitive Business Design enhances traditional strategical methods by integrating intuitive insights, allowing businesses to explore innovative solutions and adapt quickly to changing market conditions. Companies can better understand customer needs, foresee market trends, and develop flexible strategies that might not be immediately evident through conventional data analysis. This tool encourages a more empathetic and forward-thinking mindset, crucial for staying competitive in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

Business Model Design (Business Model Canvas) by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur has been the leading business modeling framework for years now. It is very helpful, especially when it comes to modeling new businesses and business portfolios. For many established companies and startups alike the Blue Ocean Strategy, created by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne is suitable for finding a positioning that stands out from the competition. Not to forget Roger Martin's clear and guiding framework "Playing to win" that distinguishes strategical aspects according the questions "Where to play" and "How to win".

It's important to keep in mind that BMC is not the only business modelling tool. Not even the best. It's, yes, widespread used, but it is far from being the best choice. I always suggest my students to explore alternative tools that gives them better conditions to do their analysis and decisions.

Neben den hier beschrieben Business Modell Canvas gilt es auch das DVC Framework zu erwähnen. Eine Art Canvas speziell für digitale Geschäftsmodelle und deren Besonderheiten. Aufbauend auf den Überlegungen des DVC Ansatzes, basiert ein digitales Geschäftsmodell aus sechs Elementen. 1. Plattform 2. Leistung 3. Gegenleistung (oder auch Gratifikation genannt) 4. Performancegruppe 5. Schnittstelle 6. Transaktion