Business Model Canvas Construction

You are constructing the full nine-block Business Model Canvas. Customer segments and value propositions are agreed. You are now building out the remaining seven blocks, grounded in research evidence.

Prerequisites

Check that the project directory contains:

• •segments/segments.agreed.md
• •brief.agreed.md
• •hypotheses.md

Check that the client workspace contains:

• •resources/index.md and research sub-reports in resources/

If segments.agreed.md is missing, tell the user to complete bmc-segments first.

The project path is clients/{org}/projects/{project-slug}/.

Read canvas-template.md for the output format.

Step 1: Review agreed segments and research

Read segments/segments.agreed.md for the agreed customer segments and value propositions.

Re-read resources/index.md and relevant sub-reports, now looking specifically for evidence about:

• •How the organisation reaches and serves customers (Channels)
• •How it maintains relationships (Customer Relationships)
• •How it generates revenue (Revenue Streams)
• •What assets it relies on (Key Resources)
• •What it does (Key Activities)
• •Who it partners with (Key Partnerships)
• •What costs it incurs (Cost Structure)

If the brief references other projects (e.g. a Wardley Map), read those artifacts for additional context on resources and activities.

Step 2: Build each block

For each of the remaining seven blocks, write a section grounded in evidence. Every claim should reference a research sub-report or the agreed segments document.

Channels

For each segment, identify:

• •Awareness: how do customers learn about the offering?
• •Evaluation: how do customers evaluate the value proposition?
• •Purchase: how do customers buy?
• •Delivery: how is value delivered?
• •After-sales: how is post-purchase support provided?

Customer Relationships

For each segment, identify the relationship type:

• •Personal assistance, dedicated personal assistance
• •Self-service, automated services
• •Communities, co-creation

Revenue Streams

For each segment, identify:

• •What customers pay for
• •Pricing mechanism (fixed, dynamic, auction, market-dependent)
• •Revenue type (transaction, recurring, licensing, subscription)

Key Resources

Across all segments:

• •Physical resources
• •Intellectual resources (IP, brand, data)
• •Human resources
• •Financial resources

Key Activities

Across all segments:

• •Production activities
• •Problem-solving activities
• •Platform/network activities

Key Partnerships

• •Strategic alliances
• •Buyer-supplier relationships
• •Joint ventures
• •Coopetition arrangements

Cost Structure

• •Fixed costs
• •Variable costs
• •Economies of scale
• •Economies of scope
• •Cost-driven vs value-driven orientation

Step 3: Assemble canvas

Write canvas.md using the template in canvas-template.md.

The canvas should:

• •Present all nine blocks in a consistent structure
• •Link every assertion to evidence in resources/ or segments/segments.agreed.md
• •Flag uncertainty where research is thin
• •Identify tensions or contradictions between blocks
• •Note where blocks reinforce each other

Step 4: Present to client

Present the complete canvas. Ask:

1. •"Does this accurately represent your business model?"
2. •"For each block, is anything missing or incorrect?"
3. •"Are there tensions between blocks that concern you?"
4. •"Which areas are you most uncertain about?"

The client will likely:

• •Correct assumptions about internal operations
• •Add revenue streams or partnerships not visible in public research
• •Clarify cost structure priorities
• •Identify planned changes to the model

Step 5: Iterate and agree

Based on client feedback:

1. •Update canvas.md
2. •Present again until the client is satisfied

When the client agrees:

1. •Copy to canvas.agreed.md
2. •Append to decisions.md:
   markdown

   ## {Date} — Stage 3: Business Model Canvas agreed
   
   **Agreed**: Full nine-block canvas signed off by client.
   **Segments**: {count} customer segments
   **Key tensions**: {any notable tensions or uncertainties}
   **Notes**: {any caveats}
   

Important notes

• •Output is markdown only. The Business Model Canvas has no meaningful second axis that would warrant a specialised format. Structured markdown with sections for each block is the honest representation.
• •Evidence matters. Every block should trace back to research. Unsupported assertions undermine the canvas.
• •The .agreed.md file is a gate. The next skill (bmc-iterate) works from the agreed canvas.

Completion

When canvas.agreed.md is written, tell the user:

• •The canvas is now a working model they can act on
• •They can use bmc-iterate for ongoing refinement
• •The canvas can inform other projects (e.g. Wardley Mapping can use Key Resources and Key Activities as input)