Operating Model Canvas & Diagnostic
Advisory Services
Clarity before change. Confidence in what comes next.
dForce provides operating model advisory services for UK finance, operations and professional services teams. We use the Operating Model Canvas and an evidence-led Operating Model Diagnostic to map how work gets done, identify bottlenecks and control gaps, and agree responsibilities, priorities and requirements for change.
Whether you are improving existing processes or planning change across Salesforce, Certinia, Sage Intacct and connected applications, we start with the business need. Structured workshops and supporting evidence help your team decide what to retain, improve or change before committing to a technology response.
See the whole model. Test the evidence.
Plan for stability and growth.
The Operating Model Canvas (OMC) creates a shared, high-level view of the processes, people, information, locations, suppliers and management practices behind your service. The Operating Model Diagnostic (OMD) examines how that model works in practice: the evidence, risks, operating rules and decisions needed to improve it.
Operating Model Canvas
A shared view of how your business delivers value.
We map the current operating model and the changes needed to deliver your chosen value proposition. The Canvas gives leaders and teams a common reference for discussing processes, responsibilities, dependencies and the target way of working.
What the Operating Model Canvas covers
- ✓Clarify the value proposition and the processes that deliver it.
- ✓Connect organisation, responsibilities, locations and suppliers.
- ✓Understand information, reporting and management systems.
- ✓Align stakeholders around the current and target operating model.
For background on the approach, explore the Operating Model Canvas framework and its operating model resources.
Operating Model Diagnostic
The evidence and decisions behind the model.
We examine representative processes, records, reports and exceptions with the people who do the work. Findings are recorded as confirmed practice, required changes, decisions, gaps or matters outside scope, with clear owners and next steps.
What the Operating Model Diagnostic examines
- ✓Establish the current state, supporting evidence and operational risks.
- ✓Define target operating rules, owners and exception handling.
- ✓Agree controls, measures and system or data implications.
- ✓Record what is confirmed, needs change, requires a decision, represents a gap or sits outside scope.
From a shared picture to an agreed way of working.
The Canvas provides the visual model. The Diagnostic supplies the workshop evidence. Together, they inform agreed operating rules and the requirements that shape the technology response — so solution design follows business decisions, not the other way around.
Better decisions. Clearer priorities. Accountable change.
Whether you are growing, improving performance or preparing for transformation, the focus is on practical choices and the outcomes they need to support.
Align the business
Build a common understanding across leadership and delivery teams. Connect strategic objectives with everyday processes, responsibilities and measures of success.
Focus the effort
Identify bottlenecks, duplication and gaps in control. Prioritise improvement around business impact, risk, dependencies and the capacity to deliver change.
Make change actionable
Translate findings into owned decisions and a practical roadmap. Make the process, information and technology implications explicit before implementation begins.
Advice that connects to what happens next.
The review is a starting point, not the destination. We help you carry agreed priorities into solution design, application architecture and implementation and integration, with a clear link between the business need, the decisions made and the outcomes you want to achieve.
Common questions
Operating model advisory: your questions answered.
What is operating model advisory?
Operating model advisory helps a business define how it will deliver its strategy through processes, people, responsibilities, information and management practices. dForce uses it to connect business priorities with practical operating decisions and the requirements for any supporting technology change.
What is the Operating Model Canvas?
The Operating Model Canvas is a high-level framework for describing how an organisation delivers its value proposition. It brings together processes, organisation, locations, information, suppliers and management systems. dForce uses the Canvas as a shared reference for discussing the current position, dependencies and the target way of working.
What does the Operating Model Diagnostic add?
In dForce advisory work, the Operating Model Diagnostic examines the evidence behind the model: how processes operate, where exceptions occur, who makes decisions and which controls or data need attention. It turns workshop findings into explicit operating rules, responsibilities, decisions and actions that can inform design and delivery.
When should we review our operating model?
A review is useful when growth, new services, repeated manual work, inconsistent hand-offs or unclear ownership make day-to-day operations harder to manage. It can also help before an ERP, PSA or CRM programme, so the business agrees how it needs to operate before configuring the systems that will support it.
What outputs will we receive?
The outputs are agreed for the engagement. They can include:
- A current and target operating model with key dependencies.
- Evidence-backed findings, gaps and operational risks.
- Operating rules, decision owners and exception handling requirements.
- Prioritised actions and measures of success.
- Process, data and system requirements to take into solution design or delivery.
We agree who will review and accept the outputs, the level of detail required and how unresolved decisions will be recorded.
Does advisory mean we need to replace our systems?
No. The review can identify changes to processes, responsibilities, data or existing configuration as well as requirements for different technology. We assess what to retain, improve, connect or replace. The proposed response should follow the business need and the evidence gathered.
Who needs to take part, and what should we prepare?
The participants depend on scope, but usually include an accountable sponsor, relevant process owners and people who carry out the work. Finance, operations, services and IT may all need to contribute. Existing process documents, reports, system information and examples of exceptions help establish the starting point. We agree workshop preparation and access requirements in advance.
How long does the work take, and what does it cost?
The timetable and cost depend on the number of processes, teams and locations involved, the evidence available and the depth of analysis needed. dForce agrees the scope, workshops, outputs, customer responsibilities and estimate around the decisions you need to make. Any follow-on design or implementation work is scoped separately.
What needs to work better in your business?
You may have a defined transformation ahead, a recurring operational challenge or simply a sense that things could work better. Talk to us about where you are and what you want to achieve.
Start the conversation →No obligation. No sales pitch. Just a conversation.
