Mission Model Canvas – the Videos

In 2016 Pete Newell, Alexander Osterwalder and I developed the Mission Model Canvas for our Hacking for Defense Class.  We’ve now created a series of videos that explain how this variant of the Business Model Canvas works – 11 videos totaling 17 minutes.

Thanks to BMNT and the National Security Innovation Network for support of this project.

When Pete Newell, Joe Felter and I built the Hacking for Defense class we modeled the syllabus after my earlier Lean LaunchPad and NSF I-Corps classes. Both classes used Alexander Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas to frame the hypotheses to be tested.

If you can’t see the business model canvas video click here

However, using the business model canvas inside the Dept of Defense was problematical. Teams there pointed out that the standard business model canvas didn’t fit their problem sets. For example, in the Dept of Defense you don’t measure progress by measuring revenue. Instead you mobilize resources and a budget to solve a particular problem and create value for a set of beneficiaries (customers, support organizations, warfighters, Congress, the country, etc.)

Therefore, the business model canvas box labeled Revenue Streams doesn’t make sense. The defense and intelligence community are mission-driven organizations so there is no revenue to measure. The first step in building a canvas that worked for these organizations was to change the Revenue Stream box to one that would provide a way to measure success.

We called this alternative- Mission Achievement/Success.

Now the Mission Model Canvas just needed four more tweaks.

  • Customer Segments was changed to Beneficiaries
  • Cost Structure was changed to Mission Cost/Budget
  • Channel was changed to Deployment
  • Customer Relationships was changed to Buy-in/Support

Read the full blog post on the development and use of the Mission Model Canvas here.

And watch the Mission Model Canvas videos below.

If you can’t see the Introduction to the Mission Model Canvas video click here

If you can’t see the Beneficiaries and Stakeholders video click here

If you can’t see the Value Proposition video click here

If you can’t see the Buy-In video click here

If you can’t see the Deployment video click here

If you can’t see the Mission Achievement video click here

If you can’t see the Key Activities video click here

If you can’t see the Key Resources video click here

If you can’t see the Key Partners video click here

If you can’t see the Mission Budget video click here

If you can’t see the Key Concepts video click here

You can find the entire video series collected here

3 Responses

  1. Great set of to-the-point videos, Steve.

    As you’ve stated so well before: the only thing that truly matters in the end is achieving actual DEPLOYMENT. Without that, all of the efforts devoted to the mission are simply reduced to “corporate/entrepreneurial theatre”…

  2. Application of DoD/Intelligence Mission Model Canvas to climate change.
    Mission: mitigate risk of material securities volatility / crash.
    Risk drivers:
    a) accuracy of climate change quant-centric modelling
    b) credible climate change investment analyst market e.g. for ‘short the losers’ investment recommendations for hedge funds
    c) allocation of capital to climate change hedge fund investment strategies
    d) withdrawal of mainstream re/insurance cover for coastal real estate, infrastructure at-risk from forest fires, etc.
    If interested in co-creation please reach out to richard.cayzer@dltrisk.com

  3. Thanks for this. Its really good to see BMC being modified to suit other industries. It would be great to have another Canvas which is a cross between the BMC and MMC for Mission driven Businesses.

    Here we have customers, users and beneficiaries. We have to worry about revenue and profit,, but also about impact and mission. If you were to look at this as an armed service it would fit in the age when generals didn’t the state to back their expeditions and needed to raise their own funds ( hence the term – entrepreneurs!)

    We at http://www.bizgees.org have been using this approach and would be great to considered a case for this if you and colleagues agree to come up with a new canvas for the social impact business sector. You could call SBC ( Social Business Canvas).

    Look forward to your interest.

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