Target Operating Model (TOM) Design and Transition Roadmap – Dubai, 14–18 Jun 2027

Programme overview

Technical depth: Conceptual · Practical mode: Case study

Introduction

Strategies fail in execution when nobody defines how the organisation will actually deliver them: which capabilities matter most, where work is done, by whom, with what technology and under which governance. Many target operating models end as slide decks that describe an ideal state but not the trade-offs or the path to reach it. This Core Concept course equips executives to commission, challenge and approve an operating model design. Working through cases from several sectors, participants leave with a Target Operating Model Blueprint and Transition Roadmap for their own organisation.

Course Objectives

• Translate strategic priorities into operating model design principles that guide later choices
• Assess the current operating model across process, organisation, location, information, supplier and management layers
• Evaluate capability, architecture and delivery model options using recognised operating model frameworks
• Decide the trade-offs between cost, control, agility and customer impact in the target design
• Oversee transition risk, benefits and sequencing from the current to the target state
• Present a Target Operating Model Blueprint and Transition Roadmap for executive approval

Target Audience

• Executives accountable for delivering strategy across a business unit, division or agency
• Senior leaders who sponsor transformation programmes and operating model changes
• Senior strategy and planning leaders who translate strategic intent into delivery design
• Senior operations and service delivery leaders responsible for how work is organised end to end
• Senior technology and enterprise architecture leaders aligning platforms with the business model

Course Outline

Day 1: Operating Model Foundations and the Current State

• Strategy-to-Operating-Model Translation with the Business Model Canvas
• Current Operating Model Diagnosis with the Operating Model Canvas (POLISM)
• Value Delivery Mapping Using Porter’s Value Chain
• Operating Model Pain Point Heat Map
• TOM Scope, Ambition Statement and Design Principles

Day 2: Operating Model Frameworks and Architecture

• Business Capability Mapping Following the BIZBOK Guide
• TOGAF Architecture Development Method: Baseline and Target Architectures
• Process Architecture Levels Using the APQC Process Classification Framework
• Delivery Model Options: In-House, Shared, Outsourced and Partnered
• Operating Model Archetypes: Centralised, Federated and Decentralised

Day 3: Shaping the Target Operating Model

• Capability Investment Priorities on a Strategic Importance-Performance Grid
• Location and Footprint Design Criteria
• Information and Technology Layer Requirements Mapping
• Management System Layer: KPI Tree, Planning Cycle and Governance Forums
• Organisation and Sourcing Implications Summary for Each TOM Option

Day 4: Trade-offs, Risk and Transition

• Design Trade-off Analysis: Cost, Control, Agility and Customer Impact
• Gap Analysis and TOGAF Transition Architecture Plateaus
• Transition Risk Oversight Aligned to ISO 31000
• Benefits Dependency Map and Business Case Checkpoints
• TOM Governance and Decision Accountability Under ISO 37000 Principles

Day 5: Case Work and the TOM Blueprint

• Insurer Channel Shift Case Study: Choosing Between Competing TOM Options
• Public Service Consolidation Case Study: Governance and Capability Gaps
• Design Principles Scorecard Applied to the Participant’s Organisation
• Target Operating Model Blueprint and Transition Roadmap Drafting
• Executive Panel Review and Blueprint Defence

Skills You Will Gain

• Strategy Translation
• Capability-Based Planning
• Operating Model Assessment
• Delivery Model Selection
• Design Trade-off Judgement
• Transition Planning Oversight
• Benefits Realisation Governance

Why Attend This Course

• Return to work with a Target Operating Model Blueprint and Transition Roadmap for your organisation, tested before an executive panel
• Challenge operating model proposals that describe an end state without showing the route or the trade-offs
• Give consultants and internal teams clear design principles so their work answers the strategic question
• Compare operating model choices with senior leaders from other sectors and countries

Conclusion

A target operating model is valuable only when it turns strategy into explicit choices about capabilities, delivery, technology and governance, and shows how to get there. This course moves from diagnosing the current model, through the principal operating model and architecture frameworks, to the trade-offs, risks and benefits that decide whether the design holds in practice. The final day turns that judgement into a Target Operating Model Blueprint and Transition Roadmap that participants take back for executive decision.