One of the most valuable functions of the 5 Forces Canvas is a lean, visual method for getting ideas, thoughts, and facts out of documents and people’s heads and onto one page for collaboration, ideation, and development. It is a “living” document that you should review on a cadence and update as needed as you evolve and learn.

  The Canvas can be used for fact-finding, envisioning, what-if exercises, and thought experiments. However, it is highly recommended that you build your first Canvas around your current, as-is state. This will give you a comprehensive view of your current reality and a baseline against which you will evaluate your transformation.

  To build your first Canvas, fill in the boxes starting with what you know. In the four outer External Force boxes, outline the fundamental truths and pressures impacting your organization from the outside. Use the Internal Pressures & Capabilities section to map your organizational reality. Finally, the center is your AI Strategy. If you already have a strategy, describe it here, ensuring it aligns with your core mission.

  Note that the 5 Forces Model introduces three dimensions to your strategy: Idea/Execution, Automation/Augmentation, and Strategy Time Horizon. Be sure to enhance add notes that frame your strategy along these dimensions. If you don’t yet have a clear AI Strategy, these three dimensions will help you create a well-considered one.

  Focus on the ‘Why’: your canvas should explain why each force is relevant and how it connects to your strategy. Don’t just list points. Build a clear, logical argument for the strategy in the center.

  Base your Canvas on evidence for strategic analysis, not abstract speculation. Where your Canvas is light on substance, you immediately have indicators for where you need to do more fact-finding or analysis.