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Aha! Roadmaps | Strategic models

Everything starts with strategy. Perhaps you are considering entering a new market, targeting a new set of customers, or assessing a new opportunity. Aha! Roadmaps provides you with a complete set of strategic models to help with that essential work. In addition to the models we provide, you can also create custom models that you can use across your account.

How it works

Like all Aha! Roadmaps strategy, you can create strategic models at any level of your workspace hierarchy. You will need to be an owner or contributor in Aha! Roadmaps to create and edit strategic models.

The first time you go to the Strategy Model page, you will be prompted with a button to Add a strategic model. This will let you use an Example template or a Shared template created by someone else in your account.

Aha! Roadmaps provides six different example templates to choose from. Click any of the links below to skip ahead:

Create a strategic model template

In addition to using the example templates, teams can create their own custom templates through their workspace or workspace line settings. If you are an owner in your Aha! Roadmaps account, navigate to Settings ⚙️ Workspace Strategic models to create one for your current level of the workspace hierarchy.

From that page, click Add template to create a new template.

  • The Template name field lets you name your template.

  • The Start from field allows you to build your template from scratch or use one of the example templates as a foundation.

  • The Category name field maps to the Model type filter back on the Strategy Models page. If you have a lot of models in your account, the Model type filter allows you to sort through them.

  • The Permissions field shows you where in your workspace hierarchy your template will be available. If you create a template at the workspace line level, you can choose whether the template will be available to child workspaces under that workspace line.

Click the Add template button to add the template, then adjust the template. Any changes you make will be reflected immediately on the Strategy Models page.

Navigate to Strategy Models to use your template. When you're using a shared template, you can edit the description in any of the model components, including adding attachments or whiteboards. But you cannot edit the order, names, or colors of the components. This helps ensure that all models using the shared template remain consistent.

To unlink the strategic model from the shared template, click the Template dropdown in the model's main page or detail drawer and select Unlink template. You will then be able to customize your model, but it will no longer be linked to the template.

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Create an Aha! Roadmaps business model canvas

To create an Aha! Roadmaps business model canvas, navigate to Strategy Models, click Add model, and then select Aha! business model canvas from the Example templates.

We created the Aha! Roadmaps business model canvas based on our combined experience building products, analyzing marketing campaigns, and growing software companies. Use this strategic model to create a comprehensive overview of your strategy.

Business model canvas in Aha!

You can always customize strategic models to your needs. The standard fields in this model are:

  • Description: Basic introduction to your business model.

  • Key objectives: Top goals and how you measure them.

  • Customer targets: Types of customers who purchase your solution.

  • Customer challenges: Pain points for your customers.

  • Our solution: Primary way that you solve your customer's challenges.

  • Our value: Core elements of your solution that make it unique and differentiated.

  • Our pricing: How you package your solution and what it will cost.

  • Our messaging: Clear and compelling copy that explains why your solution is worth buying.

  • Go-to-market: Strategy used to market and sell to your customers.

  • Investment required: Costs needed to make the solution a success.

  • Growth opportunity: Ways that you will grow the business.

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Create a Lean Canvas

To create a Lean Canvas, navigate to Strategy Models, click Add model, and then select Lean Canvas from the Example templates.

Lean Canvas is a one-page business template that helps organizations deconstruct an idea into its key assumptions. Articulate your strategic building blocks by filling in the data that relates to your organization to help you better understand whether you should pursue the opportunity.

Lean Canvas

You can always customize strategic models to your needs. The standard fields in this model are:

  • Problem: List your top 1-3 problems.

  • Solution: Outline a possible solution for each problem.

  • Key metrics: List the key numbers that tell you how your business or product is doing.

  • Unique value proposition: A single, clear, and compelling message that states why you are different and worth paying attention to.

  • Unfair advantage: What your product has that cannot be easily bought or copied.

  • Channels: Outline your path to customers both inbound and outbound.

  • Customer segments: List your target customers and users.

  • Cost structure: List your fixed and variable costs.

  • Revenue streams: List your sources of revenue.

Based on work by Leanstack and Business Model Foundry licensed CC BY-SA 3.0

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Create a SWOT analysis

To create a SWOT analysis, navigate to Strategy Models, click Add model, and then select SWOT analysis from the Example templates.

SWOT is an acronym that stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Teams use SWOT analyses during strategic planning to identify what their product does well, where it can improve, and how it fits in with the competitive landscape.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats SWOT

You can always customize strategic models to your needs. The standard fields in this model are:

  • Strengths: Your advantages.

  • Weaknesses: Areas for improvement.

  • Opportunities: Areas to apply your advantages.

  • Threats: Where you are at risk.

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Create a Porter's 5 forces model

To create a Porter's 5 forces model, navigate to Strategy Models, click Add model, and then select Porter's 5 forces from the Example templates.

Porter's 5 Forces is a tool used to analyze the competition of a business or industry. Use it to describe the existing marketplace and what alternative solutions might be available. Leverage from partners or buyers to help you better understand your existing market or to help you to assess the markets you are considering entering.

Porter's 5 forces strategic model

You can always customize strategic models to your needs. The standard fields in this model are:

  • Buyer power: How big is the market and what power do buyers have?

  • Alternative solutions: What alternative ways can your customers solve their challenges?

  • Existing competitors: How many competitors are there and how strong are they?

  • New rivals: How easy or hard is it for new vendors to enter the market?

  • Partner leverage: Are you dependent on partners, and if yes, how much leverage do they have?

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Create a Segment profile

To create a Segment profile, navigate to Strategy Models, click Add model, and then select Segment profile from the Example templates.

The segment profile model helps you assess how attractive each market segment is, enables you to more effectively decide whether you should pursue them, and if so, how you should do it. You can use this model to describe the characteristics of your segment along with the market factors impacting them.

Segment profile strategic model

You can always customize strategic models to your needs. The standard fields in this model are:

  • Geographic: What is the region or other location for this segment?

  • Demographic: What similar characteristics does the segment have?

  • Behavioral: What typical actions can be observed?

  • Psychographic: What are the common beliefs of this segment?

  • Size: How large is this segment?

  • Growth potential: At what rate will this segment grow?

  • Competitive activity: How many other companies are also trying to serve this segment?

  • Risk: What is the likelihood of success in serving the segment?

  • Approach: How will you successfully serve this segment?

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Create a 10Ps marketing matrix

To create a 10Ps marketing matrix, navigate to Strategy Models, click Add model, and then select 10Ps marketing matrix from the Example templates.

The 10Ps marketing matrix helps you model the key marketing attributes for success. Identify your product, how you will distribute or communicate its benefits to your customers, and who will help you to do so. By setting this framework, you can ensure that you are preparing yourself for a successful marketing approach.

10Ps Marketing Matrix

You can always customize strategic models to your needs. The standard fields in this model are:

  • Price: The amount it costs a customer to purchase your product.

  • Place: The method of distribution for your product.

  • Promotion: The channels you use to communicate about your product.

  • Programs: The specific activities you use to promote your product.

  • People: The individuals who help deliver your product.

  • Product: The primary way you satisfy the customer's needs.

  • Process: How you deliver your product to customers.

  • Partners: Other organizations that help you build or sell your product.

  • Physical environment: The space in which you interact with customers to deliver your product.

  • Positioning: How you describe the key attributes of your product.

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Share your strategic model

You can share your strategic model with others by clicking the Share menu button in the top-right corner to create an Aha! Roadmaps presentation, image, or PDF.

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