The Target Tour Operating Model

In last month’s article, we explored the Tour Operating Model Canvas—a framework designed to help you map out your current operations and see the big picture of how your business delivers value. By taking the time to understand your existing operating model, you gain clarity on where your operations excel and where there’s room for improvement. In this article, we’ll take the next step: creating your Target Tour Operating Model. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What a Target Operating Model is and how it helps you align operations with your business goals.
• How to Define Your Target Tour Operating Model and the 4 key considerations
• How to use the Target Tour Operating Model Canvas to map out your target state
• Steps to create an operational roadmap, turning your vision into a clear, actionable plan.

Once your Target Tour Operating Model is in place, you’ll have a clear and actionable roadmap to guide your business toward the next level of operational excellence.

What is a Target Tour Operating Model?

How can you know you’ve succeeded if you don’t have a clear target?

A Target Tour Operating Model provides a clear and actionable vision that aligns directly with your long term business vision. Unlike your Current Tour Operating Model, which outlines how your business operates today, the Target Operating Model defines the ideal people, processes, and tools needed to support your future aspirations.

Think of it as your operational North Star—a strategic framework that ensures daily operational activities are aligned with your broader objectives, so every effort is purposeful and moving in the right direction. By clearly defining your target state, you can create a practical, step-by-step roadmap to turn your vision into reality.

How to Define Your Target Tour Operating Model

Defining your Target Tour Operating Model starts with translating your vision for the future into a clear framework for how your business will operate to achieve it. This involves identifying the specific processes, people, technology, and resources required to support your vision and systematically planning the changes needed to get there. By focusing on these key areas, you can create a roadmap that bridges the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.

To guide this process, you’ll be using the Target Tour Operating Model Canvas, which helps you answer four key questions:

1. Vision: What is your operational vision?
2. Target State: To achieve your vision, what does your operating model need to look like?
3. Operational Roadmap: What steps will you take to move from your current state to your target state?
4. Prioritisation: Which initiatives should you tackle first to drive the most impact?

Let’s explore each of these in detail.

Defining Your Operational Vision

What does success look like for your business? How does it align with your broader vision? Clearly defining your operational vision gives you a north star—a guiding statement that ensures every decision is intentional and aligned with your long-term objectives. Using the Tour Operating Model Canvas, you will define a vision statement that describes where you want to take your operations and why. This exercise anchors all future planning and helps keep every operational change focused on a central purpose.

To achieve your vision, what does your future operating model need to look like?

Once you have a clear vision, the next step is defining what your future operating model needs to look like to achieve it. This means identifying the key changes required across your business. For example, if you’re expanding from day tours to multi-day tours, you’ll need to evaluate how your processes, tools, and skills must evolve. These changes can have ripple effects and might require:

• Updated rostering and scheduling to manage longer trips
• Guide retraining to support extended guest interactions
• New technology to handle increased logistical complexity

Using the Target Tour Operating Model Canvas, you’ll map out these changes systematically, uncovering interdependencies and planning adjustments across six key elements: suppliers, resources, people, processes, technology, and management systems. This structured approach ensures you’re not only clear on your future operating model but also equipped to navigate the path to get there.

What steps will you take to move from your current state to your target state?

Defining your Target Operating Model is only the beginning—the real challenge lies in turning that vision into action. To do this, you’ll need an operational roadmap that outlines the key work streams and projects required to bring your target model to life. Using the Target Tour Operating Model Canvas, you’ll break down your target state into manageable initiatives. This framework provides a clear path forward, transforming an abstract vision into a practical, actionable strategy that you can execute with confidence.

Which initiatives should you tackle first to drive the most impact?

You can’t change everything at once, so prioritisation is key. Consider which changes will have the biggest impact on your goals and whether any dependencies need to be addressed first. For instance, implementing a new technology system might be foundational for other improvements, while streamlining processes could deliver quick wins that free up resources for larger projects. Using the Tour Operating Model Canvas, you’ll organise your roadmap based on priority and logical sequencing. This ensures your efforts are focused on the most impactful changes first, while setting the stage for long-term success.

Introducing the Target Tour Operating Model Canvas

The Target Tour Operating Model Canvas is a tool designed to help you systematically map out what your operations should look like and answer the key considerations outlined above.

When you began working with the Tour Operating Model Canvas, you started with a blank slate, analysing your current operations. The Target Tour Operating Model Canvas, however, builds on that foundation. Your starting point is your current operating model, and the goal is to define a clear vision for your future operating model, along with a practical roadmap to get there. If you haven’t already mapped out your current operating model, it’s essential to do so before moving forward.

Creating Your Target Tour Operating Model Canvas

Completing your Target Tour Operating Model Canvas has two key steps:

1. Define Your Target Tour Operating Model, which involves mapping out your desired future state.
2. Create an Operational Roadmap, which focuses on identifying and prioritising the initiatives required to achieve your target state

Step 1: Defining Your Target Tour Operating Model

1. Pin the Target Tour Operating Model Canvas
   Download the Target Tour Operating Model Canvas and either print it out to stick on a wall or upload it to a virtual whiteboard tool, like Miro. The key is to have it easily accessible so you can add, adjust, and refine ideas as you go.
2. Build on Your Current Operating Model
   Start with your Current Tour Operating Model as the foundation. Move over key elements and opportunities to the Target Tour Operating Model Canvas, representing your desired future state. If you’re using a physical canvas, transfer sticky notes manually. If working digitally, simply copy and paste.
3. Define Your Operational Vision
   Reflect on the opportunities you’ve identified. Draft a clear, concise vision statement that captures the goals of your TOM. Think of this as your “elevator pitch”—a simple statement that crystallises the purpose of your future state. For example: “To build stronger supplier relationships so that we can achieve better rates and improve profitability.”
4. Rate Your Overall Effectiveness
   Start outlining the specific changes you want to implement across each of the six operational elements: Suppliers, Resources, People, Processes, Technology, and Management Systems. To make this process easier, copy relevant elements from your Current Operating Model Canvas and adjust them as needed to reflect your target state.

Here are a few Tips for Success:

• Vision Statement Format: When writing your vision statement, use a simple format like “To [action] so that [desired outcome].” This structure helps ensure your vision is both clear and actionable. For example: “To invest in a tour management system so that we can centralize data and reduce manual errors.”
• Consider First & Second Order Impacts: Remember, your operations are interconnected. Changes in one area will impact others. Use the Target Tour Operating Model Canvas to visualize how adjustments in suppliers, resources, or processes can affect your technology and management systems. This holistic approach prevents unintended consequences and maximizes positive outcomes.

Step 2: Create a Roadmap to Implementation

With your target state mapped out based on the opportunities identified, the final step is to develop a clear roadmap to bridge the gap between your current state and your Target Operating Model (TOM). This roadmap outlines the major initiatives, timelines, and responsibilities required to achieve your goals. The focus here is not on detailed project management but on identifying the key projects that will drive meaningful change.

1. List Key Initiatives
   Use the Operational Roadmap section of your canvas to outline the key initiatives. Think of these as larger projects, not individual tasks. For each initiative, consider whether it includes multiple stages or phases that need planning. Add them to your roadmap.
2. Identify Dependencies & Address Uncertainties
   Review your initiatives to identify any dependencies—projects that need to be completed before others can start. Pinpoint initiatives with uncertainties or those that require further scoping. Tackling these early will help you mitigate risks and keep your plan on track.
3. Finalised Your Operational Roadmap
   Reorder your initiatives based on dependencies, ensuring your roadmap follows a logical sequence. Optionally, add target dates for when you aim to complete each project.

Here are a few Tips for Success:

1. Focus on Changes: The initiatives you identify should stem from the differences between your current and target operating models. Having both canvases side by side can make it easier to compare and pinpoint areas that require action.
2. Keep it High-Level: At this stage, concentrate on outlining initiatives without getting into detailed project plans. The goal is to identify key priorities and establish when they need to be delivered. Developing detailed project plans for each initiative will come later as a separate step.

Bringing Your Target Tour Operating Model to Life

The Target Tour Operating Model Canvas is a powerful tool to help you transform your vision into a practical, actionable plan. By defining your ideal future state and creating a clear roadmap for implementation, you can ensure your operations are aligned with your goals, setting your business on a path to sustainable growth. Whether you’re streamlining processes, adopting new technology, or expanding your team, this framework equips you to make strategic changes with confidence.