Skip main navigation

New lower prices! Get up to 50% off 1000s of courses. 

Explore courses

Blueprinting

It's time to arrange what you need to do next, before you show your creation to a small test audience.
Notebook on desk
© pxfuel

The Blueprint Model is practical, fun, inspiring and daunting all at the same time! After creating your blueprint you’ll have a much clearer sense of what you can do next, and who you need to speak to, what you need to find out or who you need to get to do something for you.

Describe the process of your business

Download the sheet using the link below. Let’s look at the various aspects of your business and how they fit together: the process of your business. To do this, we use Blueprint Modelling. The activity is in two parts, so let’s look at Part A first.

The above sheet is from NESTA’s Creative Enterprise Toolkit

Part A: You have two areas on this sheet – the areas in grey are what happens ‘behind the curtain’ – things your customers won’t see. Then the other boxes are ‘on stage’.

Be careful – you don’t want your customers to find you too early. You’ll give away your idea and lose precious development time. You want to focus on making the best first impression.

Just like a stage performance – would you want to see the auditions before the main act?

Part B: Now for part B. Here we will create a blueprint. Below are some examples of how this will look. It’ll be messy, and that’s fine. You might find it easier to start at the end of the process (Imagine you are working with a finished product) and work backwards.

Some blueprints are really simple, others are complicated. It depends on how many different aspects you need to control or hand over, and what sort of service or product you intend to deliver.

For now, if you have aspects which you envisage will be handled by other people, highlight them on your blueprint as we can use them in the next task.

Use your sheet from part A to fill in the flow chart on the right hand side (Part B). If you prefer to do it on the back or want more space, great – the messier the better. Remember, this is a ‘living’ task that will always be changing and need editing. As such, do it on a big piece of paper and stick it on the wall.

© University of York
This article is from the free online

Enterprise: Everybody’s Business

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

Reach your personal and professional goals

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now