Classify the business and shape its operating flows

In Discovery, Research & contact and Leadership meeting both include What kind of business is this? The library contains 52 proposed operating models across services, technology, commerce, production, the built environment, transport, consumer services, care and education, financial services, and public/mission delivery.

An industry describes the market. An operating model describes how work delivers value. A company can therefore be an industrial supplier with distribution, manufacturing and service flows. Choose one or several templates, or create a custom flow. Eight flows per company and sixteen stages per flow are currently supported.

Every stage maps to a common function: Get work, Shape work, Commit work, Do work, Collect value, Keep/grow customer. Templates use appropriate names. Manufacturing's source, make and ship stages all support Do work; they do not silently become shape, commit and collect based on their position. Mission and public-service templates use outcome/funding language.

Search or filter the library, preview the stages and add a flow. Rename the flow or stages, reorder them, add/remove stages and adjust their common function. Save as proposed for kickoff discussion, or save as advisor reviewed after checking the fit. Editing a reviewed profile returns it to proposed. Advisor review is not an assertion of client approval or task confirmation.

Industry Map's Operating models & business flows section uses the same template identifiers, cites research, and can suggest several models. Current saved suggestions appear in the profile panel. Selecting a suggestion adds a proposed template; it never overwrites the company's profile automatically. Generate or refresh Industry Map explicitly using configured research and AI providers. No paid research or generation is triggered by browsing templates.

The saved profile is stored per company, version-checked and audited. Discovery uses it as context and asks leadership to validate the fit. Framework context includes the profile; profile changes make dependent analyses stale. Templates do not create duties, tasks, permissions, metrics or measured bottlenecks. These flows provide the company-level foundation for a future Company Flow Map; they are not yet linked to operational task chains.

Starter library

• General business (General): Attract → Qualify → Commit → Deliver → Collect → Retain
• Advisory & consulting (Services): Prospect → Diagnose → Propose & agree → Deliver advice → Invoice → Expand
• Professional services (Services): Develop demand → Scope work → Agree engagement → Deliver service → Bill → Maintain relationship
• Marketing & creative agency (Services): Attract clients → Develop brief → Agree campaign → Create & deliver → Invoice → Optimize & renew
• Legal practice (Services): Receive inquiry → Assess matter → Agree engagement → Perform legal work → Bill → Maintain relationship
• Accounting & bookkeeping (Services): Attract clients → Assess records → Agree engagement → Prepare & review → Bill → Renew engagement
• Engineering & design (Services): Identify project → Develop requirements → Agree scope → Design & validate → Invoice → Support next phase
• Managed IT & security services (Technology): Attract clients → Assess environment → Agree service → Operate & support → Bill → Review & renew
• Software as a service (Technology): Market → Qualify & sell → Subscribe → Onboard & serve → Bill → Renew & expand
• Licensed software (Technology): Generate demand → Evaluate fit → License → Deploy & support → Collect fees → Upgrade & renew
• Custom software development (Technology): Find projects → Discover requirements → Agree delivery → Build & release → Invoice → Maintain & extend
• Marketplace & brokerage platform (Commerce): Attract both sides → Match supply & demand → Confirm transaction → Facilitate fulfillment → Collect fees → Drive repeat use
• E-commerce (Commerce): Attract shoppers → Merchandise & select → Place order → Fulfill & deliver → Settle payment → Support & repurchase
• Physical retail (Commerce): Attract shoppers → Assist selection → Complete purchase → Provide goods → Settle receipts → Support & return visits
• Wholesale & distribution (Commerce): Develop accounts → Quote availability → Confirm order → Source & fulfill → Invoice & collect → Replenish accounts
• Discrete manufacturing (Production): Forecast demand → Plan production → Confirm orders → Source materials → Make → Ship → Bill → Support
• Process manufacturing (Production): Forecast demand → Plan batches → Commit supply → Source inputs → Process & test → Release & ship → Bill → Support
• Contract manufacturing (Production): Find programs → Engineer & quote → Agree production → Source & manufacture → Deliver → Invoice → Extend program
• Agriculture & food production (Production): Assess demand → Plan growing cycle → Commit supply → Grow & harvest → Grade & distribute → Collect → Plan next cycle
• Mining & resource extraction (Production): Identify demand → Assess resource & plan → Agree supply → Extract & process → Transport → Collect → Maintain supply
• Construction contractor (Built environment): Find projects → Estimate & plan → Contract → Build & inspect → Invoice & collect → Maintain relationship
• Property development (Built environment): Identify opportunity → Assess & design → Secure commitments → Develop & deliver → Sell or lease → Manage next phase
• Real estate brokerage (Built environment): Generate leads → Match property & need → Agree transaction → Coordinate closing → Collect commission → Maintain relationship
• Property management (Built environment): Attract owners & tenants → Assess property → Agree management or lease → Operate & maintain → Collect & account → Renew
• Field service & trades (Services): Receive inquiry → Diagnose & quote → Book work → Dispatch & perform → Invoice → Maintain & return
• Repair & maintenance (Services): Receive item or request → Diagnose → Approve estimate → Repair & test → Collect payment → Follow up
• Staffing & contingent labor (Services): Find employer demand → Source & qualify talent → Agree placement → Deploy & manage time → Bill & pay → Extend assignment
• Recruitment & executive search (Services): Find hiring needs → Define role & search → Agree engagement → Assess & place → Collect fee → Support retention
• Business process outsourcing (Services): Find accounts → Design service → Agree transition → Operate process → Bill → Improve & renew
• Freight brokerage & forwarding (Transport): Find shipping demand → Plan route & quote → Book shipment → Coordinate movement → Settle & invoice → Retain shipper
• Transport carrier (Transport): Find loads or passengers → Plan capacity → Book service → Move & deliver → Collect → Retain accounts
• Warehousing & fulfillment (Transport): Develop accounts → Design storage & service → Agree contract → Receive store pick & dispatch → Bill → Optimize & renew
• Hotels & lodging (Consumer services): Attract guests → Select stay → Book → Host & serve → Settle bill → Encourage return
• Restaurant & food service (Consumer services): Attract guests → Choose order → Confirm order → Prepare & serve → Collect payment → Encourage return
• Healthcare practice (Care & education): Receive referral or inquiry → Assess needs → Arrange care → Provide & document care → Bill & reconcile → Follow up
• Hospital & care network (Care & education): Receive referral or arrival → Triage & assess → Plan care → Treat & coordinate → Bill & reconcile → Follow up
• Education & training (Care & education): Attract learners → Assess fit → Enroll → Teach & assess → Collect fees or funding → Support progression
• Research organization (Care & education): Identify question & funding → Design study → Approve project → Research & validate → Report & account → Extend research
• Insurance agency & broker (Financial services): Find clients → Assess needs → Bind placement → Service policy → Collect fees → Renew & remarket
• Insurance carrier (Financial services): Attract risks → Assess & price → Bind coverage → Administer & handle claims → Collect & reconcile → Renew
• Lending (Financial services): Source applicants → Assess application → Agree financing → Fund & service → Collect repayments → Retain relationship
• Payments services (Financial services): Acquire merchants → Assess fit → Agree service → Process & reconcile → Collect fees → Retain & expand
• Investment management (Financial services): Develop relationships → Assess mandate → Agree mandate → Manage & report → Collect fees → Review & retain
• Nonprofit & mission delivery (Public & mission): Identify community need → Design program → Secure commitments → Deliver mission → Account for funding → Sustain relationships
• Public services (Public & mission): Identify public need → Assess eligibility & plan → Authorize service → Deliver service → Account for resources → Review outcomes
• Membership & associations (Consumer services): Attract members → Explain fit → Join → Deliver benefits → Collect dues → Renew membership
• Events & experiences (Consumer services): Attract audiences & sponsors → Design experience → Book or register → Produce event → Settle revenue → Build next event
• Media & publishing (Technology): Build audience → Plan content or campaign → Secure subscriptions or advertisers → Produce & distribute → Collect revenue → Retain audience
• Telecommunications (Technology): Generate demand → Qualify coverage → Contract → Provision & operate → Bill → Support & renew
• Utilities & infrastructure services (Production): Forecast need → Plan capacity → Authorize connection → Supply & maintain → Meter bill & collect → Support continuity
• Franchisor & network operator (Commerce): Attract operators → Assess fit → Agree franchise → Launch & support locations → Collect fees → Develop network
• Equipment rental & leasing (Commerce): Find demand → Match asset & term → Reserve or contract → Deliver maintain & return → Bill → Renew or re-rent