Target Operating Model

Target operating model for transformation programmes

A target operating model (TOM) is the integrated design of how a business will run to deliver its strategy - capabilities, organisation, processes, technology, data, and governance. This page covers the TOM design process as a BPMN process map.

By Jack Finnegan · Updated 21 May 2026

Design your TOM Process discovery

What it is

What a target operating model actually is

A target operating model is the integrated design of how an organisation will run to deliver its strategy. The classic framing (used by consultancies like BCG, McKinsey, Bain, Accenture, EY) covers six layers: business capabilities, organisational structure, processes, technology, data, and governance. The 'target' qualifier distinguishes it from the current operating model - TOM is what the business is moving toward, not where it is today.

TOM design sits inside transformation programmes, M&A integration, post-divestiture restructuring, and major regulatory or business-model shifts. The artefact is a multi-layer model, not a single diagram - but the process layer of the TOM is typically expressed as BPMN, because the processes are where the abstract layers (capabilities, technology) meet the operational reality.

The problem today

Most TOMs are PowerPoint and never make it into BAU

The familiar pattern: a consulting firm produces a 200-slide TOM deck, the executive committee approves it, the implementation team tries to build against it, and within six months the document and reality have diverged. The integration team did not see the slides that mattered; the process design layer was too abstract to be implementable; the org design assumed roles that did not exist in the firm.

The fix is making each layer of the TOM concrete enough to implement. The process layer is the most leverageable: BPMN process maps for each capability turn the abstract TOM into something the build team can deliver against and the operational team can run.

Six layers

The six layers of a TOM (grouped here into four cards)

Capabilities

What the business does, hierarchically decomposed. The structural backbone of the TOM.

Organisation

Roles, teams, reporting lines, locations, sourcing decisions. The TOM is what tells you the org design - not the other way around.

Process

The BPMN process layer that operationalises each capability. The most leverageable layer of the TOM.

Technology, data, governance

The supporting layers - tech stack, data model, decision rights, metrics. Often where TOM designs go vague; rigour here is what separates implementable TOMs from theatre.

Process Map

TOM design as a process

The design sequence - strategy through capabilities, org, process, tech/data, governance, integration.

Open in editor

A target operating model design process as a process map

A canonical target operating model (TOM) design process rendered as a BPMN 2.0 diagram. Clarify strategy, identify capabilities, design org, process, technology, data, and governance, then integrate into a coherent operating model.

Clarify the business strategy and the customer outcomes the TOM must deliver.
Identify the capabilities required to deliver the strategy.
Design the organisational structure - roles, teams, reporting lines, locations.
Design the process layer - the BPMN processes that operationalise each capability.
Design the technology and data layer that supports the processes.
Design governance, decision rights, and the metrics that prove the model is working.
Integrate the six layers into a coherent TOM and align with stakeholders.

What this diagram shows: Design starts once the business strategy is clarified. Capability identification comes first - what does the business need to do to deliver the strategy? Org design, process design (BPMN), and technology/data design follow in sequence. Governance and metrics design ties the model to decision rights and outcomes. The integration task pulls the six layers into a coherent TOM ready for transition planning.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is a target operating model?

The integrated design of how an organisation will run to deliver its strategy - typically covering capabilities, organisation, processes, technology, data, and governance.

What is the difference between TOM and operating model?

Operating model describes how the business currently runs. Target operating model describes where it is going. Most transformation programmes need both: an as-is operating model to understand where they are, and a TOM to design where they are heading.

How long does TOM design take?

Typical engagement: 8-16 weeks for a focused TOM (single business unit, single major capability shift); 6-12 months for an enterprise-wide TOM design covering multiple business units.

How does TOM relate to enterprise architecture?

EA owns the technology and data layers of the TOM in most firms; the business architecture team owns the capability layer; HR and the COO own the org layer; the BPM or process improvement team owns the process layer. TOM is the artefact that integrates all of these.

How does BA Copilot fit into TOM design?

BA Copilot produces the process layer of the TOM - the BPMN process maps that operationalise each capability. The process layer is where TOM designs most often go vague and where AI-assisted modelling accelerates the design work that historically takes weeks per process.

Jack Finnegan, Founder & CEO, BA Copilot

From the founder

14 Years in BPMN

I'm Jack Finnegan. I've spent fourteen years working hands-on with BPMN, as an analyst, an engineer, and a product director, where I felt every sharp edge of legacy business process platforms.

BA Copilot is the platform I wanted on every one of these projects: AI-first process management, which treats BPMN as a first-class output rather than an export afterthought.

Jack Finnegan on LinkedIn

Make the process layer concrete

Open the TOM design template, model each capability as a BPMN process, and produce the implementable artefacts the transformation team will build against.