Platform Thinking Toolkit

What is it?

The Platform Thinking Toolkit is a set of canvases that support innovators in designing platforms.

The main aim is to help users to identify possible directions for platform-based innovations, whatever the starting point is an established (traditional) company or a platform.The Toolkit is based on almost ten years of research developed by Daniel Trabucchi and Tommaso Buganza @ Politecnico di Milano. The process is described in three MOOCs freely available on Coursersa.

Who should use it?

Anyone who seeks support to transform an organization in a platform-based business.

How it works

The process is built on four main steps:

1. Step back and read (where you are): Business Model Canvas and Value Map

2. Dive in and read (what you have): Idle-Asset Canvas

3. Dive in and write (where you may go): Platform Thinking Canvas

4. Step back and write (the roadmap to get there): The Roadmap

Each of them has one or more support tools that help you in applying the Platform Thinking process, by identifying opportunities for innovation.

The template comes with a full example.

How to use it

• Read the brief instructions of each tool, or watch the MOOC.

• Use the canvases as tools that ask questions, rather then giving answers

• Use sticky notes to keep track of your ideas, intuitions and answers to the guiding questions

• Make it collaborative: go through the processes with other wannabe innovators

Resources

For more information you can follow our MOOCs, or get in touch with us.

Follow us on Linkedin (Daniel Trabucchi, Tommaso Buganza) and join us at Symplatform, the yearly international symposium on digital platforms.