Value Chain Analysis for Beginners: Find What Customers Value and What Costs Most, Then Fix One

Owners of small shops and makers with sales but little profit use this value chain analysis for beginners template to find what customers value, what costs money, and fix one. On four whiteboard pages you name the product and the problem, line up five main activities and four support activities, write the value and the cost of each, place them in four zones to pick one to fix, then set steps, owners and dates and compare before and after. The task board has five columns, from preparation to done, with four parent tasks and three subtasks each. To run a value chain analysis, restate Porter's main and support activities in your own words, check that sales minus the cost of every activity leaves the profit (what Porter calls the margin), then look for costly activities that matter little to customers. Costs are written as a share of monthly sales (100%), so no accounting skills are needed. You can write together in a limited-visibility team.