Target Operating Model Builder for IT Leaders
A target operating model sets out how your organisation will run in the future to deliver its strategy, across people, process, technology and the services that support them. For IT leaders, the hardest part is deciding who should own each service: your internal team, a managed provider, a co-managed blend, or a specialist third party. Our free Target Operating Model Builder lets you map that in minutes and leave with an executive PDF you can take to the board.
What is a target operating model?
A target operating model, often shortened to TOM, is a blueprint of how a business intends to operate once it has delivered its strategy. It describes the future state across several dimensions, usually people and structure, process, technology, information, governance and sourcing, and it makes clear how each part fits together to deliver value. A target operating model is not an organisation chart and it is not a project plan. It is the bridge between how a business works today and the way it needs to work tomorrow.
What is an IT target operating model?
An IT target operating model applies the same thinking to the technology function. It sets out how IT services will be delivered, how they will be governed, and, above all, who is accountable for each one. In practice the defining question is sourcing: which services your internal team should run, which are better placed with a managed provider, which work best as a co-managed blend, and which sit with a specialist third party. Getting that mix right is what keeps technology reliable without overloading an internal team or losing control to an outsourcer.
Why a target operating model matters
Every gap or overlap in service ownership is a risk. When no one is clearly accountable for a service, it is the one that fails at the worst moment, and every minute of unplanned downtime costs profitability and customer trust. A clear target operating model removes that ambiguity. It shows the board where the business is exposed, where money is being spent twice, and where a change in sourcing would lift resilience or free the internal team for higher-value work. It also gives IT and the wider leadership team a shared language for the decision.
Build your target operating model in minutes, for free
Traditionally, mapping a target operating model takes days or weeks of workshops. Our free Target Operating Model Builder does it in minutes. You work through the IT services your organisation relies on, laid out as a simple grid, and click each tile to set who owns it: your internal team, Managed247, a co-managed arrangement, another third party, or not required. There is nothing to install and no cost to use it.
When you are finished, the tool produces an executive PDF report you can share with your board or leadership team, showing your target operating model at a glance and where responsibility for each service sits.
Internal, managed or co-managed: getting the mix right
Most organisations land on a blend rather than an all-or-nothing choice. A co-managed model keeps your internal team in control of the work that needs their business knowledge, while a managed provider takes on the around-the-clock monitoring, the out-of-hours cover and the specialist escalation that are hard to resource in-house. Managed247 delivers exactly this kind of blended model for mid-market and enterprise organisations across the UK, with a service desk that runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is staffed entirely by UK-based engineers. If your map shows gaps, we can help you close them.
Frequently asked questions
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What is a target operating model?
A target operating model, or TOM, is a blueprint of how an organisation will operate in the future to deliver its strategy. It covers people and structure, process, technology, information, governance and how services are sourced, and shows how each part works together to deliver value.
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What is an IT target operating model?
An IT target operating model sets out how the IT function will deliver and govern its services, and who is accountable for each one. Its central question is sourcing: which services sit with the internal team, which with a managed provider, which are co-managed, and which go to a third party.
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How do you build a target operating model?
You define the services in scope, decide the ownership and sourcing for each, and agree the governance that holds it together. Our free Target Operating Model Builder walks you through the IT services as a simple grid and produces an executive PDF in minutes, rather than the days or weeks a workshop-based approach takes.
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Is the Target Operating Model Builder free?
Yes. The tool is free to use, there is nothing to install, and you receive an executive PDF report of your target operating model at the end.
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What is a co-managed IT model?
Co-managed IT is a blend where your internal team stays in control of the work that needs their business knowledge, while a managed provider adds around-the-clock monitoring, out-of-hours cover and specialist escalation. It is often the outcome organisations reach when they map their target operating model honestly.
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How long does it take to build a target operating model?
With the Target Operating Model Builder, minutes. A traditional workshop-based exercise can take days or weeks. The tool gives you a board-ready first version immediately, which you can refine with your team.
See where your IT operating model stands.
Build yours free in minutes, or talk it through with our UK team.