# Value Proposition Canvas: [Offer] for [Customer segment]

> A two-sided description of fit between one customer segment and one
> offer. The customer side records the jobs the customer is trying to
> get done, the pains that get in the way and the gains they hope for.
> The offer side records the products and services, how they relieve
> each pain and how they create each gain. The idea follows the Value
> Proposition Canvas described in Value Proposition Design
> (Osterwalder, Pigneur, Bernarda and Smith, Wiley, 2014); the structure
> and wording here are original. Replace every `[bracketed]` value and
> every row marked *Example*.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- One segment and one offer per document. If a second segment has
  different jobs, copy the template.
- Fill the customer side (sections 2 to 4) first, from interviews and
  observation, before you write anything about the product.
- Give every job, pain and gain an ID so the offer side can point to
  it. A pain reliever that points to no pain is a feature looking for
  a problem.
- Rank pains and gains by how much they matter to the customer, not to
  the team.
- Common pitfall: writing the customer side from the product's point of
  view ("customer needs our dashboard").
-->

## Document control

<!-- Guidance: Keep the segment, offer and evidence base visible so readers know what the fit claim rests on. -->

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document ID | [VPC-YYYY-NN] |
| Customer segment | [Segment, linked to the business model canvas] |
| Offer | [Product or service] |
| Evidence base | [For example: 12 interviews, 3 site visits, support tickets] |
| Version | [0.1] |
| Status | [Draft / Testing / Fit shown / Retired] |
| Owner | [@owner] |
| Reviewers | [@reviewer] |
| Last updated | YYYY-MM-DD |

### Revision history

| Version | Date | Author | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@author] | First draft from interviews |
| 0.2 *(Example)* | YYYY-MM-DD | [@author] | Pain P2 re-ranked after pilot feedback |

The worked example is **Pellwick Repair Co.**, the fictional furniture
care subscription from the [business model canvas](./business-model-canvas.md)
template, for its segment CS-1: office managers at firms of 10 to 80
staff.

## 1. Segment profile

<!-- Guidance: Describe the person who decides and the context they work in. Name the source of each fact. -->

| Item | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Role | [Job title of the decider] | [Source] |
| Context | [Where and when the jobs happen] | [Source] |
| *Example:* Role | Office manager, often also handling IT and facilities | 12 interviews |
| *Example:* Context | Small budget, no facilities team, furniture bought ad hoc | 12 interviews |

## 2. Customer jobs

<!-- Guidance: What the customer is trying to get done. Include functional jobs (tasks), social jobs (how they want to be seen) and emotional jobs (how they want to feel). Write jobs as verbs, without the product. -->

| ID | Job | Type | Importance (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| J1 | [Job] | [Functional / Social / Emotional] | [1 to 5] |
| J1 *(Example)* | Keep every workstation usable for staff | Functional | 5 |
| J2 *(Example)* | Look competent to the managing director | Social | 4 |
| J3 *(Example)* | Avoid surprise spending in the quarter | Emotional | 3 |

## 3. Pains

<!-- Guidance: What annoys the customer, blocks a job or carries risk, before, during or after the job. Make pains concrete and measurable where you can. -->

| ID | Pain | Linked job | Severity (1 to 5) | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | [Pain] | [J-n] | [1 to 5] | [Source] |
| P1 *(Example)* | Broken chairs sit unused for weeks while quotes are collected | J1 | 5 | 9 of 12 interviews |
| P2 *(Example)* | Staff complain to the manager about back pain from worn chairs | J2 | 4 | 6 of 12 interviews |
| P3 *(Example)* | Disposal of old furniture is slow and costs extra | J1 | 3 | 4 of 12 interviews |

## 4. Gains

<!-- Guidance: The outcomes and benefits the customer wants, including ones they expect as a minimum and ones that would delight them. -->

| ID | Gain | Linked job | Relevance (1 to 5) | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | [Gain] | [J-n] | [1 to 5] | [Source] |
| G1 *(Example)* | A fixed, predictable monthly cost | J3 | 5 | 8 of 12 interviews |
| G2 *(Example)* | A report to show the director that furniture is in order | J2 | 3 | 3 of 12 interviews |

## 5. Products and services

<!-- Guidance: List what the offer contains: physical products, services, digital tools and support. Keep it short; the next two sections do the work. -->

- [Product or service]
- *Example:* Quarterly on-site inspection and repair of all chairs and desks.
- *Example:* Report-a-fault form with a next-week visit.
- *Example:* Collection and recycling of furniture that cannot be repaired.

## 6. Pain relievers

<!-- Guidance: For each important pain, say how the offer removes or reduces it. Point to the pain ID. If a high-severity pain has no reliever, say so. -->

| ID | Pain reliever | Relieves | How it is shown to the customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| PR1 | [Reliever] | [P-n] | [Proof] |
| PR1 *(Example)* | Fault visits within one week, no quote needed | P1 | Visit log shared with the customer |
| PR2 *(Example)* | Chairs adjusted to each user at each quarterly visit | P2 | Visit report lists adjustments |
| PR3 *(Example)* | Collection included in the subscription | P3 | None yet |

## 7. Gain creators

<!-- Guidance: For each important gain, say how the offer produces it. Point to the gain ID. -->

| ID | Gain creator | Creates | How it is shown to the customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| GC1 | [Creator] | [G-n] | [Proof] |
| GC1 *(Example)* | Flat per-seat monthly price | G1 | Price page and direct debit |
| GC2 *(Example)* | One-page condition report after each visit | G2 | Sample report in the proposal |

## 8. Fit check

<!-- Guidance: Read across the two sides. Fit means the highest-ranked pains and gains are addressed and the customer confirms it. Rate each top item and record the evidence for the rating. -->

| Customer item | Rank | Addressed by | Fit | Evidence of fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [P-n or G-n] | [Score] | [PR-n or GC-n] | [Strong / Partial / None] | [Source] |
| P1 *(Example)* | 5 | PR1 | Strong | 31 of 40 pilot offices renewed |
| G1 *(Example)* | 5 | GC1 | Strong | No price objection in 8 sales calls |
| P2 *(Example)* | 4 | PR2 | Partial | Not yet measured with staff |
| P3 *(Example)* | 3 | PR3 | None shown | No collections requested in pilot |

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    subgraph Customer["Customer profile"]
        J["Jobs J1 to J3"]
        P["Pains P1 to P3"]
        G["Gains G1 and G2"]
    end
    subgraph Offer["Value map"]
        S["Products and services"]
        PR["Pain relievers PR1 to PR3"]
        GC["Gain creators GC1 and GC2"]
    end
    PR -->|"relieve"| P
    GC -->|"create"| G
    S --> PR
    S --> GC
    P --> J
    G --> J
```

## 9. Assumptions and tests

<!-- Guidance: Every Partial or None row in section 8, and every pain or gain without evidence, becomes a test. Write the pass rule first. -->

| ID | Assumption | Test | Pass rule | Owner | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA-001 | [Assumption] | [Test] | [Threshold] | [@owner] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| VA-001 *(Example)* | Adjusting chairs reduces staff complaints (P2) | Short survey of staff in 5 pilot offices before and after a visit | Complaints fall in 4 of 5 offices | [@product] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| VA-002 *(Example)* | Customers value collection (P3) | Offer collection as a paid add-on to 20 offices | 4 or more accept | [@founder] | YYYY-MM-DD |

## 10. Decisions

<!-- Guidance: Record what changed in the offer because of the canvas, and what was dropped. -->

| Date | Decision | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| YYYY-MM-DD | [Decision] | [Evidence] |
| YYYY-MM-DD *(Example)* | Keep collection in the offer but stop advertising it | P3 ranked 3, no demand in pilot |

## 11. Related templates

<!-- Guidance: Link the evidence and downstream documents instead of copying them. -->

- [Business model canvas](./business-model-canvas.md), where this offer is section 3, Value propositions
- [Persona](../product/persona.md) and [Journey map](../product/journey-map.md) for the segment profile
- [Customer discovery](../startup/customer-discovery.md) for interview evidence
- [Competitive analysis](../product/competitive-analysis.md) for the current alternatives
- [Opportunity solution tree](../product/opportunity-solution-tree.md) to choose which pain to work on next

## Glossary

- **Job:** a task, social goal or feeling the customer is trying to achieve.
- **Pain:** an obstacle, cost or risk linked to a job.
- **Gain:** an outcome or benefit the customer wants.
- **Pain reliever / gain creator:** the part of the offer that removes a pain or produces a gain.
- **Fit:** the top pains and gains are addressed and the customer confirms it through behaviour.

## Standard and licence note

Structure aligned with the Value Proposition Canvas created by
Alexander Osterwalder and Strategyzer AG and described in Value
Proposition Design (Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Gregory
Bernarda and Alan Smith, Wiley, 2014). The canvas is published by
Strategyzer; check the licence notice on the copy you download before
you reuse the graphic. This template does not reproduce the canvas graphic or its prompts; the
element names are cited, and the section text, scoring, fit check and
fictional Pellwick example are original, so the template keeps the MIT
licence. For the official canvas, see
https://www.strategyzer.com/library/the-value-proposition-canvas. Check
the current version before use. Template licence: MIT.