/foundation-lean-canvas

name: foundation-lean-canvas
description: Produces a one-page lean canvas across nine interlocking blocks (problem, customer, UVP, solution, channels, revenue, cost, metrics, unfair advantage) with optional inline HTML and SVG visual rendering. Use when framing a new product thesis, stress-testing an existing strategy, comparing strategic options side-by-side, or aligning a team on business-model assumptions. Works as a strategic hub that cross-links to deeper PM skills without duplicating them.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  classification: foundation
  version: "1.1.0"
  updated: 2026-07-05
  category: problem-framing
  frameworks: [triple-diamond, lean-startup, design-thinking]
  author: product-on-purpose

<!-- PM-Skills | https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills | Apache 2.0 -->

Lean Canvas

A lean canvas is a one-page business thesis that makes your assumptions about problem, customer, solution, and viability explicit and testable. Developed by Ash Maurya from Alex Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas, it is specifically adapted for startups and product teams operating under uncertainty. Nine interlocking blocks force you to articulate the whole picture at once so that changing one block's assumptions surfaces the ripple effect on the others.

This skill is a strategic hub, not a specialist tool. It produces the integrated one-page artifact and cross-links to deeper PM skills (`define-problem-statement`, `foundation-persona`, `define-jtbd-canvas`, `develop-solution-brief`, `discover-competitive-analysis`, `measure-experiment-design`) for single-block depth when needed.

Supported Modes

• `content` (default) produces the nine-block canvas as structured markdown.
• `visual` produces the markdown canvas AND writes a self-contained, attractive `.html` file to disk using `references/html-template.html` as the layout scaffold. The HTML renders the canonical Maurya nine-block layout with polished typography, subtle per-column color accents, confidence badges per block, and print-ready A3 landscape styling. No external assets or CDN dependencies: the file opens correctly in a browser with no network access.

If mode is omitted, default to `content` and state that fallback explicitly.

When to Use

• Framing a new product, feature, or business thesis on one page
• Stress-testing an existing business by making implicit assumptions explicit
• Comparing two or more strategic options side-by-side (run the skill once per option, then diff)
• Onboarding new team members into the strategic thesis in a single artifact
• Mid-phase reality check: does the thesis still hold given what we have learned?
• Pairing with `measure-experiment-design` to prioritize which block assumptions to test first

When NOT to Use

• You need deep research on a single block (persona detail, problem framing, competitive landscape). Use the specialist skill (`foundation-persona`, `define-problem-statement`, `discover-competitive-analysis`) instead.
• You are drafting a PRD, user stories, or acceptance criteria. Use `deliver-prd`, `deliver-user-stories`, `deliver-acceptance-criteria`; lean canvas is strategy, not specification.
• You want to brainstorm solutions without a customer-problem anchor. Start with `define-problem-statement` or `define-jtbd-canvas` and return to lean canvas once the problem is framed.
• You need a Business Model Canvas for an established enterprise with known customers and channels. Maurya designed lean canvas specifically for high-uncertainty early-stage ventures; a BMC is a better fit for steady-state analysis.
• You want to test one specific assumption in isolation, not stress-test the whole business model. Use `define-hypothesis`, then `measure-experiment-design`; lean canvas frames the full thesis, a hypothesis tests one claim within it.

Instructions

When asked to create a lean canvas, follow these steps:

1. **Resolve mode and intent** Determine whether the request is `content` or `visual`. If mode is omitted, default to `content` and state the fallback. Clarify the target: new product thesis, existing-business stress test, or side-by-side comparison of options. If unclear, ask once before proceeding.

2. **Collect context and evidence** Use user-provided context first: product name, market, target customer, any research already done, existing alternatives users are hiring today, known constraints. If evidence is thin, continue generation but mark gaps in the Evidence & Confidence section and calibrate per-block confidence accordingly. For existing businesses, distinguish current assumptions from validated data explicitly.

3. **Fill the nine blocks in recommended order** Fill in this order because each block's answer constrains the next. Do not skip ahead.

a. **Problem** - Top 3 problems, ranked by pain intensity and frequency. Include Existing Alternatives (what customers do today, including workarounds and non-consumption, not just direct competitors). b. **Customer Segments** - Who has these problems most acutely? Name Early Adopters as a distinct subset you will reach first. Early Adopters are more painful, more reachable, and more willing to try a new solution than the broader segment. c. **Unique Value Proposition (UVP)** - One sentence that makes a clear, testable promise. Include a High-Level Concept ("X for Y" analogy) that accelerates understanding for busy readers. d. **Solution** - Top 3 features that address the top 3 problems. Map 1:1 to the Problem block. Keep it concrete but do not over-engineer; this is a hypothesis, not a spec. e. **Channels** - Free and paid paths to your early adopters. Distinguish compounding channels (content, SEO, community) from traction-demonstrating channels (outbound, paid ads). f. **Revenue Streams** - Model (subscription, transaction, freemium, services), price point, expected volume, and LTV. Show the math so the revenue thesis is inspectable. g. **Cost Structure** - CAC, fix