Every fast-growing business reaches a point where “we’ll figure it out later” no longer works. As your startup scales, the right people in the right roles at the right time become the difference between smooth growth and operational chaos. That’s where the Target Operating Model (TOM) Org Chart comes in - a forward-looking blueprint that maps your future organizational structure.
It’s not just about who’s on your team now, but about anticipating who you’ll need in 6, 12, or even 24 months and showing exactly how each role fits into the bigger vision.
Learning Materials
What is a Target Operating Model?
A Target Operating Model is the bridge between where your organization is today and where it needs to be tomorrow. It’s an organizational structure plan that anticipates how your company will look once your growth strategy is in motion detailing every function, role, and reporting line that will exist in your ideal future state.
Think of it as a living blueprint that answers three critical questions:
Who will be part of the team in the future?
How will different roles and departments connect?
What positions need to be created to deliver on the business vision?
A Target Operating Model template makes this vision tangible. It allows leadership, investors, and recruiters to visualize the path ahead, identify capability gaps, and ensure that future hires are timed and prioritized to match the company’s growth phases.
Why It Matters
Scaling without a clear TOM is like building a skyscraper without architectural plans - you may get the structure up, but you’ll risk instability and inefficiency. A well-crafted TOM:
Guides hiring priorities - Ensures every hire contributes to the growth roadmap and strategic milestones.
Aligns structure with vision - Matches your internal team design with your long-term business objectives.
Builds investor confidence - Demonstrates operational foresight and readiness for scaling.
Reveals resource gaps – Clearly shows which roles are missing and when they should be added.
Org Chart Examples for Future Growth
Different industries and growth stages require very different TOM designs. Here are three illustrative scenarios:
Series A SaaS Startup - Starts lean, but the TOM includes a customer success team, dedicated product marketing, and a QA function within the next year to handle scale and client onboarding.
E-commerce Scale-Up - The current team focuses on sales and logistics, but the TOM adds regional operations managers, data analytics specialists, and a creative studio to fuel international expansion.
Health-Tech Growth Phase - A small, agile development team evolves into specialized front-end, back-end, and compliance units, with an expanded regulatory affairs department to meet growing legal requirements.
Each example shows how a TOM org chart transitions from the present to a strategically designed future.
How to Create a Target Operating Model Org Chart
Creating your TOM org chart doesn’t have to be daunting - it’s about thinking ahead and connecting the dots.
Define your business vision - Start with your 2–3 year goals.
Assess your current org chart - Identify existing strengths and bottlenecks.
List future roles - Mark which are unfilled but essential to growth.
Map reporting lines - Clarify how teams will interact as you scale.
Use an org chart builder or creator - Visual tools make the plan easier to share with stakeholders.
Benefits of Using the Target Operating Model Org Chart Maker
The Org Chart TOM Maker takes guesswork out of scaling by giving you a clear, visual plan for the next stage of growth.
What This Tool Helps You Do:
Design for the future - Map your future organizational structure for 6–24 months ahead.
Spot gaps early - Highlight missing roles so you can budget and recruit proactively.
Phase your hiring - Match recruitment timelines with product launches, expansions, or funding rounds.
Communicate clearly - Show investors, executives, and recruiters exactly where you’re headed.
By visualizing your ideal structure in advance, you turn scaling into a planned transformation rather than a reactive scramble.