target operating model | organizational design | org structure | business process | roles | KPI | workforce planning
What You Will Learn:
- Design an operating model as one connected system instead of six separate initiatives that contradict each other
- Choose an organisational structure using six design drivers rather than copying the last company you worked at
- Decide when a matrix is the right answer, which of the three types you need, and how power is distributed inside it
- Describe processes in BPMN so the structure you drew actually determines how work moves
- Build job profiles from real job analysis, and use them for hiring, development, appraisal and goals
- Define indicators from critical success factors, and avoid the six myths that break most measurement systems
- Calculate capacity in FTE and run a gap analysis between the model you designed and the people you have
- Run the whole redesign as an OD project with entry, diagnosis, intervention and ROI evaluation
- Learn alongside Mike’s 1.6 million students from 185 countries
- Get the author’s experience from Preply, Wargaming, iDeals and Alfa-Bank
The Reality of the “Frankenstein” Org Chart
Let’s be real for a second: most organizational restructures are a total disaster. I’ve spent years in the tech trenches, and I’ve seen it a dozen times—a new VP comes in, draws some boxes on a PowerPoint based on where they worked last, and calls it a “transformation.” Fast forward six months, and nobody knows who reports to whom, the industry-standard tools are ignored, and the “new” processes are just the old ones with more meetings. This course, Target Operating Model: Structure, Processes and KPIs, is the antidote to that specific brand of corporate chaos.
What Mike brings to the table here isn’t just academic theory; it’s a blueprint for building a connected system. Instead of treating org design, KPIs, and workforce planning as separate silos that eventually collide, this curriculum forces you to look at the Target Operating Model (TOM) as a living, breathing organism. Having seen Mike’s impact on companies like Preply and Wargaming, I knew this wasn’t going to be another “soft skills” HR seminar. It’s a beginner to advanced deep dive into the mechanics of how a company actually functions—or fails to.
Prerequisites for the Strategically Minded
You don’t need an MBA to get value out of this, but you do need a stomach for complexity. This isn’t a “how to use Jira” course. It’s better suited for someone who has at least a few years of experience in management, operations, or project leadership. You should have a basic grasp of how your current company makes money and where the “friction” usually happens. If you’ve ever looked at your company’s org structure and thought, “This makes absolutely no sense,” you have all the prerequisite frustration needed to succeed here.
The Toolkit: Hard Skills and Industry Tools
This course doesn’t just talk about change; it gives you the hands-on labs style experience required to execute it. You’ll walk away with a toolkit that feels more like an engineering manual than a management book. Key job-ready skills you’ll develop include:
- BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation): Learning to map work so the structure actually supports the flow, rather than blocking it.
- FTE Capacity Modeling: No more guessing. You’ll learn how to calculate actual workforce planning needs and run a gap analysis between your “dream model” and the people you actually have.
- Matrix Management: Finally, a clear breakdown of the three types of matrix structures and how to distribute power without causing a civil war in the Slack channels.
- The OD Project Framework: Treating a redesign as a formal Organizational Development project with a clear ROI evaluation.
Career Benefits and High-Level Roles
If you’re looking for career growth that moves you away from “doing the work” and into “designing how work gets done,” this is your certification prep for the big leagues. This knowledge is high-value for Business Architects, Operations Directors, Chief of Staff roles, and Senior Project Managers.
In the tech world, we often focus on the tech stack, but the “human stack” is where the real scaling issues happen. Being the person in the room who can explain why a matrix structure is failing—and how to fix the KPI myths that are breaking the team’s morale—makes you indispensable. It’s the difference between being a cog and being the person who builds the machine.
Why This Course Hits Different (The Pros)
- It kills the “Copy-Paste” Mentality: Mike uses six specific design drivers to help you choose a structure. It stops you from just mimicking Spotify or Google and makes you build what your company actually needs.
- KPI Myth-Busting: Most companies track metrics that don’t matter. This course pivots to Critical Success Factors (CSFs), ensuring your dashboard isn’t just “vanity metrics” but actual drivers of real-world projects.
- Integrative Thinking: The biggest pro is the “connected system” approach. It links job profiles directly to hiring and appraisals, ensuring that the roles you design are actually the ones you hire for.
- Global Perspective: Learning alongside 1.6 million students gives the community a massive breadth of industry-standard perspectives from 185 countries.
The Honest Truth (The Cons)
If I have to be picky, the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming. This isn’t a course you “Netflix and chill” in the background. It’s dense, and if you aren’t currently in a position where you can apply these job-ready skills to a real or hypothetical business case, some of the FTE calculations and BPMN mapping might feel a bit abstract. It’s a hands-on commitment, not a quick win.
The Bottom Line
If you’re tired of “reorgs” that just move the furniture around, this is the certification prep you need to actually lead. It’s a masterclass in organizational design that bridges the gap between high-level strategy and the nitty-gritty of business processes. It’s honest, it’s rigorous, and it’s exactly what modern business leadership should look like.