Frequently Asked Questions

GVAPP-BMC is a live, multiplayer Business Model Canvas tool for in-person workshops. One person runs it from their laptop, and everyone else joins from their own device over the same WiFi to fill in the canvas together in real time.

Yes, completely free. No ads, no accounts, no subscriptions.

The host downloads a zip, extracts it, and double-clicks one file — no PHP, Node, or any developer tooling needs to be installed separately. Everything needed is already bundled inside. Participants only need a browser.

No. Participants just pick a display name and a color when they join with the session PIN. There's no sign-up, login, or email required.

No. GVAPP-BMC runs entirely on the host's own laptop and only needs a local WiFi network — the same one everyone in the room is already on. There's no cloud server, and it works fine without any internet connection at all.

Nowhere outside the room. Everything is stored locally on the host's laptop for the duration of the session. Nothing is sent anywhere else.

Some venue or office WiFi networks block devices from reaching each other directly (often called "client" or "AP isolation") — this stops GVAPP-BMC's participants from connecting to the host. If that happens, try running GVAPP-BMC off a personal phone hotspot instead, and have everyone join that network.

There's no hard limit, but GVAPP-BMC is designed and tested around typical small-team workshop sizes. Very large groups (dozens of simultaneous editors) haven't been tested.

Yes. Any participant can export a JSON snapshot of the whole board (useful for re-importing later), and once the host locks the board, it can be printed as a clean A4 landscape PDF.

The author is simply whoever typed a note during the session — shown by its color. PIC (an optional tag) is who's actually responsible for following up on it. They're intentionally separate, since the person who wrote an idea down isn't always the person who owns it afterward.

The host can use the Reset button to clear everything and start a fresh session. This can't be undone, so export a snapshot first if you want to keep a copy.

Yes — GVAPP-BMC includes a built-in, interactive guide explaining the framework itself, not just the app's controls. Click any block in the diagram to see what it's for and how it connects to the rest.

Who are our key partners/suppliers, and what do we get from them?

Partnerships usually exist to reduce risk, get access to a resource you can't build yourself, or hand off something that isn't core to your Value Proposition.

What key activities does our value proposition require?

The things you must do well and repeatedly to actually deliver the Value Proposition — production, problem-solving, or platform upkeep, depending on the business.

What key resources does our value proposition require?

Whatever your Value Proposition and Channels genuinely can't function without — physical, intellectual, human, or financial.

What value do we deliver? Which problems are we helping solve?

This is why a customer picks you over doing nothing, or over a competitor. It should map to a real problem named in Customer Segments — a Value Proposition that doesn't connect to a segment isn't validated yet.

What relationship does each segment expect us to maintain?

How you acquire, keep, and grow each segment over time — self-service, personal support, community. Distinct from Channels, which is about reaching them, not the ongoing relationship.

How do we reach our customer segments?

Covers awareness, evaluation, purchase, and delivery — not just "how do they buy," but how they find out you exist in the first place.

Who are we creating value for? Who are our most important customers?

Not "everyone" — a real segment shares a specific need or behavior. A common mistake here is describing your product's features instead of the people who'd want them.

For what value are customers currently willing to pay?

Should trace back to a specific Value Proposition. If a Value Proposition exists with no Revenue Stream funding it, ask whether it's actually a paid offering or a supporting feature that enables something else.

What are the most important costs in our business model?

Should be traceable back to specific Key Resources, Activities, or Partnerships above it. A cost with nothing above it to explain it is worth questioning. If Cost Structure is bigger than Revenue Streams can realistically cover, the model doesn't work yet — regardless of how good any individual block looks alone.

Yes — both Windows and Mac builds are available. Grab either from the download section.

No — GVAPP-BMC is built for desktop and tablet screens only, in either orientation. A phone-sized screen shows a message explaining this instead of the canvas, since a real workshop board needs more room to actually work with. Only the host needs Windows or Mac; participants just need a desktop or tablet browser on the same WiFi.