Porter’s Five Forces Model – Online Digital Tools & Templates

The Five Forces Model, also called Porter’s Five Forces Framework, is a tool for analyzing a business’ competition and competitive environment. The model looks at five forces within any industry to determine the state of the competitive the environment and as a result, the implications for how profitable the industry could be and business strategies for driving success

The Five Forces Model was originally developed by Michael Porter of Harvard University and was first published in the Harvard Business Review in 1979.  The Five Forces Model uses the following factors in determining the level of competition an industry sector will face:

1. Industry rivalry: When there are many competitors in an industry, firms have to compete aggressively for market share and as a result, profits decline.
2. Threat of entry: When there are few barriers to entry in a profitable industry, more competition arises and profits decline. Existing organizations will try to make entry more difficult in order to deter potential competitors.
3. Bargaining power of suppliers: If the bargaining power of suppliers is high, buyers are required to pay more or buy lower quality of raw materials, which directly impacts profits.
4. Bargaining power of buyers: When their bargaining power is strong, buyers can demand lower prices or higher quality for their products. Lower prices and/or stronger demand for high quality products translates to lower profits for producers.
5. Threat of substitutes: If buyers can easily find a replacement product for a better price, or switch from one similar product to another, this force can be especially threatening.

While the Five Forces model primarily focused on traditional product-based industries, as a general framework, the tool can be applied to information technology and services industries as well.

The steps to using the Five Forces framework involve gathering the most pertinent, industry-specific information on each force, analyzing the results and then mapping them out on a diagram. The five forces are most typically presented visually, with the “industry rivalry” summary in the middle and the four other forces positioned around it, each summarizing how specific dynamics contribute to the overall competitive environment.

Unlike most traditional Five Forces strategy techniques, upBOARD’s online Five Forces Strategy & Planning collaboration tools allow any team or organization to instantly begin working with our web templates and input forms. Our digital platform goes far beyond other software tools by including progress dashboards, data integration from existing documents or other SaaS software, elegant intuitive designs, and full access on any desktop or mobile device.

Learn more about upBOARD’s portfolio of other business strategy best practice tools and templates, including:

ADL Matrix, Affinity Diagrams, Baker’s 4 Strategies of Influence, Balanced Scorecard, Benchmarking, Blue Ocean Strategy, Bowman Strategy Clock, Build-Measure-Learn Feedback Loop, CAGE Distance Framework, Competitive Analysis, Competitive Landscape Analysis, Contingency Planning, Core Competence Analysis, Critical Success Factors, Discovery Driven Planning, Five Forces Model, Force Field Analysis, Gap Analysis, GE McKinsey 9-Box Matrix, Go To Market Strategy, Hambrick & Frederickson’s Strategy Diamond, Hedgehog Model, Hook Model of Behavioral Design, Hoshin Planning System, Kay’s Distinctive Capabilities Framework, Kotler’s Five Product Levels Model, Kotler’s Pricing Strategies, Lafley & Martin’s Five Step Strategy Model, McKinsey’s Seven Degrees of Freedom for Growth, Mission Statements, Mullin’s Seven Domains Model, OGSM Framework, Ohmae’s 3-C’s Model, PEST Analysis, Porter’s Diamond, Portfolio Management, Purpose Statements, Pyramid of Purpose, Scenario Planning, Simonson & Rosen’s Influence Mix, SOAR, Strategic Goals, Strategic Roadmap, Strategy Map, Strategy Roadmap, Strategy Uncertainty Map, SWOT Analysis, TOWS Matrix, Triple Bottom Line, USP Analysis, Value Chain Analysis, Value Disciplines Model, Value Net Model, Values Statement, Vision Statements, VRIO Analysis, and Weisbord’s Six-Box Model.

Learn more about upBOARD’s full portfolio of online digital best practice tools and templates for specific topics, including marketing, human resources, operations, innovation, project management, change management, and software development.