Value Chain Diagram (Porter's Framework)
Porter's primary and support activities that build a product's competitive margin.
Free to start · Fully editable · Export GIF, MP4, PNG & SVG
What's in this template
7 connected components you can rename, recolor, and extend with AI.
A value chain diagram visualizes Michael Porter's framework for the activities a company performs to deliver a product and create margin. It splits work into five primary activities: Inbound Logistics, Operations, Outbound Logistics, Marketing and Sales, and Service. These are supported by Firm Infrastructure, Human Resource Management, Technology Development, and Procurement that run across the whole chain.
Strategy teams, operations leaders, and MBA students use the value chain diagram to find where cost advantage or differentiation is created. Mapping each activity reveals bottlenecks, outsourcing candidates, and the steps that genuinely add value versus those that only add cost.
Great for
- Strategy reviews
- Cost reduction analysis
- MBA coursework
- Operations audits
- Competitive analysis
Make your own version with AI
Prefer to start from your own content? Describe it in one sentence and Infogiph generates a value chain diagram you can edit and animate. For example:
“Value Chain Diagram showing Inbound Logistics, Operations, Outbound Logistics, Marketing & Sales, Service and Technology Development”
Try it in the AI infographic maker, or read How to make an infographic.
How to customize this template
- Open it in the canvas with Use this template.
- The Business Model Canvas Template ships with seven blocks. Add Customer Relationships and Key Partnerships to get all nine blocks of the original canvas.
- Porter's value chain has four support activities. The template includes Technology Development and Procurement, so add Firm Infrastructure and HR Management to complete it.
- Write key results as measurable outcomes with a number and a date, not as tasks, and give initiatives their own nodes.
- Try the Quadrant style when you adapt a template into a two-by-two framework, such as SWOT or impact versus effort.
- Export a PNG or SVG for docs and slides, or a GIF or MP4 to keep the animation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a value chain diagram?+
It is a strategic map of the activities a business performs to design, produce, market, deliver, and support its product, used to locate sources of competitive advantage.
What are the components of Porter's value chain?+
Five primary activities (inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, service) plus four support activities (firm infrastructure, HR, technology development, procurement).
How is a value chain different from a supply chain?+
A supply chain tracks the physical flow of goods between organizations, while a value chain focuses on the internal activities that add value and margin within one firm.
Why use value chain analysis?+
It pinpoints where you can cut cost or differentiate, guiding decisions on outsourcing, investment, and process improvement.
Related templates
View all Business →Business Model Canvas Template
Map how a company creates, delivers, and captures value on one page
Go-To-Market Strategy Diagram
Take a product from positioning to first customers and revenue
Supply Chain Diagram
The flow of goods from suppliers through production and distribution to customers
OKR Map Template
How a company objective cascades into key results and team initiatives
Business Process Diagram
The steps, decisions, and roles that complete a repeatable workflow
Company Org Chart Template
The reporting hierarchy from leadership down through departments and teams
14 Lessons From OpenAI
A numbered isometric cube staircase — 14 stacked lessons crowned by a logo cube, in the style of the viral "lessons learned" infographics
Product Launch Countdown
A 10-cube isometric countdown to launch day — numbered steps stacking up to the rocket on top
Make it yours in seconds
Open the value chain diagram (porter's framework) in the Infogiph canvas, then edit, animate, and export.
Use this template