Wardley Mapping
Wardley Mapping is a visual way to map the components of a business or service strategy based on their value to the customer and the maturity of those components. This helps organisations understand their environment and make informed decisions.
Goal
The goal of Wardley Mapping is to break down a solution into multiple parts to identify where to invest, what to outsource, and potential areas for innovation.
Context
There are a lot of table-stakes components in a product that are not differentiators. By mapping out the value chain, we can identify the components that are differentiators and those that are commodities. This helps us understand where we should outsource work to other products versus where we should build ourselves.
Stages
| Stage | Description |
|---|---|
| Genesis | This stage represents completely new, novel items that are being built for the first time. They are highly uncertain and often custom-built. Innovation is key here. |
| Custom Built | Items in this stage are still relatively unique but have moved beyond the initial innovation phase. They are more understood but still require custom development. |
| Product/Rental | By this stage, the item has evolved into more standardised products or services. It's widely understood, and economies of scale start to kick in. |
| Commodity/Utility | The final stage of evolution, where the item is completely standardised, widely available, and treated as a commodity or utility. |
Steps
Identify the Purpose of the Map: Understand the solution, underlying opportunity and the overarching product vision and strategy.
Define the Users: Identify the key users / jobs-to-be-done for the product.
Break Down the Value Chain: Break down the solution into technical components..
Map the Components to the Value Chain: Place these components on the map according to their value to the user (vertically) and their stage of evolution (horizontally).
Connect the Components: Draw lines between components to show their relationships and dependencies. This helps in understanding how changes in one component might affect others.
Analyse the Map: Use the placement of items to investigate off-the-shelf alternatives for commodity and product items. Focus delivery effort on the genesis and custom-built items.
Inputs
| Artifact | Description |
|---|---|
| Validated Solution | A solution that has been tested and validated with users through Continuous Design, ensuring that it meets their needs and expectations. |
Outputs
| Artifact | Description | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Wardley Map | A visual representation of the value chain, showing the components of the solution and their stage of evolution. | Guides decision-making and prioritisation of resources for maximum strategic impact. |
| Commodity/Product Items | A list of items that are commodities or products, and can be bought or rented. | Focuses delivery effort on the genesis and custom-built items. |
Anti-patterns
- Focusing too much on current operations and neglecting future strategic opportunities.
- Overcomplicating the map with too much detail, making it difficult to derive actionable insights.
- Ignoring external market forces and competitor activities.
- Failing to update the map regularly, leading to strategic decisions based on outdated information.