Wardley Maps

Wardley mapping is a strategic planning tool that helps organisations visualise and understand their IT landscape, identify areas of opportunity and risk, and make informed decisions based on a thorough analysis of the environment. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do Wardley mapping:

Identify the value chain

The first step in Wardley mapping is to identify the value chain of the organisation. This involves identifying the various components of the organisation’s IT landscape, including infrastructure, platforms, and applications. The value chain can be represented as a series of activities that add value to the organisation.

Determine the components of the IT landscape

The next step is to determine the components of the IT landscape, including the infrastructure, platforms, and applications that make up the value chain. This can be done using a variety of techniques, including interviews with stakeholders, documentation reviews, and data analysis.

Map the components on a Wardley Map

Once the components have been identified, they can be mapped onto a Wardley Map. The map consists of two axes: the y-axis represents the value chain, while the x-axis represents the evolution of the components over time. The components are mapped as nodes on the map, with their position on the x-axis indicating their maturity and the y-axis indicating their importance to the value chain.

Determine the characteristics of the components

Once the components have been mapped onto the Wardley Map, it is important to determine their characteristics. This can include factors such as their level of maturity, their level of commoditisation, and their level of differentiation. These characteristics can be used to determine the appropriate strategy for each component.

Analyse the relationships between the components

The next step is to analyze the relationships between the components on the Wardley Map. This can include identifying dependencies between components, determining which components are critical to the value chain, and identifying potential areas of risk.

Use Maps to inform decision-making

Wardley Maps can be used to inform decision-making in a variety of ways, including identifying areas of opportunity for innovation and investment, determining areas of risk that require mitigation, and assessing the impact of changes to the IT landscape.

When to use Wardley Maps (a quick SWOT)

Strengths:

• Provides a visual representation of the IT landscape and the evolution of components.
• Offers insights into the maturity, commoditisation, and value chain of different IT components.
• Facilitates strategic decision-making by identifying areas of focus, competitive advantage, and potential risks.
• Helps organisations understand dependencies, anticipate future developments, and plan accordingly.

Weaknesses:

• Requires a certain level of expertise and familiarity with the IT landscape.
• Initial mapping and continuous updating can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.

Opportunities:

• Enables organisations to align IT strategies with business objectives.
• Helps identify opportunities for innovation, differentiation, and optimization within the IT landscape.
• Facilitates communication and collaboration among stakeholders by providing a shared understanding of the IT ecosystem.

Threats:

• Complexity and evolving nature of the IT landscape can make accurate mapping challenging.
• Miss alignment or simplification of value chain to IT component mapping, can hide deeper or lower level dependencies and complexities.

Fit for Certain Decision Types:

• Wardley maps are particularly suitable for strategic decision-making in IT landscapes, digital transformation, and innovation initiatives.
• They are beneficial for understanding the competitive landscape, identifying areas for investment, and making informed decisions regarding build vs buy, and strategic partnerships.

Ease of Use and Communication:

• Wardley mapping requires a certain level of expertise, but it can be learned and applied effectively with practice.
• Visual representation aids in communication, allowing stakeholders to grasp the complexities of the IT landscape and its strategic implications.
• Sharing and collaboration of maps facilitate collective decision-making.

Conclusion

Wardley mapping is a powerful tool for making informed strategic decisions.

Resources

https://medium.com/wardleymaps/on-being-lost-2ef5f05eb1ec

https://pauldjohnston.medium.com/4-simple-rules-for-how-to-start-making-wardley-maps-d95a4f977c8a

https://wardleypedia.org/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page

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