Latest Post

5 Ways to Represent User Needs on a Wardley Map
Jan Rezac asks: "How should I represent user needs when mapping? Because quite a lot of maps do NOT have user needs clearly stated (even Simon's original teashop map & Canonical map)." Short answer? It depends! Wardley Mapping highlights areas of ignorance —...
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- learning (2)
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- management (1)
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- rationality (1)
- retail (1)
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- security (1)
- serverless (1)
- software (2)
The Archive
Three Ways to Plan
Jan Rezac asks: “How do I connect scenario planning and Wardley Mapping?” I think people sometimes mean different things when they say scenario planning, so I want to share a few different ways Wardley Mapping might be useful for evaluating alternative situations.
Pragmatic Facilitation
In my time delivering workshops and working with different teams, I’ve found that no two experiences learning Wardley Mapping are alike. There are so many concepts to learn and ways to learn them. And importantly, “Wardley in concept” differs significantly from “Wardley in use.” The messiness of actual mapping work can be quite jarring when compared to the book knowledge.
Getting Started with Wardley’s Doctrine Is Easier Than You Think
Let’s talk about Wardley’s doctrine — what it really looks like and how to find opportunities to practice. Don’t worry! Getting started is easier than you think.
Nobody Cares About Your Precious Framework
I like Wardley Mapping. It’s captured my attention for the last five or so years, and I know I’ve still hardly scratched the surface of what’s possible. As you can imagine, I am overjoyed when other people take interest. Behind my enthusiasm, however, is a blunt pragmatism, informed by years of frustration and mistakes.
Getting Stuck Is Problem #1
Might free form brainstorming of words, with no constraints of current [maps] or questions that might lead the team in certain directions, be beneficial at the start?
A Spectrum of Decision Making
Over the years, I’ve been asked repeatedly to explain what Wardley Mapping is. Since it’s a big practice, with lots of ways to slice and dice it, I like to try out new answers whenever I get the chance.
Do “Objective” Wardley Maps Exist?
Are there any “objective” Wardley Maps, or is it always “subjective” to the team, time, and place? What should I do to understand where the “objective” position of a component is?
Principles First
I've been asking event list members for questions, and Jason Luchtefeld, DMD responded with a suggestion to do a deep dive into Simon Wardley's Doctrine graphic. Since I've been teaching quite a bit about the topic lately, it...
Requisite Perspective
Valerie Freitas asks: In using Wardley mapping, are there guidelines in thinking about who you have at the table to begin these discussions? Designing/cultivating the kind of input you receive by selecting who is part of your discussion group or...
Making Sense of Technological Ecosystems
Diane Mueller very kindly invited me to share Wardley Maps with the OpenShift Commons, and I can't help but write about the challenge she's shared: https://twitter.com/pythondj/status/1286453961533227009 Okay, now I just gotta figure out how to map an entire tech...
Hollow Practices and Evolution
Rahul Baji writes: Do you think that when practices are commoditized, they lose the essence of the practice? I see it in Agile practices where in certifying bodies like Scrum Alliance and Scrum.org have made Scrum popular to the extent of calling it commoditized....
How To Introduce Wardley Mapping to Different Strata of the Organization
Tony Osime asks: What is the best way to introduce Wardley Mapping to different groups? a. Senior executives – Strategic level b. Management – Team leader level c. Junior staff – Team member level This is a great question, and one I've thought about for some time....
Wardley Mapping Fake News
On March 5th, we attended an online workshop to get some hands-on practice with Wardley Mapping. The topic of the day was Disinformation, and our group focused on mapping how to recognize fake news — truth or not, technological fakes, deep fakes, videos, pictures, and all kinds of things that come to mind when we hear that phrase…
Visualizing the Interaction of Evolution and Data (Measurement)
Over the last few months, I've been reading material by Frank W. Geels on the Multi Level Perspective, which uses arrows to visualize change and transition in the disposition of a market ecosystem. Here's an example: I was recently discussing evolution with a client...
The Value of Doctrine
One of the more curious aspects of Wardley Mapping is Doctrine — what we choose to believe are universally-applicable principles. Doctrine is essentially values-based ideas like putting users first and being open to challenge. Simon Wardley presents his chosen...
Trojan Horses and Participatory Process: Sue Borchardt & Andie Nordgren
As part of the Wardley Maps Community YouTube channel (subscribe here), John Grant and Ben Mosior recently sat down with Sue Borchardt and Andie Nordgren. Sue is a research artist whose remarkable videos on topics like strategy for peace and justice, solitary...
Mapping the Apparel Industry with Vikesh Shah of Metail
As part of the Wardley Maps Community YouTube channel (subscribe here), John Grant and Chris Daniel recently sat down with Vikesh Shah, Commercial Director of London-based fashion and retail startup Metail.
Mapping Power: An Introduction to Burja Mapping
Once you have a strategy, you need to get your team on board. Who can help you implement your strategy? Who might be an obstacle, or enemy? Samo Burja’s Empire Theory provides a framework for mapping power. After this talk, you’ll be able to start mapping power in your organization and beyond.
Mothering a Dev Team: How Wardley Maps Saved My Parenting & My Job
This Mom is no stranger to bringing lessons learned via parenting into the workplace, and vice versa. I’ll show you how to use Wardley Maps, and other planning strategies, to streamline your life, and your work projects, in new and exciting ways!
Three Frames on Development and Operations
DevOps, Serverless, and Wardley Maps, three frames for making sense of the waves of change in IT.
Continuous Mapping
Kill all your darlings, crumple all your Wardley Maps. Not every map needs to be a perfectly polished artifact and sometimes a lo-fi, easily discarded sketch (or two or two dozen) is superior in that it allows a space to be wrong and grants permission to explore.
An Introduction to Mapping
At Map Camp ATL 2019, Simon Wardley introduces the concepts of situational awareness, why maps matter and how to map a competitive landscape. He examines a few basic patterns in mapping and how the field is being currently used.
Mapping Policing in the UK with Tim Ebenezer of Foundation SP
Tim Ebenezer and Ben Mosior get together for a mapping session on UK Policing. They walk step-by-step through a hypothetical example, sharing their stories and experiences along the way!
Evolution-informed Security Strategy with Mario Platt of Privacy Beacon
Mario Platt of Privacy Beacon joined Ben Mosior for a LearnWardleyMapping Patron livestream to discuss strategy, security as a constraint vs an enabler, and The Four Problems to address for an adequate 2020+ security posture.