Wardley Map Creation Skill
Create Wardley Maps to visualize value chains and component evolution for strategic planning.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Wardley Map Creation tasks - Working on create wardley maps from value chains and user needs
- Planning or design - Need guidance on Wardley Map Creation approaches
- Best practices - Want to follow established patterns and standards
MANDATORY: Documentation-First Approach
Before creating Wardley Maps:
- Invoke
docs-managementskill for mapping patterns - Verify Wardley mapping methodology via MCP servers (perplexity)
- Base guidance on Simon Wardley's original methodology
Wardley Map Fundamentals
Wardley Map Structure:
VISIBLE TO USER
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ User Need │
│ ○ │
│ \ │
│ ○ Component A │
│ \ │
│ ○ Component B ──── ○ Component C │
│ \ \ │
│ ○ Component D ○ Component E │
│ \ │
│ ○ Component F │
│ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
INVISIBLE TO USER
◄──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────►
Genesis Custom-Built Product/Rental Commodity
(I) (II) (III) (IV)
EVOLUTION AXIS ──────────────────────────────────────────────►
Evolution Stages
| Stage | Characteristics | Examples | |-------|-----------------|----------| | Genesis (I) | Unique, poorly understood, rare, uncertain, changing | New AI capabilities, novel algorithms | | Custom-Built (II) | Uncommon, understood by few, growing, best practice emerging | Custom integrations, bespoke solutions | | Product (III) | Common, understood, stable, best practice known | Commercial software, SaaS platforms | | Commodity (IV) | Ubiquitous, standardized, certain, utility-like | Cloud compute, electricity, bandwidth |
Evolution Properties
Properties Change Along Evolution Axis:
Genesis ────────────────────────► Commodity
Ubiquity: Rare ──────────────────────────► Everywhere
Certainty: Uncertain ─────────────────────► Certain
Failure: High ──────────────────────────► Low
Market: Undefined ─────────────────────► Defined
Knowledge: Uncertain ─────────────────────► Known
User perception: Chaotic ──────────────────────► Ordered
Focus: Exploration ───────────────────► Exploitation
Map Creation Process
Step 1: Identify User Need
Start with the user's actual need (not a solution):
Good User Needs:
- "I need to process customer payments"
- "I need to communicate with my team"
- "I need to deploy software to production"
Bad (Solution-focused):
- "I need Stripe" (solution, not need)
- "I need Slack" (solution, not need)
- "I need Kubernetes" (solution, not need)
Step 2: Build Value Chain
Work backwards from user need to dependencies:
Example: E-commerce Platform
User Need: "Buy products online"
│
├── Product Catalog
│ ├── Search
│ ├── Product Data
│ └── Images
│
├── Shopping Cart
│ ├── Session Management
│ └── Pricing Engine
│
├── Checkout
│ ├── Payment Processing
│ ├── Address Validation
│ └── Tax Calculation
│
└── Order Fulfillment
├── Inventory
├── Shipping
└── Notifications
Step 3: Position Components
Place each component on the evolution axis:
| Component | Evolution Stage | Rationale | |-----------|-----------------|-----------| | Product Catalog | Product | Many commercial options | | Search | Commodity | Elasticsearch, Algolia commoditized | | Payment Processing | Commodity | Stripe, PayPal utilities | | Pricing Engine | Custom | Business-specific rules | | AI Recommendations | Genesis | Still evolving rapidly |
Step 4: Add Dependencies
Draw links showing dependencies:
Dependency Rules:
- Higher components depend on lower
- Arrows flow down and to the right
- Visible components near top
- Infrastructure components near bottom
Step 5: Annotate Movement
Add evolution indicators:
Movement Notation:
○────► Moving right (commoditizing)
○◄──── Moving left (rare, usually wrong)
○ ∿ ∿ Inertia (resistance to change)
○ !! Warning/concern
Wardley Map in Mermaid (Approximate)
%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': { 'primaryColor': '#fff', 'lineColor': '#333'}}}%%
flowchart TB
subgraph visible["Visible to User"]
UN["User Need: Buy Products"]
PC["Product Catalog"]
SC["Shopping Cart"]
CO["Checkout"]
end
subgraph invisible["Invisible to User"]
SE["Search"]
PP["Payment Processing"]
DB["Database"]
CL["Cloud Compute"]
end
UN --> PC
UN --> SC
UN --> CO
PC --> SE
PC --> DB
SC --> DB
CO --> PP
PP --> CL
SE --> CL
DB --> CL
classDef genesis fill:#f9f,stroke:#333
classDef custom fill:#fcf,stroke:#333
classDef product fill:#cfc,stroke:#333
classDef commodity fill:#ccf,stroke:#333
Text-Based Map Notation
For precise Wardley Maps, use Online Wardley Maps (OWM) notation:
title E-commerce Platform
anchor User [0.95, 0.70]
component Product Catalog [0.82, 0.65] label [-10, -10]
component Shopping Cart [0.75, 0.55] label [10, -10]
component Checkout [0.70, 0.60] label [10, 10]
component Search [0.60, 0.85] label [-10, -10]
component Payment Processing [0.45, 0.90] label [-20, 10]
component Database [0.35, 0.75] label [10, 10]
component Cloud Compute [0.20, 0.95] label [-10, 10]
User->Product Catalog
User->Shopping Cart
User->Checkout
Product Catalog->Search
Product Catalog->Database
Shopping Cart->Database
Checkout->Payment Processing
Payment Processing->Cloud Compute
Search->Cloud Compute
Database->Cloud Compute
evolve Payment Processing 0.95
note Custom pricing engine at 0.55, 0.35 [business differentiator]
Component Positioning Guide
Visibility (Y-axis)
| Position | Component Type | |----------|----------------| | 0.90-1.00 | Direct user interaction | | 0.70-0.89 | User-facing features | | 0.50-0.69 | Application services | | 0.30-0.49 | Platform/infrastructure | | 0.10-0.29 | Utilities | | 0.00-0.09 | Raw resources |
Evolution (X-axis)
| Position | Stage | |----------|-------| | 0.00-0.17 | Genesis | | 0.18-0.40 | Custom | | 0.41-0.70 | Product | | 0.71-1.00 | Commodity |
Common Mapping Patterns
Pioneer-Settler-Town Planner
Pioneers: Genesis → Custom
- Explore new territory
- High failure tolerance
- Focus on innovation
Settlers: Custom → Product
- Take pioneer discoveries
- Make them useful
- Focus on product-market fit
Town Planners: Product → Commodity
- Industrialize at scale
- Focus on efficiency
- Volume and margins
Identifying Anchors
Anchor: User needs or market expectations that don't change
Good anchors:
- "Communicate with customers" (stable need)
- "Process transactions" (stable need)
Bad anchors:
- "Use email" (solution, will evolve)
- "Use SQL database" (technology, will evolve)
Workflow
When creating Wardley Maps:
- Start with Purpose: What decision are you trying to make?
- Identify Users: Who are you mapping for?
- Define Needs: What do users actually need?
- Build Chain: Map components from need to dependencies
- Position Components: Place on evolution axis
- Add Movement: Show evolution direction
- Identify Opportunities: Find strategic options
- Iterate: Maps improve with understanding
Output Template
# Wardley Map: [Context]
## Purpose
[What strategic question is this map answering?]
## Scope
[What boundaries define this map?]
## User Need
[The anchor need at the top of the map]
## Map
[OWM notation or diagram]
## Key Components
| Component | Position | Evolution | Notes |
|-----------|----------|-----------|-------|
| [Name] | [y, x] | [stage] | [observations] |
## Movement
[Components evolving and direction]
## Strategic Observations
[What the map reveals]
## Questions Raised
[What needs further exploration]
References
For detailed guidance:
Last Updated: 2025-12-26