Developed by Simon Wardley at Fotango in 2005 and later published openly in his book Wardley Maps.
Plots the components behind a user need by visibility and by how far each has evolved toward commodity, showing what to build, buy, or outsource.
When to reach for it
When deciding what to build in-house and what to consume as a utility, or anticipating which parts of a market are about to commoditize.
How it runs
- Put the user and their need at the top.
- List the components that meet the need, with their dependencies.
- Place each component by stage, from genesis to commodity.
- Mark which components are moving and how fast.
- Read off what to build, buy, or use as a utility.
- Review the map with others; disagreements expose uncertainty.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- Wardley Maps, book published openly on Medium; the practice began at Fotango in 2005