Over the last few days I have been focussing on the how to render a Wardley Map. This post is going to cover the Why.
Wardley Maps are about value chains and their evolution against a axis. They can be used to discuss strategy without getting into stories. Its easier to challenge a map than a story.
The main benefit of having a map is that it allows you to clearly show how your current activities tie to the need that you are trying to resolve. In consultants terms this allows you to clearly state What Problem Are We Trying to Solve.
More accurately for a Wardley Map is how do we make changes that are related to a need. All Wardley maps start with an anchor in a user need.
Odd thought could I combine Impact Maps with Wardley Maps.
Impact Maps use the following chain:
Goal ->Actor -> Impact -> Deliverable
It makes sense to limit the number of goals in progress at a given time. If all work has to clearly tie back to a goal then there should be less waste on vanity items that don’t link to the goal. It also helps on prioritising things given this clarity.
Impact maps have a useful feature: when a goal is reached alternative routes can be stopped. This is something that other techniques don’t have.
Developer Rants 