Simon's Introduction: Foundational Video Series
Start your Wardley Mapping journey with Simon Wardley's foundational video series covering the core concepts and practical applications.
45 min read•Beginner
Learn Wardley Mapping
Master the fundamentals of strategic thinking with our comprehensive learning resources.
Guides & Tutorials
Step-by-step guides to help you master Wardley Mapping
Wardley Mapping 101: A Beginner's Guide to Outthinking Competitors
Master the fundamentals of Wardley Mapping in this comprehensive guide. Learn how to create strategic maps that reveal competitive dynamics and guide better decision-making.
15 min read•beginner
Simon's Original Writings
Access Simon Wardley's latest thoughts and original writings on strategy, mapping, and technology evolution.
Ongoing updates•All levels
Glossary
Key terms and concepts in Wardley Mapping
Coevolution of Practice
A strategic pattern describing how practices evolve alongside the changing characteristics of underlying components, requiring new methods as technology and context shift.
Strategy
Doctrine
A set of 40 universal principles for strategic success, focusing on situational awareness, user needs, and adaptability in dynamic environments.
Strategy
Evolution Stages
The four stages that all components go through: Genesis, Custom Built, Product, and Commodity.
Core Concepts
Gameplay
A catalog of repeatable competitive plays identified through mapping; apply combinations of plays to your specific landscape to remove friction, evolve components, and gain advantage.
Strategy
ILC Model
Innovate-Leverage-Commoditize model - a sensing mechanism that enables businesses to identify new opportunities by monitoring successful customers and copying their solutions.
Strategy
Notation
The visual symbols and conventions used in Wardley Mapping to represent components, dependencies, and evolution stages.
Core Concepts
Value Chain
The sequence of activities that create value for your customers, from raw materials to final delivery.
Core Concepts
Book Passages
Key insights from Simon Wardley's original work
Understanding Value Chains
Simon Wardley explains the fundamental importance of value chains in strategic thinking and how understanding the sequence of value-creating activities is essential for effective strategy.
Simon Wardley•Wardley Maps: Topographical intelligence in business
All Models Are Wrong but Some Are Useful
George Box's famous quote explains why no model perfectly represents reality. Models accelerate decision-making by simplifying complexity — but oversimplification can create risk. Wardley applies this principle to mapping: a map is never complete, yet it remains one of the most powerful strategic tools when its limits are understood.
Simon Wardley•Wardley Maps: Topographical intelligence in business
The Confederates Are Somewhere Over There
The Battle of Ball’s Bluff shows how poor situational awareness and vague assumptions can destroy both armies and businesses. Union generals marched troops into disaster by acting on imprecise intelligence. The lesson for leaders: without maps and clarity, projects become death on arrival.
Simon Wardley•Wardley Maps: Topographical intelligence in business
The Four Stages of Evolution
Simon Wardley explains the four evolution stages that all components go through, from Genesis to Commodity, and how understanding this evolution is crucial for strategic decision-making.
Simon Wardley•Wardley Maps: Topographical intelligence in business
Ready to Practice?
Apply what you've learned with real-world case studies and templates