Your complete guide to understanding and creating Wardley Maps. Learn the fundamentals of strategic thinking and value chain mapping.
Essential Guide
15 min read•Beginner
Great strategists don't trust luck. They trust maps.
Wardley Mapping reveals the logic of your industry: where value flows, where it stagnates, where new value will emerge. Make decisions you'll defend in 3 years, not decisions you'll regret in 3 months.
Execution
Agile Teams
Stop shipping features based on stakeholder loudness. Visualize dependencies and accelerate what users actually need.
Infrastructure
Enterprise Architects
Stop managing debt as crisis response. Design the ecosystem your organization deserves with decisions that endure restructures.
StrategicComing Soon
C-Suite / Executive Leaders
Avoid being the next incumbent disrupted by unforeseen market shifts. See where disruption will hit in the next 18 months—and position your business to lead it, not chase it.
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Startup Founders / Product Leaders
Identify underserved gaps and defensible positions before building. Map the landscape to win against incumbents with a fraction of their R&D spend.
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Transformation / Change Leaders
Create shared understanding across resistant and eager teams. Diagnose adoption readiness by sustainability zone and target interventions that stick.
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Product Owners
Surface what users truly need—not what your VP imagines. Deprioritize low-impact work and double down on measurable ROI.
InfrastructureComing Soon
IT Leaders
Stop treating infrastructure as a cost drain. Align your technology roadmap to business objectives before the board questions investment.
InfrastructureComing Soon
Operations / Supply Chain Leaders
Transform siloed inventory views into predictive network insight. Surface bottlenecks before they hit and target automation where it returns ROI.
SpecializedComing Soon
Healthcare / Regulated Industry Leaders
Navigate compliance complexity by mapping what must stay proprietary versus what can flex. Anticipate regulatory disruption before it reshapes cost structures.
Specialized
Strategy Consultants
Operationalize strategy faster. Turn complex landscapes into actionable, defensible recommendations trusted by top firms and agencies.
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Educators
Help students see systems, not silos. Build strategic thinking skills that transfer to careers across industries.
Strategic Clarity
What is Wardley Mapping?
Wardley Mapping is a way to represent your business so you can see what matters, what depends on what, and what's changing.
Instead of drowning in strategy documents, you get a simple picture that shows:
- • where you're strong,
- • where you're exposed,
- • and where to act next.
It helps you and your team make choices with clarity — not guesswork.
Working with agile teams? See how Wardley Mapping addresses the gap between delivery metrics and product efficiency.
Example Map
Retail Shopping Landscape
Strategic analysis of retail shopping evolution and value chain
Key Insights:
- • Transition from physical to virtual retail
- • Data-driven personalization as advantage
- • Social interactions moving to virtual spaces
- • New asset classes emerging (crypto, NFTs)
Your Learning Journey
Learn → Practice → Apply
Follow this proven pathway to master Wardley Mapping and become a better strategist.
Learn
Master the fundamentals of Wardley Mapping through structured learning.
- • Wardley Mapping 101
- • Step-by-step guides
- • Core concepts explained
- • Book passages & insights
Practice
Apply your knowledge with real-world examples and templates.
- • Case studies
- • Templates & checklists
- • Map gallery
Apply
Take your skills to the next level with advanced courses and coaching.
- • Advanced courses
- • Strategy workshops
- • Expert coaching
Start Your Journey
Begin with these essential resources to master Wardley Mapping
Watch Simon Wardley's foundational video series introducing the core concepts of Wardley Mapping and strategic thinking.
Video Tutorials
20 min watch•Beginner
Access Simon Wardley's latest thoughts and original writings on strategy, mapping, and technology evolution.
Most Important
Ongoing updates•All levels
Ready to transform your strategic thinking?
Join thousands of strategists who use Wardley Mapping to make better decisions and create competitive advantage.