What is the customer trying to do?
Anchor the map in a real need. Work down through the capabilities that make it possible, so the conversation begins with value.
← Business portfolioSee where to build.
Wardley strategy mapping
See where to build.
Where to buy.
And what to question.
A roadmap shows what you plan to do. A Wardley Map helps you examine the landscape behind that plan: the customer need, its dependencies, and how those capabilities evolve.
Part of ScrumDo Business preview.
A checkout value chainIllustrative map · Select a component
↑ More visible to the customer
Finish checkout
GenesisCustom
builtProductCommodity
/ utility
builtProductCommodity
/ utility
Evolution →
Custom built
Make the experience yours.
The checkout journey shapes how customers experience the service. In this example, the team adapts it to its own customers and constraints.
A question for the portfolioWhich part of the journey is worth making distinctive?
Positions are assumptions to discuss. A map informs a decision; it does not make it for you.
An original illustrative example using Simon Wardley’s mapping method. Components run from new and uncertain to standardized; their vertical position reflects visibility to the customer.
From landscape to a better conversation
Challenge the investment.
Before it becomes the roadmap.
What deserves custom effort?
Discuss which capabilities are novel, custom, available as products, or supplied as utilities. Make competing assumptions visible.
What should we test or change?
Use the map to inform experiments, sourcing choices, and portfolio priorities. Record the reasoning and revisit it as the landscape changes.
Mapping in ScrumDo
Keep the perspectives behind the picture.
ScrumDo’s strategy mapping brings placements and connections into Strategy Feedback. Explore patterns across responses, then inspect an individual map and the story behind it.
Use that evidence in the portfolio conversation, alongside objectives, investment choices, and delivery work.
Explore objectives and key results →Is a Wardley Map a project timeline?
No. The horizontal axis describes evolution, not a delivery date. The vertical axis reflects the value chain and visibility to the user. Dependencies show what the service relies on.
Does the map tell us what to buy?
It helps frame the question. Placement alone does not settle a sourcing decision; requirements, risk, economics, and available evidence still matter.
How does it relate to OKRs?
The map helps discuss where to act. An objective describes the change you want; key results define how you will assess it. Review both when new evidence challenges the plan.