Domain Driven Design Greece Meetup #13 on Wardley mapping and a discussion on its relation to DDD

1. Exploring the domain using Wardley Maps
Kostas Stroggylos
@sparcular

2. Disclaimer
I am by no means an expert on the topic
According to Simon Wardley, it takes about 7 years to learn how
to map: 6 years thinking “I should really learn how to map” and
1 year to actually sit down and learn how to do it

3. On decision making

4. Wardley Mapping /wôrdlē mapping/ verb
The process of making strategic decisions (leadership) based
on the purpose ("the game"), a description of the competitive
landscape (a map), the external forces acting on the landscape
(climate), and the training of your people (doctrine).

5. How did these factors / terms emerge?
John Boyd’s Observe-Orient-Design-Act loop

6. The Strategy Cycle
The Strategy Cycle. CC-BY-SA, Courtesy of Simon Wardley

7. The Strategy Cycle (Sun Tzu’s five factors & OODA loop)

8. 1. Purpose
Defines the scope of your actions and your moral imperative
(what you do and why you do it)
Useful questions:
- What is your reason for going to work every day?
- What do you hope to achieve and why?
- What is the core principle that motivates you?

9. The importance of Landscape, Climate and Doctrine
© https://twitter.com/marcusguest/status/1177303050303737857

10. A different view...
© https://twitter.com/JeffGrigg1/status/1177551001261359104

11. 2. Landscape
A map of a competitive business landscape is visual and context-specific like a
physical terrain map, but:
- Anchor: Magnetic North => Users and their needs
- Components: Troops and obstacles => Value chain (capabilities required to
serve needs)
The position of components on a Wardley map depend on:
- Visibility to the user
- Evolutionary stage

12. Wardley Map /wôrdlē map/ noun
A value chain — a chain of needs — (users, needs, and
capabilities arranged and connected according to
dependency) mapped against the four stages of evolution
(Genesis, Custom, Product, and Commodity).

13. A value chain of business needs

14. Types and stages of evolution
Image courtesy of Simon Wardley, CC-BY-SA 4.0

15. Types and stages of evolution vs Cynefin
Image courtesy of Dave Snowden / Leading Edge Forum

16. An evolution stage cheat sheet
Image courtesy of Simon Wardley, CC-BY-SA 4.0

17. 3. Climate
Climatic patterns are those things which change the map
regardless of your actions.
You cannot stop them from happening, BUT
You can influence, anticipate and exploit them
- Common economic patterns
- Competitor actions

18. Some common climatic patterns
1. Everything evolves through supply & demand competition
2. Efficiency enables innovation
3. Past success breeds inertia
4. Characteristics change as capabilities evolve
5. No single method fits all
6. Higher order systems create new sources of worth

19. A map with climatic patterns notation
Image courtesy of Simon Wardley, CC-BY-SA 4.0

20. 4. Doctrine
Training of your people in the standard ways of operating and
the techniques that you almost always should apply.
Principles that can be studied and integrated into
organizational behavior, based on maturity
4 Phases:
- Stop self-destructive behavior
- Become more context aware
- Better for less
- Continuously evolving

21. Image courtesy of Simon Wardley, CC-BY-SA 4.0

22. 5. Leadership (Gameplay)
Given your Purpose, the Landscape, the Climate, and your
Doctrine, now you can make an informed decision about
which strategy is appropriate for the context and take action
against it.
(pro tip: take some lessons from gardening)

23. Image courtesy of Simon Wardley, CC-BY-SA 4.0

24. So, what’s the connection to DDD?
DDD can act as a strategic enabler for multiple doctrines
- Know your users / focus on user needs (domain expert)
- Improve communication (ubiquitous language)
- Be transparent (e.g. event storming)
- Remove duplication (e.g. supportive / generic domains)
- Distribute power and decision making (bounded context)
A map is just a model! It’s likely wrong but it could be useful

25. Time to map! The Wardley Mapping Canvas can help

26. Wardley Map notation
Image courtesy of Simon Wardley, CC-BY-SA 4.0

27. Sample maps : Amazon AWS
© Adrian Cockcroft / AWS @ map-camp London, October 2019

28. Sample maps: money flow (making a cup of tea)
Image courtesy of Simon Wardley / CC-BY-SA 4.0

29. Sample maps: privacy preserving techniques
Source: UN Privacy Preserving Techniques Handbook

30. Thanks!
https://www.theurlist.com/wardleymapping