Wardley maps are a well-known tool with many applications. This presentation runs through an example to highlight the usefulness of the tool

1. Stealing from Wardley
Wardley Map ideas for Product Managers and Friends

2. A Clearer view
on your
Competitive
advantage
Is your new
product late,
just in time or
early?
How do you
defend your
position?
Optimise your
spend on tech
and features
Integrate
product and
tech strategy
Better matching
of jobs to
people
Strategies for
dealing with
partners and
suppliers

3. What are Wardley Maps?

4. Y: Value Chains, chains of needs

5. It’s simple: Anchors and
Needs

6. X: Drift over time to commodity

7. TypeStage 1 2 3 4
Activities Genesis Custom
Product and
Rental
Commodity
and Utility
Practices Novel Emerging
Good
Practice
Best
Practice
Data Unmodelled Diverges Converges Modelled
Knowledge Concept Hypothesis Theory Accepted

8. Genesis Custom Built Product (+ rental) Commodity (+ utility) Evolution
#Timesheets
Team Admin
Log task
Join/
leave a
project
Look up
entries
Edit
entries
Reminder
to log
data
Easy,
hassle
free
Back end
services
Invoicing
Leave
reconciliation
Operations
reports
Booked
time
Leave
data
Online
dashboard
CSV File
export

9. Genesis Custom Built Product (+ rental) Commodity (+ utility) Evolution
#Timesheets
Team
Log task
Join/
leave a
project
Look up
entries
Edit
entries
Reminder
to log
data
Easy,
hassle
free
Back end
services
One
click?

10. Genesis Custom Built Product (+ rental) Commodity (+ utility) Evolution
#Timesheets
Team
Log task
Join/
leave a
project
Look up
entries
Edit
entries
Reminder
to log
data
Easy,
hassle
free
Back end
services
One
click?

11. Genesis Custom Built Product (+ rental) Commodity (+ utility) Evolution
#Timesheets Easy,
hassle
free
One
click?
Know
patterns
Prompt with N
+“yes” or
“edit”
Enable
an edit
Know leave &
holiday data
Slack
tools
Yesterday’s
weather
Special stuff
Special stuff
Out of the
box
Special stuff
APIs maybe
Out of the
box, almost

12. So, what next?

13. Product Thinking
Genesis Custom Built Product (+ rental) Commodity (+ utility) Evolution
What’s the customer impact?
What’s the competition like?
How does our product stand apart?
How should we act differently?
A Clearer view on your competitive advantage
Is your new product late, just in time or early?
How do you defend your position?
Optimise your spend on tech and features
Integrate product and tech strategy
Better matching of jobs to people
Strategies for dealing with partners and suppliers

14. Product Thinking
Genesis Custom Built Product (+ rental) Commodity (+ utility) Evolution
Not in
Industry
Company
Novel
Industry Novel
Company
Special
Industry
Special
Company
Common
Industry
Common
Company
Commodity
Industry
Commodity
Company
Trivial

15. Company Novel
Industry Novel
Company Special
Industry Special
Company common
Industry Common
Company Commodity
Industry Commodity
Company Trivial
Novelty
High risk
Risky. Need to enhance
and defend IP
Execution risk
IP generic
Operations risk. Don’t
get complacent. Known
territory.
Industry Commodity
Company Trivial
Risk
Creating new IP
Industry Novel
Company Special
Industry Special
Company common
Industry Common
Company Commodity
Industry Commodity
Company Trivial
IP
Exploratory
Partner with experts.
Invent together.
Crafted, Bespoke
Work with deep
partners. Deep
ownership.
Crafted, Known
Partner with Industry
Expertise for
acceleration
Built, Known
Partnership – Delegate
for cost or focus.
Rented
Reliable, cost effective
Partner
type
Your team
Partner team
Your
team
Partner
team
Staffing
Profile
Partner team

16. Genesis Custom Built Product (+ rental) Commodity (+ utility) Evolution
#Timesheets Easy,
hassle
free
One
click?
Know
patterns
Prompt with N
+“yes” or
“edit”
Enable
an edit
Know leave &
holiday data
Slack
tools
Yesterday’s
weather
Business
domain
special
Company Novel
Industry Novel
Company Special
Industry Special
Company common
Industry Common
Company Commodity
Industry Commodity
Company Trivial
Novelty
DIY for
business
rules of
business
patterns
Grab a slack
expert
Generic HR
and API stuff
Generic HR
and API stuff
Advantage in
the Design
Advantage
in the
Design
Partner for
AI

17. Useful
• Wardley’s booklet/blog
• https://medium.com/wardleymaps
• https://learnwardleymapping.com/book/
• An interview with Simon
• https://www.infoq.com/presentations/interview-wardley-maps/
• Miro template
• https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwiLhIyQrZ_0AhVPg0sFHXqPAb8YA
BAAGgJzZg&ae=2&sig=AOD64_3AQgq1GN5GqljrUoIpB8ClcErUPQ&q&adurl&ved=
2ahUKEwiT4IOQrZ_0AhUpxzgGHeClD1cQ0Qx6BAgCEAE

18. Craig Brown
craig@everest.engineering