wardley
Skill111 starsChanged 10 months agoMITView on GitHub
Wardley Mapping strategic analysis—map value chains against evolution to reveal build vs buy decisions and competitive dynamics. Use for technology strategy or investment decisions.
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
2 rules. About 0 are common, 2 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈2
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
0
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Distinctive: line 9
Create a strategic map showing components positioned by their evolution stage and visibility in the value chain.
- Distinctive: line 116
Always start with user need
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 308,232 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Wardley Map
Create a strategic map showing components positioned by their evolution stage and visibility in the value chain.
Instructions
Identify the user need, map the value chain of components required to meet it, and position each component on the evolution axis.
Output Format
Context: [What situation we're mapping] User: [Who the user is] User Need: [What they're trying to accomplish]
Value Chain Identification
Working backward from user need:
| Component | Depends On | Visibility |
| [User Need] | [what it requires] | High (User-facing) |
| [Component A] | [what it requires] | High/Med/Low |
| [Component B] | [what it requires] | High/Med/Low |
| [Infrastructure] | [base requirements] | Low (Hidden) |
Evolution Assessment
| Component | Evolution Stage | Evidence |
| [Component A] | Genesis / Custom / Product / Commodity | [Why at this stage] |
| [Component B] | Genesis / Custom / Product / Commodity | [Why at this stage] |
Evolution Indicators:
- Genesis: Novel, poorly understood, no standard, high uncertainty
- Custom: Emerging practices, divergent approaches, experimentation
- Product: Feature differentiation, rental/purchase models, scalable
- Commodity: Standardized, utility pricing, essential but undifferentiated
The Map
VISIBLE │
TO │ [User Need]
USER │ │
│ ▼
│ [Component A]
│ │
│ ▼
INVISIBLE│ [Component B]
│
└──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────►
GENESIS CUSTOM PRODUCT COMMODITY
I II III IVMovement Analysis
What's evolving rightward?
| Component | Current Stage | Evolving Toward |
| [component] | [stage] | [next stage] |
Inertia Points
- [Component with inertia] — [why we might resist]
Strategic Analysis
Build vs. Buy
| Component | Recommendation | Rationale |
| [Genesis/Custom] | Build | Differentiator |
| [Commodity] | Buy | Commodity, not differentiating |
Competitive Dynamics
Our differentiators (left side of map):
- [Component we do differently]
Commoditization threats:
- [Component becoming commodity]
Recommendations
Short-term actions:
- [Action based on map insights]
What to stop doing:
- [Component to outsource/buy instead of build]
Key Insight:
[Main strategic takeaway from the mapping exercise]
Guidelines
- Always start with user need
- Everything evolves left to right (genesis → commodity)
- Build on the left (differentiation), buy on the right (commodity)
- Watch for inertia—past success creates resistance to change
$ARGUMENTS
Other versions1 project uses a version of this.
Word for word · 0
None found.
Edited · 0
None found.
Wrote their own version · 1
- ironyjk/strategy-frameworks★ 14same name
How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
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