What is a Wardley Map and why do CTOs use them?

A Wardley Map is a visual strategy tool that plots components of a value chain on two axes: visibility to the user (vertical) and evolutionary stage from genesis to commodity (horizontal). CTOs use them to identify which technologies to build vs. buy, where to invest R&D, and how to anticipate market shifts. They are particularly effective for communicating technology strategy to boards and non-technical executives.

How do you create a Wardley Map for your technology stack?

Start by identifying your user need at the top of the map, then list every component required to serve that need. Position each component along the evolution axis: genesis (novel/uncertain), custom-built (understood but unique to you), product (available off-the-shelf), or commodity (utility/standard). Draw dependency lines between components. The resulting map reveals strategic opportunities like commoditizing custom-built components or investing in genesis-stage differentiators.

Tools

Where should we invest, and where should we buy commodity?

Wardley Map BuilderAbout 30 min · Canvas · Free

How to build a mapShow

1. Add Components

Click "Add Component" then click anywhere on the canvas. Components are positioned by:

Vertical (Visibility): How visible to users (top = high visibility)
Horizontal (Evolution): Genesis → Custom → Product → Commodity

2. Connect Dependencies

Click "Connect" then click two components to create a dependency arrow (from → to).

3. Edit Properties

Click a component to modify its name, description, position, and inertia flag. Ctrl+Z undoes any change.

4. Export

Click "Export" to download as markdown (for publishing), JSON (for sharing/importing) or a PNG image.

Click to add components, connect them, and export your strategic map. Your work is auto-saved in this browser every 30 seconds.

💡 Click "Add Component", then click on the map to place your first component. Or load an example.

Legend

Component

High Inertia

Dependency

Annotation

Components: 0 | Dependencies: 0

No component selected

Click a component to edit its properties

What is a Wardley Map?

Purpose

Wardley maps are strategic tools for visualizing your technology landscape. They help you understand:

Where each component sits in its evolution
What depends on what (value chain)
Where to invest vs use commodity solutions
Strategic opportunities and risks

The Two Axes

Vertical (Visibility/Value Chain):

Top: Visible to users (features, UX)
Bottom: Infrastructure (databases, APIs)

Horizontal (Evolution):

Genesis (0-25%): Novel, experimental
Custom (25-50%): Understood but not standard
Product (50-75%): Commercial products available
Commodity (75-100%): Standardized, use existing

Example Use Cases

Platform Engineering

Map your developer platform from custom scripts to self-service portals. Identify where to invest.

Observability Stack

Visualize monitoring tools. Decide: Datadog vs Prometheus? Build vs buy?

Authentication

Map auth components. See why you should buy authentication but build authorization.

Need Inspiration?

Check out our example Wardley maps for common CTO scenarios:

Platform Engineering Evolution - Custom scripts → Self-service platforms
Observability Stack - Monitoring, logging, and tracing decisions
Authentication & Authorization - When to build, when to buy Auth0
CI/CD Pipeline Maturity - Manual deploys → GitOps

About this toolWhy it matters, common mistakes, FAQ

Where Should You Invest, And Where Should You Just Buy?

Engineering effort spent on something that is becoming a commodity is effort not spent on what makes you different. The judgement is about evolution — what is genuinely novel today will be a managed service in three years.

Build-versus-buy is settled per decision, in isolation, with no view of how the component is evolving. Mapping the chain is what makes the pattern visible: the things worth building are almost never the things that are easiest to build.

Questions CTOs ask

What is a Wardley Map and why do CTOs use them?: A Wardley Map is a visual strategy tool that plots components of a value chain on two axes: visibility to the user (vertical) and evolutionary stage from genesis to commodity (horizontal). CTOs use them to identify which technologies to build vs. buy, where to invest R&D, and how to anticipate market shifts. They are particularly effective for communicating technology strategy to boards and non-technical executives.
How do you create a Wardley Map for your technology stack?: Start by identifying your user need at the top of the map, then list every component required to serve that need. Position each component along the evolution axis: genesis (novel/uncertain), custom-built (understood but unique to you), product (available off-the-shelf), or commodity (utility/standard). Draw dependency lines between components. The resulting map reveals strategic opportunities like commoditizing custom-built components or investing in genesis-stage differentiators.