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The Art of CTO Wardley Map Builder is an interactive strategic planning tool for creating value chain maps that visualize technology evolution and inform build-vs-buy, investment, and organizational decisions.

Wardley Map Builder

Create strategic Wardley maps visually. Map your technology landscape, identify evolution stages, and make better build-vs-buy decisions.

Quick Start Guide

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 "Edit" then select a component to modify its name, description, position, and inertia flag.

4. Export

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

Click to add components, connect them, and export your strategic map. Your work is auto-saved.

💡 Select a mode above to get started (or press ESC to deselect)

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:

Frequently Asked Questions

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.