Overview

Introduction to Strategy is a free step-by-step guide to introduce you to strategy, constraints, and Wardley Mapping where you learn by doing.

What you will get out of this guide

How you will get there

You will start by selecting a system that you care about that you want to improve. This can be a business, a product, or something else.

Lastly, you will follow a step-by-step procedure to analyze the system. This is where the bulk of the work happens.

It is in the course of analyzing the system where, over time, you will develop an understanding of strategy, constraints, and Wardley Mapping by doing.

You can visit, or revisit, any part of the guide by clicking on the links in the navigation section of the page.

The navigation section outlines the progression through the guide. Additionally, there are links on the bottom of each page to the next and previous sections.

What do I need?

You'll need your mind, something to write with, and something to write on. Anything beyond that is a convenience but not required.

What is different about this guide?

Learning strategy and Wardley Mapping can be overwhelming and full of obstacles. This guide is designed to get around those obstacles with its unique step-by-step procedural approach. In particular, it is designed to: provide immediate value, work in solo settings, always be clear about what the next thing to do is, be clear in what detail to add or remove, avoid large difficulty ramps, do not overwhelm, introduce Wardley Mapping, and teach strategy by doing strategy.

If at any point the guide is failing in one or more of these goals, please give feedback so it can be improved.

FAQ

What is Wardley Mapping?

Wardley Mapping is a method for using topographical intelligence in business strategy invented by Simon Wardley. For a quick introduction, see Ben Mosior's Wardley Mapping in 90 seconds. For a longer introduction by the author himself you can find one of his many talks on YouTube.

Wardley Mapping can be overwhelming to learn. There is even a running joke in the community that it takes about 7 years to learn: it takes 6 years and 11 months spent going "I really need to learn this mapping stuff" and the last month actually doing it.1 This guide is designed to get around those years of procrastination by introducing specific elements of Wardley Mapping in specific contexts.

License

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Getting started

Select a system you care about to improve with this guide. Choose a business, product, or any system you are familiar with for easier progress through the step-by-step procedure.