A Wardley Map visualizes the value chain of a business along two axes: vertically, the visibility to the user (top: customer need, bottom: underlying infrastructure) and horizontally, the evolutionary stage of the components (from Genesis through Custom Built and Product to Commodity). This representation makes visible which parts of the value chain are in which stage and where strategic movement is occurring.
An example: an online retailer might create a Wardley Map showing that product search (top, close to customer) runs on commodity infrastructure (cloud hosting, bottom right) but uses a custom-built recommendation engine (middle, Custom Built). The map immediately makes clear: cloud hosting should not be operated in-house but purchased as a commodity. The recommendation engine is moving toward Product and could soon be replaced by standard solutions. Strategic investments should flow into areas that are still in the Genesis phase and offer genuine competitive advantage.
The concept was developed by Simon Wardley. The strength of the Wardley Map lies in making movement and evolution visible rather than just depicting the status quo. The weakness: classifying the evolutionary stages requires experience and remains partly subjective.
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