There are no silver bullets. No ‘one right answer’ for every situation. Best practices are past practices from another place and time, with different conditions. To find successful moves in our conditions requires strategic thinking. So how do we do this?
Imagine you’re lost in a foreign city where you don’t speak the local language. What would you do?
You’d open a map on your phone to see where you are, find where you want to get to, and your options for movement. Then you’d set off in the right direction. In unfamiliar terrain, a map becomes an almost magical tool. So why don’t we use them in business?
Wardley Mapping AI
AI is a foreign city for most businesses. Failing to act could mean falling behind rivals. But making false steps could take us in the wrong direction, damaging our brand and destroying value. In this unfamiliar landscape, we need a map to find our way.
The generic Wardley Map (attached) has a vertical value chain. This shows the components we use to create value by satisfying user needs. The horizontal axis shows how much certainty — or lack of it — we have about these components. The question we will use this map to answer is: what moves should we be making with AI?
These discussions are taking place across industries worldwide today. Yet few do so with a map. They’re all trying to find their way blindfolded — with no awareness of their landscape or how it’s changing — hoping that their next moves are the right ones. But with a map we get that all-important context:
With a map of our landscape we can clearly see our options for action and understand where the uncertainty is. Now we can make choices appropriate for us — those that align with the amount of risk we’re prepared to take on — rather than blindly following others, and hoping it’s not down a dead end, or off a cliff.
Quick Test
In your next discussion about AI, ask colleagues where the uncertainty is.
If they can’t explain it simply, then it’s time to get a map.
What Next?
Turning situational awareness into action.
To follow this series join the Telegram channel t.me/wardleymapping
Or subscribe to the blog https://powermaps.net/blog
If you found this post useful consider sharing it with others.
Imagine you’re lost in a foreign city where you don’t speak the local language. What would you do?
You’d open a map on your phone to see where you are, find where you want to get to, and your options for movement. Then you’d set off in the right direction. In unfamiliar terrain, a map becomes an almost magical tool. So why don’t we use them in business?
Wardley Mapping AI
AI is a foreign city for most businesses. Failing to act could mean falling behind rivals. But making false steps could take us in the wrong direction, damaging our brand and destroying value. In this unfamiliar landscape, we need a map to find our way.
The generic Wardley Map (attached) has a vertical value chain. This shows the components we use to create value by satisfying user needs. The horizontal axis shows how much certainty — or lack of it — we have about these components. The question we will use this map to answer is: what moves should we be making with AI?
- Focus on AI ‘above the line’ (ATL) — launching new solutions for users with AI agents, or replacing existing solutions with ones cheaper for us to provide?
- Focus on using AI ‘below the line’ (BTL) — improving the reliability and cost of the underlying components we use, perhaps by plugging them into an LLM?
These discussions are taking place across industries worldwide today. Yet few do so with a map. They’re all trying to find their way blindfolded — with no awareness of their landscape or how it’s changing — hoping that their next moves are the right ones. But with a map we get that all-important context:
- The AI agent is on the extreme left of the map, meaning it’s full of uncertainty. We should tread carefully here — perhaps being a fast follower, waiting for AI agents to become more reliable first?
- The LLM is on the right, meaning there’s a high degree of certainty about it. This is the direction the market is heading. Can we gain an advantage over rivals by being a first mover here?
With a map of our landscape we can clearly see our options for action and understand where the uncertainty is. Now we can make choices appropriate for us — those that align with the amount of risk we’re prepared to take on — rather than blindly following others, and hoping it’s not down a dead end, or off a cliff.
Quick Test
In your next discussion about AI, ask colleagues where the uncertainty is.
If they can’t explain it simply, then it’s time to get a map.
What Next?
Turning situational awareness into action.
To follow this series join the Telegram channel t.me/wardleymapping
Or subscribe to the blog https://powermaps.net/blog
If you found this post useful consider sharing it with others.
