← Back

What's Next: Regions, Cynefin, and Beyond

What's Next: Regions, Cynefin, and Beyond
L
posted by admin
November 25, 2025

The Wardley Map PR is in draft, working through code review. Here’s what’s on the roadmap once the core implementation lands.

Immediate Priority: Regions

The most requested Wardley Map feature. Regions let you group components into market segments, organizational boundaries, or areas of focus:

wardleyMap
    title Platform Strategy

    region "Core Platform" [0.3, 0.4, 0.8, 0.9]
    region "Partner Ecosystem" [0.1, 0.2, 0.7, 0.4]

    component api "API" [0.5, 0.7]
    component db "Database" [0.6, 0.5]
    component partner "Partner Portal" [0.4, 0.3]

    api -> db
    partner -> api

The region syntax takes a label and bounding box coordinates [minVis, minEvo, maxVis, maxEvo]. The renderer draws semi-transparent rectangles behind the components.

Implementation approach:

This follows the same layered pattern as the core implementation.

Pipelines

Pipelines are horizontal groupings at the same visibility level. They’re common for showing multiple implementations of the same capability—different database options, competing solutions, build vs buy choices:

wardleyMap
    title Data Storage Options

    pipeline "Data Storage" [0.6]
        component postgres "PostgreSQL" [0.8]
        component mongo "MongoDB" [0.6]
        component custom "Custom Store" [0.3]

    component api "API Layer" [0.75, 0.65]
    api -> postgres
    api -> mongo

Components inside a pipeline share visibility (the [0.6] in the pipeline declaration) but have their own evolution positions. The renderer draws them connected horizontally.

Annotations and Movement

Strategic maps need context. Annotations let you add notes, callouts, and movement indicators:

wardleyMap
    component legacy "Legacy System" [0.8, 0.3]
    component modern "Modern Platform" [0.75, 0.65]

    note legacy "Deprecating Q2 2025"
    movement legacy [0.8, 0.65]  // Arrow showing planned evolution

    legacy -> modern : "Migration path"

Three annotation types:

  • Notes: Text callouts attached to components
  • Movement arrows: Show planned evolution direction
  • Edge labels: Describe the relationship between components

Inertia Indicators

Inertia is resistance to change—organizational, technical, or market-driven. It’s critical for strategy discussions:

wardleyMap
    component erp "ERP System" [0.75, 0.5] inertia
    component crm "CRM" [0.6, 0.7]

    erp -> crm

Components marked with inertia get a visual indicator (typically a bar or weight symbol) showing they’re hard to move. This is essential for realistic strategy planning—some things don’t evolve smoothly.

Beyond Wardley: Cynefin Diagrams

Cynefin is another strategic framework by Dave Snowden. Different axes, different purpose—it’s about categorizing problems by their complexity:

  • Clear (formerly Simple): Best practices apply
  • Complicated: Expert analysis needed
  • Complex: Probe-sense-respond required
  • Chaotic: Act-sense-respond in crisis
  • Confused: The center, where you start
cynefin
    title Project Portfolio

    domain complex
        item "AI Strategy"
        item "Market Entry"
        item "Culture Change"

    domain complicated
        item "System Architecture"
        item "Performance Optimization"

    domain clear
        item "Deployment Pipeline"
        item "Monitoring Setup"

    domain chaotic
        item "Security Incident Response"

Same architecture pattern as Wardley Maps—different grammar, different renderer. The parser infrastructure I built is reusable.

The Implementation Plan

  1. Get Wardley Map PR through code review — current focus
  2. Merge core implementation — basic components, edges, evolution
  3. Add regions in follow-up PR — highest community demand
  4. Community input on pipelines vs annotations — what do people actually need?
  5. Cynefin as separate proposal — different RFC, same architecture

Contributing

Open source means this roadmap can shift based on what people actually need. Once the core lands, the real feedback loop begins.

If you want to help:

  • Test the implementation: Try the test HTML file locally
  • Report issues: Edge cases, syntax suggestions, rendering bugs
  • Propose features: Open issues describing use cases
  • Review code: Fresh eyes catch bugs

The goal is strategic thinking native to where we work. Wardley Maps in your README. Cynefin diagrams in your ADRs. Strategy that lives with the code.

Let’s make it happen.

© leomata.com