System Map
A System Map visually represents all actors involved in a service and their interconnections, including flows of information, resources, and value. It helps teams understand the holistic service ecosystem and identify potential areas for improvement or innovation.
Use this method when you need to gain a shared understanding of a complex service, identify key stakeholders, and visualize the relationships between different service components.
Solves: Lack of shared understanding of the service ecosystem, siloed thinking, difficulty identifying leverage points for improvement.
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Step 1: Identify the core service and its primary purpose. (5 min)
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Step 2: Brainstorm all actors involved in the service, including users, providers, partners, and supporting systems. (20 min)
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Step 3: Map the relationships between these actors, indicating the flow of information, resources, and value. Use arrows and labels to clarify the nature of each connection. (45 min)
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Step 4: Review the map as a group, identifying gaps, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement. (30 min)
- Encourage participants to think broadly and consider all possible actors and relationships.
- Focus on capturing the key flows and connections, rather than getting bogged down in details.
- Use different colors or symbols to represent different types of relationships.
- Regularly check for understanding and ensure everyone is aligned on the map's content.
- Create separate maps for different aspects of the service, such as the user journey or the information flow.
- Use different mapping techniques, such as value network mapping or ecosystem mapping.
- Incorporate data and metrics into the map to quantify the impact of different relationships.