Impact maps facilitate this process, taking it even further. Instead of just connecting features to goals at the start of a product milestone or a project, impact maps allow us to maintain a dynamic roadmap that changes with our learning, keeping the goal in mind and making features and scope secondary to it. We visualise assumptions, which allows

Impact maps help to keep user stories honest –

A common way teams fail with iterative delivery is to incrementally deliver pieces that only bring value when they come together at the end. Jeff Patton famously illustrated the difference between incremental and iterative delivery with his Mona Lisa drawing.

The centre of an impact map answers the most important question: Why are we doing this? This is the goal

should get to something that clearly shows how to save money, earn money or protect money.

the umbrella of agile or lean delivery methods, and more recently lean startup ideas, will learn how to better focus deliverables and engage business sponsors and users.

approaches to impact mapping are used in many proven management styles, including US and UK military Mission Command

Build-measure-learn

Draw the map skeleton Find alternatives Identify key priorities Earn or learn