Impact Mapping

Purpose

Impact Mapping, developed by Gojko Adzic, connects software deliverables to business goals through a simple four-level map: Why (goal) → Who (actors) → How (impacts) → What (deliverables). It prevents teams from building features that do not contribute to any business outcome.

At a glance

How to run

1. Define the goal (10 min) — What business goal are we trying to achieve? Be specific and measurable: "Increase monthly active users from 50K to 100K by Q4."
2. Identify actors (15 min) — Who can help us achieve or hinder this goal? List all actors: users, segments, partners, competitors, internal stakeholders.
3. Describe impacts (25 min) — For each actor, how should their behaviour change to support the goal? What impact do we want to have on them? Write impacts as behaviour changes.
4. Brainstorm deliverables (25 min) — For each impact, what can we build or do to create that behaviour change? These become candidate features or initiatives.
5. Prioritize (10 min) — Which deliverables have the highest leverage? Mark the ones to pursue first.
6. Close (5 min) — Transfer high-priority deliverables to the product backlog. Set review dates.

Materials needed

• Impact map template (radial idea map or four-column table)
• Business goal with metrics
• Actor/persona descriptions
• Whiteboard, idea-mapping tool, or Miro

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Goal is vague — "Grow the business" is not a goal. Make it specific and measurable.
• Jumping to deliverables — Always go through actors and impacts first. Deliverables without impact are waste.
• Only listing users — Include all actors: support staff, partners, regulators, competitors.
• Map is never revisited — Review the impact map quarterly to update assumptions.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Share the business goal and actor list in advance.
• Use a visual radial idea map format for diverse thinking styles.
• Allow written contributions before group discussion.

Variations

• Impact mapping + user story mapping — Map impacts first, then create a story map for the chosen deliverables.
• Reverse impact mapping — Start from existing features and trace back to goals to identify orphaned features.
• Lean impact mapping — A condensed 30-minute version for a single goal.

When NOT to use this

• If the business goal is already well understood and the team just needs to execute.
• If there is no measurable business goal — define one first.

Source & further reading

• Adzic, G. (2012). *Impact Mapping*. Provoking Thoughts.
• Patton, J. (2014). *User Story Mapping*. O'Reilly.