Impact Map: Visualize Your Path from Business Goals to Deliverables
An Impact Map is a strategic visualization technique that helps product teams prioritize which features to build by creating clear connections between business objectives, users, desired impacts, and specific deliverables. This powerful planning tool ensures that development efforts stay focused on what truly matters for business success and user satisfaction.
What Is an Impact Map?
An Impact Map is a visual strategic planning technique developed by Gojko Adzic (licensed under Creative Commons 4.0) that creates a logical hierarchy between:
- Business goals - The fundamental "why" behind your project
- Actors - The users or stakeholders who will be affected
- Impacts - The behavioral changes you want to create in those actors
- Deliverables - The specific features or products that will drive those impacts
This four-level strategic map forces teams to explicitly connect every feature or deliverable back to the business goal through the impacts they'll have on specific users, ensuring development stays focused on value creation rather than feature accumulation.
Benefits & When to Use Impact Mapping
Impact Mapping is particularly valuable when:
- Starting a new product or major release planning
- Facing conflicting feature priorities or scope creep
- Needing to realign development with business objectives
- Communicating your product strategy to stakeholders
- Wanting to measure the success of features beyond simple delivery
The key benefits include:
- Creating shared understanding of why you're building specific features
- Highlighting which user groups to focus on for maximum impact
- Making it easier to prioritize features based on their connection to business goals
- Providing a framework for measuring success beyond feature delivery
- Visualizing your entire product strategy in one coherent view
How to Create an Impact Map
Start with your business goals (30 minutes) Define what you want to accomplish - your "why." Place this on the left side of your map. Be specific and focus on measurable business outcomes rather than vague aspirations.
Identify your actors (20-30 minutes) Add the people involved who will help achieve these goals - typically users of the service or other stakeholders. Connect them to your goal with lines to show relationships.
Determine the impacts for each actor (30-45 minutes) For each actor, identify the specific behaviors or changes you want to create. How will they help you achieve your goal? These might include actions like "visit more frequently," "stay longer," or "complete purchases faster."
Define your deliverables (30-45 minutes) For each impact, identify concrete features or products that will help create that impact. These are the specific things your team will build.
Review the completed map (15-20 minutes) You now have a visual representation that links your business goals to concrete deliverables through the actors and impacts. This helps you judge the value of each feature and determine how to measure its effectiveness.
Tips for a Successful Impact Mapping Session
- Limit your scope: Focus on one primary business goal per map to maintain clarity
- Be specific with actors: Don't just list generic "users" - break them down into meaningful segments
- Frame impacts as behaviors: Describe what actors will do differently, not just what they'll receive
- Question each connection: For every deliverable, verify it truly creates the intended impact
- Use it for prioritization: When deciding what to build first, use the map to identify which deliverables potentially create the most impact
- Revisit and revise: Impact maps are living documents that should evolve as you learn more
- Include metrics: For each impact, consider how you'll measure whether it's achieved
Impact Mapping helps remote product teams stay aligned on priorities and ensures that every feature connects back to meaningful business outcomes. By making these connections visible, it empowers teams to focus on delivering value rather than just shipping features.
