As part of Working the Edges, we are excited to present Cat Swetel all the way from Phoenix, Arizona.

Cat will be running a 2-hour online session on Wardley Mapping where she will introduce key concepts and get small groups to create Wardley Maps as quickly as possible, finishing with a short Q+A session.

WHAT IS WARDLEY MAPPING?

Simon Wardley, the inventor of Wardley Maps, describes them as building "Topographical Business Intelligence''. Wardley Maps are about building situational awareness and a better understanding of the competitive environment in which a business, product or service sits.

They are a framework to provide a shareable point of reference to elicit new conversations and develop unique business strategy and actionable insights.

They can help several levels, for large organisations to interrogate a technology stack or speculate on a competitor's strategic approach or for small businesses or independent contractors to look for innovation opportunities or anticipate where an industry sector might be heading in the future.

ABOUT CAT SWETEL

Cat is a technology leader deeply interested in exploring how digital transformation facilitates relationships and could create conditions for more generative institutions. In addition to leadership experience in a variety of settings from startups to large enterprises, Cat is also an accomplished public speaker delivering keynotes and workshops all around the world. In her leisure time, Cat enjoys cooking, hiking, making jokes about bitcoin, and reading feminist literature.

ABOUT WORKING THE EDGES

Working the Edges is a year-long programme of online and in-person events to share stories and introduce cutting edge tools in Futures Thinking, Strategy and Innovation. It is presented by Creative HQ and We Create Futures and supported by Wellington City Council.

Working the Edges is for anyone who wants to think about the future critically and creatively to build new strategic approaches, products and services in their business.

There is a workshop element to each session, where you will be working in small groups. Often this will be using online tools such as Miro and Zoom, but we will also be facilitating in-person sessions at the CHQ offices in Wellington throughout the year.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

We designed this series of events for small businesses, startups, freelancers and anyone interested in cutting edge approaches to strategy and innovation that are often only available to larger entities.

You will learn tools and methods that you can take back and use in your own business or creative practices, but we will not be focussing on individual problems faced by businesses. We will not be trying to solve issues like cash flow, start-up funding or dealing with specialised subjects like Product Management (although individual speakers or facilitators might explore topics like these during the course of the programme).