Abstract:In the last two articles we have gained an understanding of the impact map, and this article will continue to bring you the thoughts and reflections of technology gurus on the application of agile development.

1. Impact maps

Impact maps are a great way to integrate strategic goals (whether company-level or product-level or project-level) with the day-to-day work of engineers. And present it to everyone in a visual way. This way, when a new quest comes along, we can just look at the impact map and see if it satisfies a character’s impact on the goal. If not, the task needs to be dealt with later or discarded.

In addition, impact maps are a good lubricant between strategy and release and iteration. It makes it clearer for the team to do the right thing, not the right thing.

Also, impact maps are not suitable for maintenance projects and are more suitable for new product exploration (projects with high uncertainty). And the impact of the map requires senior technical and operational personnel to participate in the preparation.

2. How to compile the impact map

In this workshop, we encountered several problems when compiling impact maps. Sorted as follows:

  • HOW do I write the influence in the influence map?

First we need to understand the structure of the influence map: goals, roles, influences, and functions. So what’s the impact? Impact is the impact (positive or negative) that a character has on our goals. Questions like these may help you better understand the impact. How should the character’s behavior change? How does a character help us achieve our goals? How can they hinder or prevent us from achieving our goals? These are all influences. Similarly, function (WHAT) refers to the influence of a role on the goal, which method can be used to achieve it.

  • How to determine the target in the influence map?

For a complete impact map, goals are crucial. In general, if the goal is unclear, I generally recommend setting aside half an hour or more for the goal (depending on the complexity of the goal). The size of the goal can be a strategic level goal for the company or a product or project level goal. For the scale of the target, if it is an Internet company, it is recommended to set a target of 3 to 6 months. If you’re in a traditional industry, you can aim for six to 12 months. Of course, this is only a reference and needs to be determined according to the specific situation.

3. Finally, a very important method is introduced — Pareto’s Law.

Pareto’s rule, also known as the 80/20 theorem. Why is this law introduced? This is because we can’t do things perfectly, perfectly. Then we might have to spend 20% of our effort trying to get 80% of the results. The last 20 per cent turns out not to be worth the investment. The same is true for impact maps. We need to remember that impact maps are dynamic and emergent. This map doesn’t mean it’s done. Let’s follow it. It’s about reminding us that this is a hypothesis and we need to test it. If the test fails, quickly move on to another hypothesis. If the verification is successful, then we need to further verify and consolidate our results based on this.

Overall, impact maps are a great tool. It effectively links goals and tasks. It is recommended that everyone read this book.

To learn more about the impact of Agile development on the map, please pay attention to the live broadcast of “The Rocking Brothers PK on Agile Development” at 19:30, July 30, to see how huawei cloud giants break down the barriers between business and r&d directly with easy-to-use tools.

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