Diagnose & Map method guide
Value Mapping
Value Mapping examines value captured, missed, destroyed, absent, surplus and newly possible across stakeholders.
Beginner-friendly guide · 4 min read
What Value Mapping does
Value Mapping examines value captured, missed, destroyed, absent, surplus and newly possible across stakeholders.
Value mapping widens business-model discussion beyond the value captured by the focal organisation. It asks how value is created, missed, destroyed or left uncaptured for customers, partners, society and the environment.
The method is particularly useful for sustainable innovation because it makes negative outcomes and unequal exchanges discussable before jumping to solutions.
The Cambridge Value Mapping Tool was developed for sustainable business-model innovation. It broadens value beyond the focal organisation and makes negative and uncaptured outcomes visible alongside opportunities.[1][2][3]
Examine what is captured, missed or destroyed before designing a new exchange.
| Stakeholder | Captured value | Missed value | Destroyed value | New opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer | Time saved | Unused data | Complexity | Early warning |
| Delivery partner | Revenue | Learning | Rework | Shared service |
| Society | Efficiency | Reuse | Waste | Circular model |
InnovationFlow explanatory schematic, synthesised from the method sources[1][2][3].
Understand the method
The parts in plain language
When to use it
- When redesigning a business model or sustainability proposition.
- When different stakeholders experience very different forms of value and harm.
A practical workflow
- 1
Define the unit of analysis, purpose and stakeholder groups.
- 2
Map current value exchanges and value captured by each stakeholder.
- 3
Identify missed, destroyed, absent and surplus value.
- 4
Synthesize opportunity themes and route them into business-model or roadmap work.
Fictional worked example
Example: equipment refurbishment
This example is illustrative rather than a reported case. A manufacturer maps value around returned industrial equipment.
Observation:Customers gain reliable equipment at lower capital cost.
Implication:Quantify the value proposition by customer segment.
Observation:Usable components are recycled rather than reused.
Implication:Create inspection and parts-recovery capability.
Observation:Returns logistics create emissions and delay.
Implication:Explore regional collection and refurbishment partners.
From analysis to decision
How to interpret the result
- 1Keep each observation tied to a named stakeholder.
- 2Distinguish evidence about the present from hypotheses about future value.
- 3Route selected opportunities into business-model tests and roadmap actions.
The interpretation guidance is an InnovationFlow synthesis of[1][2][3].
What a useful output looks like
Common pitfalls
- Do not reduce value to financial value alone.
- Keep observations concrete enough to test with stakeholders.
References and method basis
- [1]Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge (n.d.). The Cambridge Value Mapping Tool. Institute for Manufacturing. Source ↗Originating institution
- [2]Bocken, N., Short, S., Rana, P. and Evans, S. (2013). A value mapping tool for sustainable business modelling. Corporate Governance, 13(5), 482-497. Source ↗Peer-reviewed research
- [3]Bocken, N., Rana, P. and Short, S. (2015). Value mapping for sustainable business thinking. Journal of Industrial and Production Engineering, 32(1), 67-81. Source ↗Peer-reviewed research
This guide synthesises the named sources into practical questions for strategy and innovation work. It does not claim that using a tool by itself produces a successful decision.