Why you need to start mapping things.

Most of the systems we live in are too complex to figure out or keep track of. Because we don't see them, we fail to realize or appreciate the interdependencies. Out of necessity, many complex systems have just been reduced to warning lights when something is wrong. Take your car, for instance; CEI reports, "The average car has 30 to 50 different computers, and high-end cars have as many as 100, and they're accompanied by 60 to 100 different electronic sensors. And it's not just the hardware that's ballooned, but the software too. Apollo 11 had 145,000 lines of computer code, but cars today can have more than 100 million." Clearly, there is some hidden complexity to your car. 

Now think about human systems. Government, healthcare, education, food systems, all of these are wildly complex. Most of the time spent talking about them is time spent on agreeing about what everyone is even talking about. Try and have a conversation about food security and even agree on what the factors might be in under 30 minutes. You can't. It's a mess. 

One way to facilitate these conversations and understandings is to map them. Now before you head to the comment section to quote Korzybski, yes, I know the map is not the territory. At least a map gives us the opportunity to point what we are talking about.

In 18 years of consulting with small businesses, I have found that drawing maps of processes and systems is the fastest route to collective clarity about what the issues are. A map drawing session will instantly show what a person knows or doesn't know about the system. It showcases where they feel they are in the system. This can be immensely illuminating. 

Now don't worry about being an artist. I've drawn thousands of maps and mine still looking kindergarten scribbles. If I need them to be presentable I use Lucidchart. 

Here are some example of my scribbling that I drew sitting with clients. They may mean nothing to you, but they really moved the needle for them. 

So how do you start mapping? By starting. Get out a pen and paper. Try these exercises, and feel free to take a picture and leave it in the comments.

1. Draw a map from your house to your grocery store if you had to ride a bicycle there. Add whatever information would be helpful for me to follow the map. These are called navigation maps.

2. Draw a map of how elementary, middle school, and high school work. These are called process maps.

3. Draw a map of your favorite foods. This is most likely a mindmap.

Now if you just can’t bring yourself to use pen and paper, head over to Lucidchart and try their tool. It’s amazing. It has tons of templates like this one to get you going.

Want to map your project? Tweet at me @clintonbrown. In the future I will release tons of maps that I use. If you have any you would like to see let me know.