Market research
A relationship mapping tool shows the people, teams or organizations relevant to one decision and labels the specific ties between them. Build a small manual draft here, then check each consequential link with the people involved. A line is a working hypothesis, not a verified introduction.
Workspace
Start with one question, such as “Who can introduce our team to the person approving this change?” Use roles or initials when a personal name is unnecessary.
Add role-based actors and label what connects them. This is a manual first draft, not CRM sync, contact discovery or relationship scoring.
Confirmed links are green; assumptions are dashed amber; links needing review are gray. The canvas scrolls on small screens.
Method
Name the decision, then add only the people, teams or organizations whose role matters to it.
Label each direction and tie with an action such as “approves” or “introduces”; record evidence, status and checked date.
Ask the people involved to verify uncertain links, assign a next action, and remove sensitive details before exporting or sharing.
For a hypothetical supplier review, try roles such as account owner, project sponsor and procurement reviewer. Label a possible introduction “assumed” until someone can confirm it; these are example roles, not real contacts.
Make the first draft useful
A complete directory can hide the missing link that matters. Start with one decision and a limited set of people, teams or resources. NN/g distinguishes this selective view from a comprehensive reporting chart.
NN/g: organizational relationship-map method“Connected to” is not enough to plan action. A CDC-hosted original study defined mentorship and collaboration ties to match its research question. Your manual map can label the specific kind of link, but it does not calculate the study’s network metrics.
CDC: original network study and tie definitionsUse a role or initials when that is enough, and inspect the file before it leaves your device. The UK ICO’s data-minimisation guidance supports collecting only what serves a defined purpose; this is a design principle, not legal advice or a compliance claim.
UK ICO: data minimisation guidanceChoose by the question
| Map type | Choose it when… | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship map | You need to see selected people or teams and the specific links between them around one question. | NN/g method |
| Org chart | You need formal reporting lines or a more complete hierarchy, not only a decision-specific network. | NN/g distinction |
| Stakeholder grid | You need to group stakeholders by power and interest to plan engagement. | University of Birmingham guide |
| Ecosystem map | You need the actors and exchanges across a whole service rather than one relationship question. | Ecosystem map maker |
Common question
No. It is a small first-draft editor, not a Salesforce sync or live team workspace. If you need continuous account intelligence, compare a dedicated CRM-integrated product. Here, the value is making uncertain links and the next conversation visible.
Keep exploring
Build a service ecosystem map by adding actors and labeling their exchanges. Review what is missing, then download an SVG draft from the free workspace.
Visualize organizations and relationships in a business network, with an editable diagram.
Learn how to scope a service ecosystem, record actors and exchanges with source notes, then draw and export a free editable map. Includes map-type guidance.
Download a blank ecosystem map as SVG or CSV. Define your project focus, add actors and label value exchanges in a free browser editor.