Roadmaps

A roadmap is a strategic planning artifact that communicates a plan for achieving goals over time. In business and product contexts, roadmaps describe the intended direction, major initiatives, and approximate timing, providing a shared reference for teams and stakeholders.

Common types include product roadmaps, technology roadmaps, and project roadmaps. Product roadmaps outline features and capabilities to deliver; technology roadmaps map technical capabilities and infrastructure; project roadmaps focus on milestones and deliverables within a program. Roadmaps may be time-based, feature-based, or a hybrid, and they vary in granularity.

Core components typically include the vision or goal, strategic themes, initiatives or epics, a timeline or milestones, owners, and dependencies. Metrics or success criteria may be attached to initiatives to assess progress.

Process: creation involves cross-functional input, alignment with strategy, prioritization (e.g., value vs effort), and validation with stakeholders. Roadmaps are usually living documents updated as assumptions change or new information emerges.

Uses and benefits: alignment across teams, prioritization and capacity planning, communication with customers and executives, and risk management by exposing dependencies and bottlenecks. They also warn that roadmaps are high-level and subject to change, and should not be treated as fixed commitments.