Why I’m Still a Big Fan of Product Roadmaps
In recent years, a growing number of voices have argued that product roadmaps are becoming obsolete, claiming they no longer serve modern product teams effectively. Industry thought leader Marty Cagan has also repeatedly pointed out the limitations of roadmaps and has proposed alternative approaches. Moreover, I encounter product managers who view roadmaps as bureaucratic processes that clash with the agile principles of continuous discovery and delivery.
Despite these views, I must admit — I LOVE PRODUCT ROADMAPS.
I remain convinced of their utility — perhaps in a revised format or under a different name (I like the idea of “State of the Union — the Product Version), but I firmly believe in preserving their essence.
The product roadmap offers three key benefits that make this tool important for product leaders.
- Planning
- Communication
- Engagement and Motivation
Planning
At its core, a product roadmap ensures that our product managers and their teams work toward the long-term and broader objectives of the organization — closely tied to the organization’s vision and strategy. This framework helps in wisely planning and prioritizing the product themes (or as some, like myself, call them “product pillars”) and their associated initiatives. The roadmap enables us to visualize how these diverse efforts contribute to our end goals. It also serves as a tool for resource allocation and sparks discussions around which initiatives should be included in the final plan.
Communication
If you are a product person, you should know that communication should be one of the most important aspects of your role. I truly believe that a product manager can never over-communicate. A roadmap serves as an excellent tool for this, helping convey the product’s agenda to R&D teams and managers, the upper management, business leaders, and sometimes even customers. The primary benefit here is alignment among various stakeholders on upcoming plans, priorities, and focus areas. Unlike other communication tools that might be overlooked, the roadmap presentation captures the necessary attention for achieving alignment.
Engagement and Motivation
A roadmap is a wonderful tool for empowering teams — especially those directly involved in product development such as product management, product operations, design, content writing, engineering, and data science. It offers a guiding framework for the quarter or year, allowing teams to work without constantly seeking strategic direction from management. While it provides a focus, it also allows room for experimentation and flexibility in execution. Additionally, it helps teams understand how their work aligns with the company’s overarching vision and goals, thereby showcasing the value and impact of their products.
Additional Thoughts
Roadmaps and Agile
Contrary to what some believe, roadmaps and agile methodologies are complementary, not mutually exclusive. Agile aims to have teams move swiftly, test assumptions, and iterate. We want the teams to move fast, but not fast to nowhere. Roadmaps guide this quick movement in a direction aligned with the company’s vision, strategy, and set priorities.
Context
The roadmap should be contextualized within the company’s overarching vision and business objectives. This context should be part of the roadmap presentation. This sets the stage for presenting product pillars, initiatives, and high-level prioritization.
Priority and Dependencies
Alignment on prioritization and the sequence of initiatives/tasks is another key value of the roadmap. This dialog with the business stakeholders and management approval is crucial. This influences resource allocation and enables product managers to operate more autonomously within these guidelines.
What about initiatives that are out-of-scope?
Yes, the roadmap, when relevant, should also address initiatives that didn’t make the cut. Particularly those discussed between the product teams and the stakeholders during the process of building the roadmap.
Language and Story
Crafting a roadmap that speaks to diverse stakeholders is challenging. The language — and sometimes the story behind the roadmap — that you use with sales and business development teams might differ from the language and story you present to your engineering teams. Similarly, the story for the customer will be different as well. Striving for clarity and simplicity, and sometimes tailoring different versions for various audiences, is essential.
There’s much more to say about roadmaps, but these are the core benefits and focal areas I wanted to highlight. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Good luck!
