The Ultimate Guide to

The Ultimate
Guide to
The Ultimate Guide to

Product Roadmaps

Product
Roadmaps

Why Are Product Roadmaps Important?

Imagine you're setting off on a road trip. You wouldn't just hop in the car and drive aimlessly, right? You'd have a map, a plan of where you're going, and maybe even a few stops along the way.


That's pretty much what a product roadmap is for your product team. It's a strategic guide that outlines the direction, priorities, and progress of your product over time. Think of it as your product's travel itinerary, showing where you're headed and what you'll encounter along the journey.

Getting Everyone on the Same Page

A roadmap ensures that everyone knows the product vision and their role in achieving it. No more "What's next?" confusion.

Setting Priorities

It highlights the most important features and initiatives, so your team knows where to focus their efforts.

Communicating Strategy

A roadmap is a visual way to share your strategy with stakeholders, making it easier to explain your plan.

Tracking Progress

It helps you monitor development and make adjustments as needed to stay on course.

Takeaways

In short, a product roadmap keeps your team aligned, focused, and informed. Plus, it makes it easier to communicate your strategy to anyone who needs to know.

Takeaways

In short, a product roadmap keeps your team aligned, focused, and informed. Plus, it makes it easier to communicate your strategy to anyone who needs to know.

Types of Product Roadmaps

When it comes to product roadmaps, one size definitely does not fit all. Different teams and projects have different needs, so it's important to choose the type that suits your situation best. Let's look at some of the most common types of product roadmaps:

Templates allow you to create consistent product updates, with AI blocks that write the content for you.

Goal-Oriented Roadmaps

Goal-oriented roadmaps are all about the big picture. Instead of getting bogged down in the details, they focus on the high-level goals and outcomes you want to achieve. Think of it as setting your destination on a GPS—you're more concerned about where you want to end up rather than every single turn along the way.

Learn more

Feature-Based Roadmaps

If you love details, a feature-based roadmap might be for you. This type is all about the specific features and functionalities you'll be developing. It's great for teams that need to communicate detailed plans to stakeholders who are interested in the nitty-gritty aspects of product development.

Time-Based Roadmaps

Time-based roadmaps are organized around specific timeframes—like quarters or months. They’re perfect for planning releases and ensuring that the development team stays on schedule. It's like having a calendar for your road trip, marking out when you'll reach each stop.

Now/Next/Later Roadmaps

Now/Next/Later roadmaps are super flexible. They categorize tasks and features into three broad time horizons: what the team is working on now, what's coming up next, and what's planned for later. This type of roadmap is great if your priorities change frequently and you need to adjust on the fly.

Theme-Based Roadmaps

Theme-based roadmaps group features and initiatives around broader themes or objectives. Instead of focusing on individual features, you look at the bigger picture. This type helps ensure that your product development aligns with strategic goals, like increasing user engagement or improving performance.

Takeaways

Choosing the right type of roadmap can make a huge difference in how effectively you communicate your product strategy and keep your team on track. So, take a moment to think about what will work best for your specific needs and go from there.

Takeaways

Choosing the right type of roadmap can make a huge difference in how effectively you communicate your product strategy and keep your team on track. So, take a moment to think about what will work best for your specific needs and go from there.

Key Elements of an Effective Roadmap

Creating a product roadmap is more than just laying out a plan; it's about making sure that plan is effective and actionable. Here are some key elements that every successful product roadmap should have:

Clear Objectives and Goals

First things first, your roadmap needs to start with well-defined objectives and goals. Think of these as your roadmap's north star, guiding every decision and step you take. These goals should align with your overall business strategy and provide a clear direction for your product team. Whether it's increasing user engagement, boosting revenue, or expanding into new markets, having clear goals helps everyone understand what you're working towards.

Clear Objectives and Goals

First things first, your roadmap needs to start with well-defined objectives and goals. Think of these as your roadmap's north star, guiding every decision and step you take. These goals should align with your overall business strategy and provide a clear direction for your product team. Whether it's increasing user engagement, boosting revenue, or expanding into new markets, having clear goals helps everyone understand what you're working towards.

Clear Objectives and Goals

First things first, your roadmap needs to start with well-defined objectives and goals. Think of these as your roadmap's north star, guiding every decision and step you take. These goals should align with your overall business strategy and provide a clear direction for your product team. Whether it's increasing user engagement, boosting revenue, or expanding into new markets, having clear goals helps everyone understand what you're working towards.

Prioritized Features or Themes

Not everything can be a top priority, and that's okay. An effective roadmap prioritizes the most important features or themes, ensuring that your team focuses on what truly matters. Use prioritization techniques like MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) or RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) to help rank your initiatives. This way, you can allocate resources more efficiently and make sure the most critical tasks get done first.

Prioritized Features or Themes

Not everything can be a top priority, and that's okay. An effective roadmap prioritizes the most important features or themes, ensuring that your team focuses on what truly matters. Use prioritization techniques like MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) or RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) to help rank your initiatives. This way, you can allocate resources more efficiently and make sure the most critical tasks get done first.

Prioritized Features or Themes

Not everything can be a top priority, and that's okay. An effective roadmap prioritizes the most important features or themes, ensuring that your team focuses on what truly matters. Use prioritization techniques like MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) or RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) to help rank your initiatives. This way, you can allocate resources more efficiently and make sure the most critical tasks get done first.

Flexible Timeframes

While it's essential to have a timeline, flexibility is key. A good product roadmap allows for adjustments as priorities change or unexpected challenges arise. Think of it as a flexible itinerary for your road trip—you have planned stops, but you're willing to take a detour if you find an interesting landmark along the way. This flexibility ensures that your roadmap remains relevant and adaptable to new information or market conditions.


Flexible Timeframes

While it's essential to have a timeline, flexibility is key. A good product roadmap allows for adjustments as priorities change or unexpected challenges arise. Think of it as a flexible itinerary for your road trip—you have planned stops, but you're willing to take a detour if you find an interesting landmark along the way. This flexibility ensures that your roadmap remains relevant and adaptable to new information or market conditions.


Flexible Timeframes

While it's essential to have a timeline, flexibility is key. A good product roadmap allows for adjustments as priorities change or unexpected challenges arise. Think of it as a flexible itinerary for your road trip—you have planned stops, but you're willing to take a detour if you find an interesting landmark along the way. This flexibility ensures that your roadmap remains relevant and adaptable to new information or market conditions.


Alignment with Company Strategy

Your product roadmap should never exist in a vacuum. It needs to align with your company's overall strategy and objectives. This means making sure that your product development efforts contribute to broader business goals. For example, if your company is focused on customer retention, your product roadmap should include features that enhance user experience and loyalty. This alignment ensures that everyone is rowing in the same direction, making it easier to achieve your overarching goals.

Alignment with Company Strategy

Your product roadmap should never exist in a vacuum. It needs to align with your company's overall strategy and objectives. This means making sure that your product development efforts contribute to broader business goals. For example, if your company is focused on customer retention, your product roadmap should include features that enhance user experience and loyalty. This alignment ensures that everyone is rowing in the same direction, making it easier to achieve your overarching goals.

Alignment with Company Strategy

Your product roadmap should never exist in a vacuum. It needs to align with your company's overall strategy and objectives. This means making sure that your product development efforts contribute to broader business goals. For example, if your company is focused on customer retention, your product roadmap should include features that enhance user experience and loyalty. This alignment ensures that everyone is rowing in the same direction, making it easier to achieve your overarching goals.

Creating a Product Roadmap

Building a product roadmap is like planning an epic trip. You need a clear route, the right gear, and input from your travel buddies. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you create a roadmap that will keep your team on track and your stakeholders in the loop.

Templates allow you to create consistent product updates, with AI blocks that write the content for you.

  1. Define Your Vision and Strategy

Start by understanding what you want to achieve with your product. This vision will be your guiding light, helping you make decisions and prioritize tasks.

  1. Gather Stakeholder Input 

Creating a roadmap isn’t a solo mission. It’s essential to gather input from various stakeholders to ensure the roadmap aligns with their needs and expectations. This means involving:

  • Product Team: Developers, designers, product managers and marketers who will be executing the plan.

  • Executives: Ensuring the roadmap supports the company’s strategic goals.

  • Customers: Gathering feedback to make sure the roadmap addresses their pain points and needs.

  1. Prioritize Initiatives

Not everything can be a top priority. While frameworks like MoSCoW and RICE are great starting points, they're not silver bullets. The number one priority should always be alignment with your company’s goals and strategy. Here's a deeper dive into how to effectively prioritize:

  • Alignment with Company Goals: Ensure that every feature or initiative you consider aligns with your overarching business objectives. If your company is focused on customer retention, prioritize features that enhance user experience and build loyalty. This alignment ensures that your product development efforts contribute to the broader business goals.

  • Continuous Product Discovery: Prioritization isn't a one-time task; it's an ongoing process. Continuous product discovery involves regularly engaging with customers, gathering feedback, and iterating on your product. This helps you stay responsive to market changes and evolving customer needs. By keeping your finger on the pulse of your users, you can make more informed prioritization decisions.

  • Balancing Multiple Inputs: In addition to company goals and customer feedback, consider other inputs like market trends, technological advancements, and competitive landscape. Prioritization is about finding the right balance between these various factors to ensure you’re working on the most impactful initiatives.


By considering these elements along with frameworks like MoSCoW and RICE, you can create a more dynamic and responsive prioritization process that truly drives your product forward.

  1. Choose the Right Format 

Select the type of roadmap that best fits your needs. Whether it’s goal-oriented, feature-based, or time-based, the right format will make your roadmap more effective and easier to understand.

  1. Create the Roadmap

Use a roadmapping tool to create a visual representation of your plan. This makes it easier to communicate your strategy and keep everyone aligned. There are several tools available to help you create and manage your product roadmap. We've listed a few popular ones below.

  1. Communicate the Roadmap

Share the roadmap with your team and stakeholders using a tool like Released. Make sure everyone understands the plan and their role in executing it. Regular communication keeps everyone on the same page and helps manage expectations.

Best Practices for Product Roadmaps

Creating a product roadmap is one thing, but ensuring it's effective and useful requires some thought. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your product roadmap:

Templates allow you to create consistent product updates, with AI blocks that write the content for you.

Keep it Simple and Clear.

Your roadmap should be easy to understand at a glance. Avoid jargon and overly complex details. Use clear labels, simple visuals, and straightforward language. Remember, the goal is to communicate your plan, not to overwhelm your audience with information.

Be Flexible.

A roadmap is a living document. As market conditions change, customer needs evolve, and new information becomes available, be prepared to adjust your roadmap. Regularly review and update it to ensure it remains relevant and accurate.

Communicate Regularly.

Don’t just create a roadmap and forget about it. Regularly communicate updates to your team and stakeholders. This keeps everyone aligned and informed about changes, progress, and new priorities. Consider holding periodic roadmap review meetings to discuss updates and gather feedback.

Involve the Team.

Your roadmap should be a collaborative effort. Involve your team in the creation and updating process. This ensures that everyone has a sense of ownership and understands their role in executing the plan. Plus, your team can provide valuable insights and feedback that can improve the roadmap.

Align with Company Strategy. Always ensure that your roadmap aligns with the broader company strategy and goals. This alignment helps ensure that your product efforts are contributing to the overall success of the business. Regularly check that your roadmap reflects the strategic priorities of the company.

Use Data to Drive Decisions. Whenever possible, base your roadmap decisions on data. This could include user feedback, market research, analytics, and other relevant data sources. Data-driven decisions help ensure that your roadmap is focused on initiatives that will have the most significant impact.

Prioritize Ruthlessly.

Not everything can be a priority. Be ruthless in your prioritization to ensure that your team is focused on the most critical tasks. Use prioritization frameworks like MoSCoW and RICE, but always remember to align with company goals and strategy.

Maintain Transparency.

Keep your roadmap transparent to all relevant stakeholders. This builds trust and ensures that everyone is on the same page. Use tools that allow easy sharing and collaboration, so stakeholders can access the latest version of the roadmap anytime.

Focus on Outcomes, Not Outputs.

Shift your focus from just delivering features (outputs) to achieving specific outcomes. What value will a feature bring to your users? How will it help achieve your strategic goals? This outcome-focused approach ensures that your roadmap is truly driving value.

Public vs Internal Roadmaps

When it comes to product roadmaps, one size definitely does not fit all. Depending on your audience, you might need different versions: a public roadmap for external stakeholders and an internal roadmap for your team. Here’s a breakdown of the key differences and best practices for each.

Templates allow you to create consistent product updates, with AI blocks that write the content for you.

Public Roadmaps

Purpose

Public roadmaps are designed to share your product’s future direction with external stakeholders, such as customers, partners, and investors. They help build trust, manage expectations, and generate excitement about upcoming features.

Key Elements

High-Level Overview: Focus on broader themes and significant milestones rather than detailed tasks. This keeps the roadmap easy to digest for a wide audience.

Customer-Centric: Highlight features and updates that are most relevant to your customers. This shows that you’re listening to their feedback and prioritizing their needs.

Timelines: Use broad timeframes (e.g., quarters) instead of specific dates to allow for flexibility and avoid over-promising.

Visual Appeal: Make it visually engaging with clear categories, icons, and colors. Tools like ProductPlan or Trello can help create attractive, easy-to-share public roadmaps.

Best Practices

Transparency: Be open about what’s coming next, but manage expectations by clearly communicating that timelines and priorities may change.

Feedback Loop: Use your public roadmap as a tool to gather feedback from customers. This can help validate your plans and make necessary adjustments.

Regular Updates: Keep your public roadmap current. Regularly update it to reflect changes and new priorities, ensuring that your audience always has the latest information.

Internal Roadmaps

Purpose

Internal roadmaps are for your product team and other internal stakeholders. They provide a detailed view of your product development plan, helping to coordinate efforts and ensure everyone is aligned.

Key Elements

Detailed Tasks: Include specific tasks, deadlines, and responsible team members. This level of detail helps your team understand exactly what needs to be done and when.

Dependencies: Highlight dependencies between tasks to ensure that everyone is aware of what needs to happen before they start their work.

Metrics and KPIs: Include key performance indicators and metrics to track progress and measure success. This helps keep the team focused on outcomes rather than just outputs.

Flexible Timeframes: While more detailed than a public roadmap, maintain some flexibility to adapt to changes and new information.

Best Practices

Collaboration: Use tools like Jira, Asana, or Aha! that facilitate collaboration and allow team members to update progress in real-time.

Regular Reviews: Hold regular roadmap review meetings to discuss progress, address challenges, and make necessary adjustments.

Alignment: Ensure that your internal roadmap aligns with your company’s strategic goals and the feedback received from your public roadmap.

Balancing Both Roadmaps

While public and internal roadmaps serve different purposes, they should be aligned. Your internal roadmap will have more detail, but the high-level goals and themes should match what you’re communicating publicly. This consistency ensures that there are no surprises for your customers or team members.

Balancing Both Roadmaps

While public and internal roadmaps serve different purposes, they should be aligned. Your internal roadmap will have more detail, but the high-level goals and themes should match what you’re communicating publicly. This consistency ensures that there are no surprises for your customers or team members.

Balancing Both Roadmaps

While public and internal roadmaps serve different purposes, they should be aligned. Your internal roadmap will have more detail, but the high-level goals and themes should match what you’re communicating publicly. This consistency ensures that there are no surprises for your customers or team members.

Bonus tip

By using tools like Released in combination with Jira, you can user the same underlying data for public and internal roadmaps and cherry-pick what information to share in each view.

Bonus tip

By using tools like Released in combination with Jira, you can user the same underlying data for public and internal roadmaps and cherry-pick what information to share in each view.

Bonus tip

By using tools like Released in combination with Jira, you can user the same underlying data for public and internal roadmaps and cherry-pick what information to share in each view.

Tools and Software for Product Roadmaps

Having the right tools can make all the difference in creating and maintaining effective product roadmaps. Here are some of the top tools and software that product managers can use to streamline their roadmapping processes.

Templates allow you to create consistent product updates, with AI blocks that write the content for you.

Jira

Jira is a powerful project management tool widely used by software development teams. While it's known for issue tracking, it also offers robust roadmapping capabilities.

Key Features


Backlog Management: Easily prioritize and manage your backlog.


Roadmap Planning: Visualize your roadmap and track progress with detailed timelines.


Agile Support: Supports Scrum, Kanban, and other Agile methodologies.


Integrations: Seamlessly integrates with other Atlassian products like Confluence and Bitbucket

Best for


Teams already using Jira for project management who want to integrate their roadmapping process.

Jira Product Discovery

Jira Product Discovery is a tool specifically designed for higher-level product planning and discovery. It complements Jira by focusing on the ideation, prioritization, and validation phases of product management.

Key Features


Idea Management: Capture and organize ideas from various sources.


Prioritization: Use built-in frameworks to prioritize ideas based on impact and effort.


Customer Feedback: Integrate customer feedback to validate ideas and ensure alignment with user needs.


Visualization: Create visual roadmaps to communicate high-level plans and strategic direction.


Collaboration: Collaborate with stakeholders and team members to refine and prioritize ideas.

Best for


Product managers looking for a tool to manage the early stages of product planning and discovery, ensuring that high-level strategic direction is well-defined before moving to detailed project management in Jira.

Differences Between Jira and Jira Product Discovery

Jira: Optimized for detailed project management, issue tracking, and sprint planning. Ideal for development teams managing day-to-day tasks and progress.


Jira Product Discovery: Designed for higher-level planning, ideation, and validation. Focuses on capturing and prioritizing product ideas, aligning them with strategic goals, and preparing them for execution in Jira.

Released

Released is an app for Jira that integrates seamlessly with both Jira and Jira Product Discovery. It makes it easy to create roadmaps from Jira issues and ideas, and share them with stakeholders internally and with customers externally.

Key Features


Integration with Jira and Jira Product Discovery: Pull issues and ideas from Jira and Jira Product Discovery to create comprehensive roadmaps.


Customizable Views: Create simple and lightweight views of your internal Jira roadmaps in seconds. Customize columns and display options to tailor the roadmap to your audience.


Filtering Options: Filter issues by type, label, version, or use Jira Query Language (JQL) to create custom views.


Shareable Roadmaps: Easily share roadmaps with your team, stakeholders, or customers via a portal or through embedding the roadmaps directly into your website or app.

Best for


Product teams looking to streamline their roadmapping process and provide transparent, engaging updates to users and stakeholders, directly from Jira and Jira Product Discovery.

ProductPlan

ProductPlan

ProductPlan

ProductPlan is a versatile and user-friendly tool designed specifically for building product roadmaps. It offers a drag-and-drop interface, making it easy to create and share visually appealing roadmaps.

Key Features


Customizable Templates: Choose from a variety of templates to get started quickly.


Collaboration: Allows multiple team members to collaborate in real-time.


Integrations: Integrates with popular project management tools like Jira, Trello, and Slack.


Sharing Options: Easily share roadmaps with stakeholders through a URL or export them as PDFs.

Best for


Product managers looking for a dedicated roadmapping tool with robust collaboration and sharing features.

Aha!

Aha!

Aha!

Aha! is a comprehensive product management suite that includes powerful roadmapping features. It's designed to help you set strategy, prioritize work, and create detailed roadmaps.

Key Features


Strategic Planning: Link your roadmap to your strategic goals.


Feature Prioritization: Use built-in prioritization frameworks to rank features.


Custom Views: Create custom views and reports to meet your specific needs.


Collaboration: Collaborate with team members and gather feedback directly within the tool.

Best for


Product managers looking for an all-in-one product management solution with advanced roadmapping capabilities.

Trello

Trello

Trello

Trello is a flexible and visual project management tool that can be used for roadmapping. Its card-based interface makes it easy to organize tasks and timelines.

Key Features


Boards, Lists, and Cards: Organize your roadmap into boards, lists, and cards for a visual representation of your tasks.


Custom Labels: Use labels to categorize and prioritize tasks.


Power-Ups: Enhance functionality with Power-Ups for integrations and additional features.


Collaboration: Team members can comment, attach files, and update progress in real-time.

Best for


Teams looking for a simple, visual tool to create and manage their roadmaps.

Roadmunk

Roadmunk

Roadmunk

Roadmunk is a roadmapping tool designed to help product managers create beautiful and collaborative roadmaps. It offers a variety of templates and customization options.

Key Features


Multiple Views: Switch between timeline, swimlane, and table views.


Prioritization: Use built-in scoring systems to prioritize features.


Feedback Management: Collect and integrate customer feedback directly into your roadmap.


Sharing Options: Share roadmaps with stakeholders via secure links or export them as PDFs and PowerPoint presentations.

Best for


Product managers who need a dedicated roadmapping tool with strong visualization and feedback integration features.

Productboard

Productboard

Productboard

Productboard is a product management system designed to help teams get the right products to market faster. It combines roadmapping with customer feedback and prioritization features.

Key Features


Customer Feedback Integration: Centralize feedback from various sources and link it directly to features on your roadmap.


Prioritization Frameworks: Use built-in prioritization frameworks to determine what to build next.


Customizable Roadmaps: Create custom roadmaps tailored to different audiences, such as executives, development teams, or customers.


Collaboration: Collaborate with team members and stakeholders to ensure alignment and transparency.


Integrations: Connects with popular tools like Jira, Slack, and Trello to streamline workflows.

Best for


Product managers who want to integrate customer feedback into their roadmapping process and need robust prioritization capabilities.

Take-aways

By leveraging these tools, product managers can create more effective, collaborative, and visually appealing roadmaps. Choose the one that best fits your team's needs and workflow to ensure your product development efforts are well-coordinated and aligned with your strategic goals.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Creating and maintaining a product roadmap can be a complex task, with plenty of opportunities for missteps. Here are some common pitfalls that product managers often encounter, along with strategies to avoid them.

Templates allow you to create consistent product updates, with AI blocks that write the content for you.

Lack of Clear Vision

Without a clear vision, your roadmap can become a collection of random features and tasks rather than a coherent plan.

With Released you can create your roadmap using Jira Epics or Ideas in Jira Product Discovery. Show only the issues you want using easy to user filters or the powerful Jira Query Language (JQL).


Create custom columns to tailor the board to your needs. Map issues via status, priority, team, version, quarter… and many more Jira custom fields.

How to avoid

Define Your Vision: Clearly articulate the long-term vision and strategic goals for your product.
Align Roadmap with Vision: Ensure every item on your roadmap aligns with your overall vision and strategic goals.
Communicate Vision: Regularly communicate the vision to your team and stakeholders to keep everyone aligned.


Overcommitment

Over-commitment

Promising too many features or updates can lead to missed deadlines and disappointed stakeholders.

With Released you can create your roadmap using Jira Epics or Ideas in Jira Product Discovery. Show only the issues you want using easy to user filters or the powerful Jira Query Language (JQL).


Create custom columns to tailor the board to your needs. Map issues via status, priority, team, version, quarter… and many more Jira custom fields.

How to avoid

Prioritize Wisely: Use prioritization frameworks to determine which features will provide the most value.
Set Realistic Goals: Be realistic about what your team can achieve within the given time frame.
Buffer Time: Include buffer time in your roadmap to account for unexpected delays or issues.

Ignoring Customer Feedback

Failing to incorporate customer feedback can result in a product that doesn’t meet user needs.

With Released you can create your roadmap using Jira Epics or Ideas in Jira Product Discovery. Show only the issues you want using easy to user filters or the powerful Jira Query Language (JQL).


Create custom columns to tailor the board to your needs. Map issues via status, priority, team, version, quarter… and many more Jira custom fields.

How to avoid

Collect Feedback: Regularly gather feedback from customers through surveys, interviews, and support tickets.
Integrate Feedback: Use tools like Productboard or Released to integrate customer feedback directly into your roadmap.
Prioritize Feedback: Prioritize feedback based on impact and feasibility to ensure you’re addressing the most critical needs.

Inflexibility

A rigid roadmap can make it difficult to adapt to changes in the market or new information.

With Released you can create your roadmap using Jira Epics or Ideas in Jira Product Discovery. Show only the issues you want using easy to user filters or the powerful Jira Query Language (JQL).


Create custom columns to tailor the board to your needs. Map issues via status, priority, team, version, quarter… and many more Jira custom fields.

How to avoid

Regular Reviews: Regularly review and update your roadmap to reflect changes in priorities or new insights.
Agile Approach: Adopt an agile approach to roadmapping, allowing for continuous improvement and iteration.
Feedback Loops: Establish feedback loops with your team to quickly identify and adapt to changes.

Overly Detailed Roadmaps

Creating a roadmap with too much detail can lead to micromanagement and lack of flexibility.

With Released you can create your roadmap using Jira Epics or Ideas in Jira Product Discovery. Show only the issues you want using easy to user filters or the powerful Jira Query Language (JQL).


Create custom columns to tailor the board to your needs. Map issues via status, priority, team, version, quarter… and many more Jira custom fields.

How to avoid

High-Level Focus: Keep your roadmap focused on high-level goals and milestones rather than detailed tasks.
Flexibility: Allow room for adjustments and refinements as you gather more information.
Iterative Planning: Use iterative planning to break down high-level goals into detailed tasks as you approach execution.

Lack of Stakeholder Buy-In

Lack of Stakeholder
Buy-In

If stakeholders aren’t on board with your roadmap, it can lead to misalignment and lack of support.

With Released you can create your roadmap using Jira Epics or Ideas in Jira Product Discovery. Show only the issues you want using easy to user filters or the powerful Jira Query Language (JQL).


Create custom columns to tailor the board to your needs. Map issues via status, priority, team, version, quarter… and many more Jira custom fields.

How to avoid

Engage Stakeholders: Involve stakeholders early in the roadmapping process to gather their input and build buy-in.
Transparent Communication: Maintain transparent communication about roadmap decisions and changes.
Address Concerns: Actively address any concerns or objections from stakeholders to ensure alignment and support.

Not Using the Right Tools

Using the wrong tools can make roadmapping cumbersome and inefficient.

With Released you can create your roadmap using Jira Epics or Ideas in Jira Product Discovery. Show only the issues you want using easy to user filters or the powerful Jira Query Language (JQL).


Create custom columns to tailor the board to your needs. Map issues via status, priority, team, version, quarter… and many more Jira custom fields.

How to avoid

Choose the Right Tools: Select tools that fit your team’s workflow and roadmapping needs.
Integration: Ensure the tools you choose integrate well with other tools your team uses.
Training: Provide adequate training to your team to ensure they can effectively use the roadmapping tools.

Failing to Communicate the Roadmap

If your roadmap isn’t communicated effectively, it can lead to confusion and misalignment.

With Released you can create your roadmap using Jira Epics or Ideas in Jira Product Discovery. Show only the issues you want using easy to user filters or the powerful Jira Query Language (JQL).


Create custom columns to tailor the board to your needs. Map issues via status, priority, team, version, quarter… and many more Jira custom fields.

How to avoid

Regular Updates: Regularly update stakeholders on the status of the roadmap and any changes.
Visual Aids: Use visual aids (e.g., charts, graphs) to make the roadmap easy to understand.
Accessible Format: Share the roadmap in an accessible format (e.g., PDFs, shared links) to ensure everyone can access it.

Take-aways

By being aware of these common pitfalls and proactively addressing them, product managers can create more effective and resilient roadmaps. This, in turn, leads to better alignment, improved execution, and ultimately, a more successful product.

Measuring the Success of Your Product Roadmap

For a roadmap to be truly successful, it must contribute to the overall success of the product. Here’s how to ensure alignment between your roadmap and product success

Templates allow you to create consistent product updates, with AI blocks that write the content for you.

  1. Define Clear Objectives:

Strategic Alignment: Ensure that every item on your roadmap is aligned with the strategic goals of the product. This includes long-term vision, market positioning, and customer needs.

OKRs and KPIs: Use Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to set clear, measurable goals for your roadmap. This helps in tracking progress and ensuring alignment with product success.

  1. Customer-Centric Planning

Voice of the Customer: Integrate customer feedback into your roadmap planning. Tools like Productboard or Released can help in collecting and prioritizing customer feedback.


User Personas: Develop detailed user personas and ensure that roadmap items address the needs and pain points of these personas.

  1. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Stakeholder Involvement: Involve stakeholders from different functions (e.g., marketing, sales, customer support) in the roadmapping process. This ensures that the roadmap addresses the holistic needs of the product.


Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular check-ins with stakeholders to review progress and gather feedback. This helps in maintaining alignment and making necessary adjustments.

  1. Agile and Iterative Approach

Flexible Planning: Adopt an agile approach to roadmapping, allowing for regular updates and iterations based on new information and feedback.


Continuous Improvement: Use retrospectives and feedback loops to continuously improve the roadmapping process. This ensures that the roadmap evolves in alignment with product success.

  1. Communication and Transparency

Transparent Updates: Regularly update your team and stakeholders on the status of the roadmap. Use visual aids and accessible formats to ensure everyone is on the same page.


Clear Documentation: Maintain clear documentation of the roadmap, including objectives, timelines, and progress. This helps in tracking alignment and making informed decisions.

  1. Outcome-Oriented Focus

Measure Outcomes, Not Outputs: Focus on the outcomes of roadmap items rather than just their completion. For example, instead of just tracking the release of a feature, measure its impact on user engagement or revenue.


Success Metrics: Define success metrics for each roadmap item and track these metrics to evaluate the impact on product success.

Take-aways

By tracking these key metrics and ensuring alignment between your roadmap and product success, you can create a strategic and effective roadmap that drives your product towards its goals. Regular measurement and adaptation are crucial to maintaining this alignment and achieving long-term success.

Take-aways

By tracking these key metrics and ensuring alignment between your roadmap and product success, you can create a strategic and effective roadmap that drives your product towards its goals. Regular measurement and adaptation are crucial to maintaining this alignment and achieving long-term success.

Case Studies

GitHub, a platform for version control and collaboration, uses a public roadmap to communicate upcoming features and improvements. This roadmap is hosted on GitHub itself, allowing users to see what’s being planned and provide feedback directly on the platform.

Templates allow you to create consistent product updates, with AI blocks that write the content for you.

Highlights

GitHub Roadmap Repository

GitHub maintains a public repository called github/roadmap where users can track the progress of upcoming features. This repository includes issues and projects that represent different roadmap items.

Milestones and Projects

The roadmap is organized into milestones and projects, each representing a specific feature or improvement. Users can see the status, priority, and expected release timeline for each item.

Community Engagement

Users can comment on roadmap items, ask questions, and provide feedback. This engagement helps GitHub understand user needs and refine features accordingly.

Regular Updates

The roadmap is regularly updated by the GitHub team, providing users with the latest information on development progress and any changes to the roadmap.

Lessons Learned

Engaging the Community

GitHub’s public roadmap fostered a strong sense of community engagement. By allowing users to comment and provide feedback directly on the roadmap, GitHub created a collaborative environment that benefited both the company and its users.

Iterative Development

Regular updates and feedback loops allowed GitHub to iterate on features based on user input. This iterative approach led to more refined and user-friendly features.

Prioritizing Transparency

Hosting the roadmap on GitHub itself ensured maximum transparency. Users could see not only what was being developed but also the discussions and decisions behind each feature.

Clear Prioritization

Organizing the roadmap into milestones and projects helped users understand the priorities and timelines. This clarity helped manage user expectations and build trust.

Balancing Both Roadmaps

While public and internal roadmaps serve different purposes, they should be aligned. Your internal roadmap will have more detail, but the high-level goals and themes should match what you’re communicating publicly. This consistency ensures that there are no surprises for your customers or team members.

Balancing Both Roadmaps

While public and internal roadmaps serve different purposes, they should be aligned. Your internal roadmap will have more detail, but the high-level goals and themes should match what you’re communicating publicly. This consistency ensures that there are no surprises for your customers or team members.

Balancing Both Roadmaps

While public and internal roadmaps serve different purposes, they should be aligned. Your internal roadmap will have more detail, but the high-level goals and themes should match what you’re communicating publicly. This consistency ensures that there are no surprises for your customers or team members.

Bonus tip

By using tools like Released in combination with Jira, you can user the same underlying data for public and internal roadmaps and cherry-pick what information to share in each view.

Bonus tip

By using tools like Released in combination with Jira, you can user the same underlying data for public and internal roadmaps and cherry-pick what information to share in each view.

Bonus tip

By using tools like Released in combination with Jira, you can user the same underlying data for public and internal roadmaps and cherry-pick what information to share in each view.

Microsoft Teams, a collaboration platform, uses a public roadmap to provide visibility into upcoming features and improvements. The roadmap helps users stay informed about what’s coming next and allows Microsoft to gather feedback from its extensive user base.

Templates allow you to create consistent product updates, with AI blocks that write the content for you.

Highlights

Microsoft 365 Roadmap

Microsoft Teams is part of the larger Microsoft 365 suite, and its roadmap is included in the Microsoft 365 Roadmap. This roadmap provides detailed information on planned, in development, and launched features.

Feature Categories

The roadmap is categorized by feature type, such as collaboration, meetings, calling, and security. This organization helps users quickly find relevant information.

Status Indicators

Each roadmap item includes status indicators such as “In Development,” “Rolling Out,” and “Launched.” These indicators provide clarity on the progress of each feature.

User Feedback

Users can provide feedback on features through the feedback forms on the roadmap. The feedback is monitored by the development team and influences the roadmap.

Lessons Learned

Clear Communication

Microsoft’s use of status indicators and detailed descriptions for each roadmap item provided clear communication to users about what to expect and when.

User-Centric Development

By incorporating user feedback through the UserVoice forum, Microsoft ensured that the features developed were aligned with user needs and expectations.

Comprehensive Coverage

Including Microsoft Teams in the larger Microsoft 365 roadmap provided users with a comprehensive view of how Teams fits into the overall suite of tools, enhancing understanding and alignment.

Regular Updates

Regularly updating the roadmap with new features and status changes kept users informed and engaged, building trust and anticipation for upcoming releases.

Take-aways

A public roadmap helps build trust by keeping everyone in the loop and gathering valuable user feedback. Plus, clear communication and regular updates make it easier to manage expectations and keep improving the product.

Summary

We’ve discussed why product roadmaps are crucial and how to create and use them effectively. Here’s a quick recap.

Templates allow you to create consistent product updates, with AI blocks that write the content for you.

Importance

Product roadmaps align your team, set priorities, communicate strategy, and track progress.

Types

Choose from goal-oriented, feature-based, time-based, Now/Next/Later, or theme-based roadmaps based on your needs.

Key Elements

Ensure clear objectives, prioritized features, flexible timeframes, and alignment with company strategy.

Steps to Build

Define your vision, gather input, prioritize, choose the right format, create the roadmap, and communicate it effectively using tools like Released.

Best Practices

Keep it simple, be flexible, communicate regularly, involve your team, align with company goals, use data, prioritize ruthlessly, maintain transparency, focus on outcomes, and review regularly.

Public vs. Internal

Public roadmaps build trust with external stakeholders; internal roadmaps provide detailed plans for your team. Keep both aligned.

Tools

Use tools like Jira, Jira Product Discovery, Released, ProductPlan, Aha!, Trello, Roadmunk, and Productboard for effective roadmapping.

Pitfalls

Avoid lack of vision, overcommitment, ignoring feedback, inflexibility, lack of buy-in, too much detail, wrong tools, and poor communication.

Measure Success: Track metrics like on-time delivery, customer satisfaction, revenue growth, and team morale. Ensure alignment with product success.

Next Steps

Now that you’ve explored the ins and outs of product roadmapping, it’s time to put this knowledge into action. Imagine having a clear path forward, with a team that's aligned and motivated, and stakeholders who trust and support your vision. A well-crafted roadmap not only guides your development but also inspires your team and excites your customers. Embrace the flexibility and adaptability that a dynamic roadmap offers, allowing you to stay ahead of the curve and keep your product relevant and competitive.


Start today. Involve your team, gather feedback, and create a roadmap that truly reflects your vision and goals. Make it a tool that guides, inspires, and drives success. The journey of roadmapping is an exciting one, filled with opportunities to learn, adapt, and excel. Embrace it, and watch your product reach new heights.

Next Steps

Now that you’ve explored the ins and outs of product roadmapping, it’s time to put this knowledge into action. Imagine having a clear path forward, with a team that's aligned and motivated, and stakeholders who trust and support your vision. A well-crafted roadmap not only guides your development but also inspires your team and excites your customers. Embrace the flexibility and adaptability that a dynamic roadmap offers, allowing you to stay ahead of the curve and keep your product relevant and competitive.


Start today. Involve your team, gather feedback, and create a roadmap that truly reflects your vision and goals. Make it a tool that guides, inspires, and drives success. The journey of roadmapping is an exciting one, filled with opportunities to learn, adapt, and excel. Embrace it, and watch your product reach new heights.

Additional Resources

Finally, here are some valuable tools, templates, and further reading materials to help you master product roadmapping:

Templates allow you to create consistent product updates, with AI blocks that write the content for you.