Is Your Product Roadmap a Road Wreck? Probably! 90% of ’Em Are. Even Mine!

AV
5 min readJun 5, 2023

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Product roadmaps serve as the compass for product development, charting a course towards customer satisfaction and business triumph. These roadmaps outline the features, initiatives, and strategic objectives that will be pursued to meet customer needs and propel business success. However, many organizations find themselves lost in the wilderness when it comes to their product roadmapping process, resulting in ineffective and flawed roadmaps. Surprisingly, approximately 90% of all product roadmaps suffer from some sort of breakdown. Even I have stumbled upon obstacles in my own roadmap endeavors. In this article, we will embark on a journey to uncover the red flags that signal a broken roadmap process and discover strategies to set things right.

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Lack of Customer Research and Input

One of the primary red flags of a broken roadmap process is the absence of customer research and input. When product managers make decisions without gathering insights from customers, it’s akin to “deciding inside four walls.” This approach disconnects the roadmap from the actual needs and desires of the target audience. To avoid this pitfall, it’s crucial to prioritize product research and involve product researchers who can gather valuable customer insights. By engaging with customers, you can uncover pain points, preferences, and opportunities that inform the roadmap and lead to more successful outcomes.

Lack of Fluidity and Discovery

A broken roadmap process often involves product managers locking themselves in a room to prepare the roadmap without actively engaging in a fluid discovery process. Roadmaps should be dynamic and adaptable, based on continuous learning and discovery. Instead of treating roadmapping as a one-time event, it should be an ongoing process fueled by insights gained from user feedback, data analysis, and market research. By embracing a fluid approach, you can ensure that the roadmap aligns with the evolving needs and preferences of the customers, leading to more relevant and impactful product development.

Issues with Communication and Trust

Stakeholders, including founders and leadership, sometimes demand a “special private session” to discuss the roadmap among themselves. This exclusivity can undermine transparency and erode trust within the organization. Roadmaps should be communicated openly to all relevant stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment. When leaders feel that their input is not adequately considered, it can result in private or even public arguments against the decisions made. To prevent this, it’s crucial to establish clear channels of communication, manage expectations effectively, and foster trust in the roadmap process.

Inadequate Alignment with Strategic Initiatives

A broken roadmap often fails to align with the organization’s strategic initiatives. It may focus solely on features rather than outcomes, problems, opportunities, and solutions. A successful roadmap should be driven by desired outcomes and tied to the organization’s goals and key results (OKRs). By shifting the focus from features to the problems they solve and the opportunities they present, you can ensure that the roadmap remains strategically aligned and delivers tangible value to the business and its customers.

Over Reliance on Founders and Leadership

Another common red flag is an overreliance on founders or leadership for feature ideas. While their input is valuable, relying solely on top-down decision-making narrows the scope of creativity and limits the diversity of perspectives. To encourage innovation and ensure customer-centric solutions, it’s important to establish a bottom-up ideation process. This involves soliciting ideas and feedback from all members of the team, fostering a culture of collaboration and inclusivity. By involving employees closer to the customer, you can generate a wider range of ideas and increase the chances of developing successful features.

Neglecting the Importance of Learning and Improvement

Another red flag is the lack of reflection and learning from the previous roadmap. A roadmap should not be a static document but a living artifact that informs future decisions. By analyzing the outcomes of past initiatives, collecting data on user behavior and satisfaction, and incorporating lessons learned, you can continuously improve your roadmap process. Emphasizing the importance of learning and improvement ensures that each iteration of the roadmap builds upon the knowledge gained from previous cycles, leading to more effective and successful product development.

The product roadmapping process is often flawed, and many roadmaps fail to meet their intended objectives. By recognizing the red flags discussed in this article, such as a lack of customer research, overreliance on founders and leadership, inflexibility, communication issues, misalignment with strategic initiatives, and neglecting learning and improvement, you can take steps to address these challenges. Building a solid product roadmap requires a customer-centric approach, active collaboration, continuous learning, transparent communication, and strategic alignment. By improving your roadmap process, you can increase the likelihood of delivering successful products that meet the needs of your customers and drive business growth.

FAQs

What is the role of a product researcher?

A product researcher is responsible for gathering insights about customers and their needs through various research methods. They play a crucial role in informing the product roadmap by providing data-driven insights and facilitating customer-centric decision-making.

How can stakeholders be involved in the roadmap process?

Stakeholders can be involved in the roadmap process through regular communication, feedback sessions, and collaborative workshops. It’s important to create an inclusive environment where stakeholders can contribute their perspectives and align their strategic goals with the roadmap.

What are some effective ways to communicate the roadmap?

Effective communication of the roadmap involves clear and transparent presentations, documentation, and regular updates. Visual aids such as roadmaps, timelines, and progress reports can help stakeholders understand the product’s direction and the rationale behind decisions.

How can we ensure alignment between the roadmap and strategic initiatives?

Alignment between the roadmap and strategic initiatives can be ensured by establishing clear objectives and key results (OKRs) that guide the roadmap’s development. Regular evaluation of the roadmap’s progress and adjusting it as needed based on strategic priorities helps maintain alignment.

What tools can aid in the roadmapping process?

There are various roadmapping tools available, such as Aha!, Productboard, and Trello, which provide features for visualizing, planning, and communicating the roadmap. Choose a tool that suits your team’s needs and facilitates collaboration and transparency throughout the roadmapping process.

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AV

Exploring the intersection of Product, Psychology, Tech and Business. 📚💡🚀 #InnovationJunkie