
What is a Product Roadmap? - Jibranio
https://www.jibranelbazi.com/blog/what-is-a-product-roadmap
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unclesaamm
The opening analogy between a product roadmap and a literal map is thought
provoking. But I think they're actually very different.

A product roadmap describes this direction and intent for a product that
doesn't exist yet, like where you plan to go.

A map, on the other hand, is more of a summary or representation of _past_
knowledge. You create a map as you explore the territory to reflect what
you've seen. And sure, you consult a map before setting out too.

I think this distinction is actually critical, because becoming too attached
to a product roadmap as if it were a literal roadmap that can guide you to
your destination is one of the main flaws of poor product management. The
author mentions this a little in saying the product roadmap is a "living
document", but I don't think it's emphasized enough. It's not just like a map
that gets updated occasionally, instead it's more like this fabricated fantasy
road trip plan (one that you have to undergo without an actual map).

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PixelMath
Could you suggest some resources or further readings on building product
roadmap or product management in practical world ?

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kobieyc
I'd recommend reading "Inspired", specifically the two chapters on Product
Roadmaps in Part III

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tjomk
I would argue about the roadmap being visual. When you present people with the
gantt chart, people tend to focus more on the timelines rather than the
direction. This inadvertently pushes you to follow clearly defined deadlines
and makes your roadmap a release plan instead (which Jira or similar tool is
much better at).

We've been experimenting with gantt-style vs a simple table/list-view [1] and
found that in many cases the latter actually works better in presenting the
product vision, albeit at the expense of longer reading times.

[1] [https://www.getshipit.com/blog/should-you-use-gantt-
product-...](https://www.getshipit.com/blog/should-you-use-gantt-product-
roadmap/)

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tootie
I think the key is just for it to be visual. I've found that if key ideas
aren't accompanied by a visual, they don't get read or understood.

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jSully24
An often overlooked part of building and maintaining your roadmap is also
helping define what you are not going to build.

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Jibranio
Yes! It's something I should definitely add to the article. Thanks for
pointing out.

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dchuk
Any article about roadmaps that has a lead in image of a Gantt chart is
guaranteed to be missing the actual art of roadmapping. Any sufficiently
agile/customer centric product company should never get near Gantt charts,
with time estimates and dependency sequences, for roadmapping. No one can
predict the future like that.

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Jibranio
Hey, thanks for the feedback.

Gantt charts are not my preferred way of mapping out a vision and direction.
But like some others stated, many orgs just like to work with that. It's also
why I chose it as the header image, because it's familiar. Kinda bummed out
that would keep people from reading the article, but not I can't cater to
everyone.

Cheers!

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stronglikedan
I'm not an expert in this matter, but it seems that the aspect of the chart
that folks are questioning is the timeline. Could it be as easy as removing
that aspect to dissuade the perception of a pseudo-commitment when presenting
the roadmap?

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Jibranio
That could be a way to go. Another option to represent time in a less fixed
manner is to use a now-next-later roadmap schema. It's more to the point of
what's important vs. time as a measurement.

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rubidium
This is missing what really matters (business wise) for a product roadmap:
ROIC.

Most product roadmaps I see tie strongly to what additional markets/ customers
can be served by the enhanced features. That justifies the continued
investment in the product-line by the business.

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sequence7
Return on invested capital (ROIC) is a calculation used to assess a company's
efficiency at allocating the capital under its control to profitable
investments.

