janna bastow 5 ways to avoid building a useless product roadmap
TRANSCRIPT
5 WAYS TO AVOID MAKING A USELESS
ROADMAP
Janna Bastow – Co-founder, ProdPad
@simplybastow
WHAT IS A ROADMAP?
An artefact that communicates the direction you’ll be
going in order to fulfil the product vision.
FOR (target customer)
WHO (statement of need or opportunity)
THE (product name) IS A (product category)
THAT (key benefit, reason to buy)
UNLIKE (primary competitive alternative)
OUR PRODUCT (statement of primary differentiation)
PRODUCT VISION
DON’T HAVE a product vision?
Don’t go solo
Team Exercise: The Product Tree
Free PDF download at:www.prodpad.com/
product-tree
Team Exercise: The Product Tree
Free PDF download at:www.prodpad.com/
product-tree
THE ROADMAP
The GANTT
The UP AND TO THE RIGHT
The CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
The DO ALL THE THINGS
The ROADSIDE ROADMAP
ROADMAP ESSENTIALS
• Time horizons• Scope• Strategic Initiatives• Product areas/components• Sometimes:• Multiple products• Specific features
Time horizons
Scope
Product Areas
STRATEGIC Initiatives
DATES
“I love deadlines. I love the whoosing noise they make as they go by.”
- Douglas Adams
RELEASE PLAN vs ROADMAP
a little FLEXIBILITY is good for your roadmap
Make more than one version
Internal initiatives Public initiatives
High level
Detail DEV, operations, QA
Customer Support
Product Marketing
CEO & Execs
DEV, operations, QA
Sales & Marketing
General Public
Trusted customers
Development partners
Internal initiatives Public initiatives
High level
Detail
Customer Support
Product Marketing
CEO & Execs
DEV, operations, QA
Customer Support
Product Marketing
Sales & Marketing
General Public
Trusted customers
Development partners
Internal initiatives Public initiatives
High level
Detail
Forget about theCOMPETITION
To avoid a useless roadmap:
• Start with PRODUCT VISION• Don’t fret about the FORMAT• Drop the DATES• Make different VERSIONS• Show your CUSTOMERS and forget your COMPETITION
Thanks!Drop me a line any time: [email protected]@simplybastow
Build your own roadmap: www.prodpad.comCheck out our conference: www.mtpcon.com