How to Create a Customer-Facing Roadmap

One of the biggest debates I see internally in product management teams is whether or not they should have a customer-facing roadmap. There are a lot of fears around potentially having one, and I’d like to take a bit of time today to go over them.

Should you take a plunge and share your roadmap externally?

Absolutely! It’s time to dispel some myths and break down barriers.

Let’s dig in, friends.

TL;DR

• Above all, a roadmap is a communication document that outlines your product’s direction, intention, and problems you are interested in solving.
• Best practices when building your roadmap
• Define your audience as this will define the level of details.
• Use a now, next, later column format to simplify the layout and make your roadmap easy to navigate.
• If you’re managing a larger portfolio or a complex product, you might want to highlight product areas.
• Be transparent about what your goals are and how you aim to get there, both through the outcomes and value you want to provide them with, as well as the business impact this will have in the future (both for you and for them!).
• Add a column for your completed items (these represent your releases).
• Timeline vs timing vs deadline: know what your roadmap is about!

What is a roadmap, anyway?

Before we get started with the how I want to take a step back and talk about what a roadmap is and what it is not.

Above all, a roadmap is a communication document that outlines your product’s direction, intention, and problems you are interested in solving.

A roadmap is not:

• A to-do list
• A list of features
• A list of promises
• A backlog of items to work on
• A timeline

I’m sure you’re asking yourself, but if I’m not showing what features I’m working on, what’s the point?

The point is to provide a general direction of where the ship is heading, without tying…