This is adapted from our workshop at Mind the Product/London 2017. In this full-day session, we talked through the purposes of a roadmap and a process for establishing your product's vision, gaining alignment with your stakeholders, validating themes, and presenting to upper level execs in order to maximize your team's impact.

1. Product Roadmaps:
RELAUNCHED
ctodd@freshtilledsoil.com — @ctodd richard@freshtilledsoil.com — @rmbanfield

2. Book: https://is.gd/roadmaps
Foreword by Janna Bastow

4. Break up with the current roadmap, or roadmap process
Dear John Letter
1. On your own, pen a “Dear John” style letter explaining why
you want to breakup with the old product process
2. Swap letter with neighbor.
3. Read letters aloud to the group
4. Identify top 3 issues per group related to roadmapping
PURPOSE OUTPUT
INSTRUCTIONS
DEAR ROADMAP,
IT’S NOT ME, IT’S YOU …
SINCERELY,
- DISGRUNTLED PM
15 - 20 MINS

6. Common
Roadbumps

7. Common Roadmap Dysfunctions
○ No defined process
○ Not tied to business strategy
○ Not enough customer input
○ Lack of stakeholder alignment
○ Unclear prioritization
○ Broken promises
○ Overly incremental
○ “Shiny object syndrome”
○ No clearly defined target
○ Poor use of data
○ “Groundhog Day”

8. What is a
Product Roadmap?

9. A product roadmap is…
…a strategic communication tool that describes
the key steps necessary to deliver value to your
customer and your organization in order to rally
support and focus the activities towards success.

10. A Roadmap Should…
‣ Put organization’s plans in a strategic context
‣ Focus on delivering value to customers and org (outcomes)
‣ Embrace learning as part of a successful process
‣ Rally organization around a single set of priorities
‣ Get customers excited about the product direction

11. ‣ Make too many promises (that can’t be delivered)
‣ Require wasteful up-front design and estimation
‣ Manage outputs — Act as a project plan or a release plan
A Roadmap Should Not…

12. MANAGES OUTCOMES
MANAGES OUTPUTS

13. Hierarchy

14. business
strategy
portfolio
strategy
release
plan
Hierarchy of Strategy
product
roadmap
OUTCOMES OUTPUTS

15. OFFICE 365
PORTFOLIO
WORD
EXCEL
POWERPOINT
PRODUCT THEMES FEATURES

16. Product Roadmaps Take Many Forms
Kanban board Slide deck Spreadsheet Other

17. Components
of a Roadmap

18. PRODUCT VISION
BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
TIMEFRAMES
THEMES
DISCLAIMER
5PRIMARY
COMPONENTS

19. Product Vision
○How a specific sort of customer will benefit from your product
when it is fully realized and ubiquitous. Should relate back to
your company mission, vision, and values.
Themes
○Needs or problems that need to be addressed. Usually these
are customer needs, business needs, or technological needs.
These can be broad and high-level, and more specific.
Primary Components
Objectives
○How the organization will benefit from the success of the
product, and how we will measure progress.
Disclaimer
○A legal reminder to the reader that the roadmap is a living,
breathing document and subject to change without notice.
Timeframes
○Timeframes help communicate what’s important now and what
can wait awhile. Leave out the dates, and instead bucket into
broad untimed categories such as “Now" "Next" and “Later".

21. PRODUCT VISION
BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
TIMEFRAMES
THEMES
DISCLAIMER
PRODUCT AREA
FEAT/SOLUTIONS
CONFIDENCE
TARGET CMRS
DEV. STAGE
5SECONDARY
COMPONENTS

22. Confidence
○Indicating the level of confidence you have in particular dates,
themes, solutions, or objectives is a great way to help offset the
sentiment that once it’s on paper (er…pixels?) it is a promise.
Secondary Components
Features & Solutions
○The specific deliverables that will fulfill the needs and solve the
problems identified in the roadmap themes. These details are
the new features, capabilities, quantities, enhancements,
updates, or optimizations you will deliver.
Stage of Development
○More detail about the current state of each item on your
roadmap. Examples are “in consideration”, “in design”, “in
prototyping”, etc.
Target Customer(s)
○Many products serve more than one type of customer, and it
helps to call them out specifically on each theme or solution on
the roadmap.
Product Areas
○A way to categorize themes and solutions into related groups
which can be useful for planning and envisioning the product
structure.

24. Examples

26. Objectives

28. Themes

30. Timeframes

31. Disclaimer

33. Features &
Solutions

35. Product
Areas

36. Target Customers

37. Target Customers
Target Customers

39. Stage of Development

41. Contrast with a
Release Plan

43. Detailed Info
for output mgmt

44. Structure
Alignment
Approach
Prioritization
Prepare
Vision &
Objectives
Themes
Update

45. Flow
End
State

46. Product
Vision

47. What?
How?
Why?
Mission,
Vision, &
Values
The change you want
to see in the world
COMPANY LEVEL
Features & Solutions
What you will build that solves for these needs.
Themes
What you need to solve for in order for your product to be valuable.
Objectives & Key Results
How your product will create value and contribute to
your vision (internal + external).
Product Vision
The future world your product
seeks to create.
PRODUCT LEVEL

48. TO ORGANIZE ALL OF THE DATA IN THE WORLD AND
MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE IN A USEFUL WAY
TO GIVE EVERYONE A VOICE AND SHOW THEM THE WORLD.
HELPS PEOPLE AROUND THE GLOBE ENJOY GREATER ACCESS TO
INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITY THAN EVER BEFORE.
TO PROVIDE A FAST, SIMPLE, AND SECURE BROWSER FOR
EVERYONE TO EXPERIENCE THE MODERN WEB.

49. SpaceX Example
Mission: Make going to Mars a reality in this lifetime.
Product Vision: Create a high efficiency, low cost space
travel vehicle that can carry passengers to Mars.

50. When: at a time when ___________
What: our product is the only ___________
How: that _____________
Who: for ______________
Where: in ______________
Why: who ____________
Supports: ______________ (company mission)
Product Vision Template
Source: Geoffrey Moore

51. At a time when travel is frequent, but travelers plan less…
our product is the only international restaurant recommendation engine…
that gives immediate recommendations based on location and review…
for the everyday traveler…
from countries all over the world…
who need to save time and energy on finding local eateries.

52. Product Vision Template
A world where the [target customer]…
no longer suffers from the [identified problem]…
because of [product] they [benefit].
A world where American landscape enthusiasts [target customer]
can have a more predictable and automatic [identified problem]
watering system that can perfect their lawns [benefit] with an
effective water delivery system [product].

53. Product Vision Template
To [benefit realized]
by [product differentiator]
To perfect American Lawns by perfecting water delivery.

54. Let’s Try It

55. Define product vision for the product you’re currently working on
Your Product Vision
1. On your own, write your best version of the product vision for
the product you’re currently working on at your job
2. Pair with another person at your table on a different product
team
3. Read vision statements to each other
4. Discuss
PURPOSE OUTPUT
INSTRUCTIONS
At a time when _________
our product is the only _________
that _________
for _________
from _________
who _________
15 - 20 MINS

56. Objectives
(And key results)

57. Objectives
Why? To set clear and realistic goals that relate directly to your product vision
What? The outcome you want to see

58. SpaceX Example
Mission: Make going to Mars a reality in this lifetime.
Product Vision: To enable high-efficiency, low-cost space travel between Mars and Earth for
civilian passengers.
Objective: Reduce the cost of space travel to what an average American family can afford.

59. Key Results
Why? To provide a reference for evaluating how well you are
executing on the objectives
What? Numerically-based expressions of progress towards an
objective

60. SpaceX Example
Mission: Make going to Mars a reality in this lifetime.
Product Vision: To enable high-efficiency, low-cost space travel between Mars and Earth for civilian
passengers.
Key Result: Bring the cost to travel to Mars under $200,000.
Objective: Reduce the cost of space travel to what an average American family can afford.

61. Three Drivers: Ten Objectives
GROWTH
Improve recurring revenue
Grow market share
Fulfill more demand
Develop new markets
PROFIT
Support higher prices
Improve lifetime value
Leverage assets
Lower costs
VALUE
Support core value
Barriers to competition

62. Universal Objective Wombat Theme or Solution Wombat Key Result
Sustainable Value
Support the product’s core value Indestructibility Must-have for first ship
Create barriers to competition Branded proprietary materials Must-have for first ship
Growth
Grow market share Competitive trade-in program 5% share in first season
Fulfill more demand Bring another plant online Reduce out-of-stock incidents to <10%
Develop new markets Contractor version 200k contractor unit sales in first season
Improve recurring revenue Consumable add-ons 65% repurchase rate
Profit
Support higher prices 10-year warranty 20% price increase does not reduce unit volume >5%
Improve lifetime value Proprietary connectors discourage mixing
brands
Average LTV +30% in second season
Lower costs Bring packaging in house Reduce finished product cost by 15% in 12 months
Table 4-1. The 10 Universal Business Objectives

63. Can you tie all items
on your roadmap to a
business objective?

64. Themes

65. Themes = Customer Needs
Infrastructure Needs

66. SpaceX Example
Mission: Make going to Mars a reality in this
lifetime.
Product Vision: Create a high efficiency, low cost
space travel vehicle that can seat multiple civilian
passengers.
Objective: reducing the cost of space travel to
what an average American family can afford.
Themes:
• Full reusability
• Refueling in orbit
• Propellent production on Mars
• Right propellant
Key Result: Get cost to travel to Mars under $200,000.

67. Experience Map
Customer 1
Customer 2
Customer 3
Obstacles
Emotions
Tech Needs

68. When… [situation / motivation]
I need… [desire]
So I can… [result / outcome]
Job Stories

69. Need or
Problem
Theme Feature
We won’t have enough
fuel space to get to Mars
and back to Earth.
Propellent
production
on Mars
Methane propellant
manufactured via the Sabatier
process
2H2 + 3CO2 → CH4 + 2O2 + 2CO

70. When departing Mars
We need a way to refuel the rocket
In order to return to Earth
Propellent
production
on Mars

71. Prioritization

72. How do you prioritize?

73. Delighters
(wows)
Satisfiers
(wants)
Basic
Expectations
(musts)
Satisfaction
Did it very wellDidn’t do it at all
Kano
Must Haves
Should Haves
Could Haves
Won’t Haves
MoSCoW
Feasibility Desirability
Viability
Engineering
Manufacturing
Supply Chain
UX Design
Research
Sales & Marketing
Customer Support
Product
Owner
Executives
Founders
FVD

74. Value / Effort = Priority
Expected contribution to
customer needs and
business objectives
ROI Scorecard
Define both “bang” and “buck” to ensure you do the most leveraged things first.
The time and resources
required to execute the
initiative

75. Theme Value Effort Raw Confidence Priority
Full reusability 4 2 2 75% 1.5
Refueling in orbit 3 4 0.75 40% 0.3
Propellent
production on Mars 5 5 1 25% 0.25
Right propellant 2 2 1 10% 0.1
Order of
priority
1-5 Scale

76. Theme
Value to
Customer
Need
Value to
Objective 1
Value to
Objective 2
Value to
Objective 3
Effort Raw Confidence Priority
V / E = Raw1-5 Scale

77. Theme
Value to
Customer
Need
Value to
Objective 1
Value to
Objective 2
Value to
Objective 3
Effort Raw Confidence Priority
V / E = Raw1-5 Scale

78. Customer
Needs
Business
Objectives
Your
Product
PROBLEMS TO SOLVE FOR OUTCOMES TO DRIVE TO

79. Theme
Value to
Customer
Value to
Objective 1
Value to
Objective 2
Effort Raw Confidence Priority
Full reusability 2 5 3 2 5 75% 3.75
Refueling in
orbit
3 5 1 1 9 40% 3.6
Propellent
production on
Mars
1 1 4 2 3 25% 0.75
Right propellant 0 0 2 4 0.5 10% 0.05
Order of
priority
V / E = Raw1-5 Scale

80. Buy-in &
Alignment

81. Product Core
Product Owner
Design
Engineering
=
Customers
Executives
Research
Customer
Support
Production
Operations
Finance
Vendors
& Partners
Sales
Marketing
& PR
Other
Product Teams

82. HIGH FREQUENCY LOW FREQUENCY
DETAILEDHIGHLEVEL
C-LEVEL, EXECUTIVES
PRODUCT MARKETING
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
GENERAL PUBLIC
SALES & MARKETING
TRUSTED CUSTOMERS
PARTNERS
DEV OPS
Product
Core
Source: Jana Bastow

83. 1 to 1 Group

84. Shuttle Diplomacy
Individually meet with all stakeholders to come to decisions that involves compromise and trade-offs.
Authorship: Opportunity for early input gives their voice weight
Trust: Build trust and rapport with each of these stakeholders
Politics: Get exposure to key, or even hidden, politics

85. Adapting to
Change

87. Unplanned Change
The “elastic triangle”: what lever will you pull to make the proper adjustments?
Quality
Schedule
Scope Resources
INVERSE

88. Unplanned Change
The “elastic triangle”: what lever will you pull to make the proper adjustments?
Quality
Scope Resources
Schedule
INVERSE

89. Unplanned Change
The “elastic triangle”: what lever will you pull to make the proper adjustments?
Scope Resources
Quality
Schedule
INVERSE

90. Light. Cheap. Fast. Pick two.
KEITH BONTRAGER
FOUNDER, BICYCLE PRODUCT MANUFACTURER

91. Takeaways

92. • It is an outcome-based strategic comm’n artifact
• A roadmap is not a project plan (not output-based)
• Inextricably linked to business strategy
• Focus on needs, not solutions
• Add more detail as needed
• Have a plan for prioritization
• Use shuttle diplomacy (1:1) and group meetings
• Treat as a living, breathing artifact

93. ctodd@freshtilledsoil.com
@iamctodd
richard@freshtilledsoil.com
@rmbanfield