Agile Product Roadmap: 10 Tips and Tricks
At the surface level, agile product roadmaps may seem a pretty straightforward approach, to the point that people often question why product roadmaps are considered ‘agile’. Agility is the ability to readily adapt to changes in the market and is one of the most significant predictors of the company’s success. A product roadmap is presumed to be a simple document outlining the initiatives according to the timeline or by themes that is then presented to the stakeholders. On the flip side, a true product roadmap is dynamic. It is entirely subject to change and is meant to show what the team needs and what the customers most value.
What is an Agile Product Roadmap?
A product roadmap is a plan of action that describes how the company aims to evolve the product over time. It is used to outline future product functionality and work out when new features are to be released. It serves as a guideline for the production team, executives and everyone involved to follow and keep to. An agile product roadmap should be responsive to any shifts in the competitive landscape. Multiple agile teams may share a single roadmap.
Why is road mapping important?
There are several benefits to road mapping when done right. Road mapping mainly helps product managers, allows the development team to collaborate, gives stakeholders a clear view of the process, and ensures customers are continually receiving new product features and functionality.
It enables teams to align their vision with their mission which is ultimate customer satisfaction with the product. By providing a clear, succinct visual of the topmost priorities, it keeps all teams right on track. It is a tool to chalk out specific product launch and release dates and prepare for them accordingly. It ensures short-term goals are being met while monitoring and adjusting long-term goals.
Guiding principles to keep in mind during road mapping
Now that you’ve decided to construct an agile roadmap for your product, the next step is…? What? Don’t know where to start? Here are the four principles you need to keep in mind during road mapping.
1. Remember the roadmap is adaptable
An agile product roadmap, as discussed before, is subject to change. Think of it as a living, breathing document. As the market scenario changes, so should it. In fact, it should have provisions to enable easy remodeling when necessary. The roadmap represents work to be done as per the current needs and wants of the customers. It is expected, and inevitable, that these needs will change over time. The roadmap should then be adjusted to reflect and respond to these changes accordingly.
2. Actively collaborate with the stakeholders
Active involvement of everyone is crucial, be it internal stakeholders or external stakeholders. The full development team should be in the know when planning, reviewing or making any adjustments to the roadmap. A holistic view of the customer experience can be obtained by gaining the perspective of all.
3. Transparency is key
The product map should be the team’s Bible, the single source of truth. Ensuring that there is clear understanding and communication regarding what steps are being taken and the reason behind them is critical. Establish transparency and confidence in your team from the very start by making the document accessible to all.
4. PMs own the product roadmap
Remember, at the end of the day, you own the product roadmap! Not the stakeholders, executives, engineering, marketing or sales representatives. As a PM, it is your responsibility to make sure that these stakeholders are bought into the plan for the product and understand the decisions taken to generate the most customer and market value.
10 Tips for building the perfect product roadmap
With these guiding principles taken into account, it is about time you set out on your journey of designing the ideal agile roadmap for your product. Here are 10 tips to help you along the way.
1. Start with the end in mind
The first step to constructing a roadmap is to decide the destination for the road you are mapping. What do you want the future of your product to look like? Sketch that out in short, succinct sentences. This is your product vision.
2. Describe and support your product strategy
The next move is to delineate the strategy. Without a clear strategy, it is impossible for teams to recognize whether progress is being made. The strategy articulates the problem you are solving for the customers with clear metrics for measuring success. Setting monthly or quarterly checkpoints would be ideal considering the agile environment.
3. Focus on team goals
While agile product roadmaps are great tools for planning product strategy and execution, where they truly shine in is the communication of that strategy. Work on an outcome-based or goal-oriented roadmap. The focus should be on turning these goals into initiatives.
4. Arrange goals based on themes
Simply put, themes represent high levels of work. An agile product roadmap should have customer-centred themes like user experience or customer satisfaction and engagement. By grouping work into various themes, teams can better manage their course of action.
5. Straightforward vs. Detailed
Resist the temptation to add too many details to your roadmap. You can save the epics and user stories, for example, for the product backlog. The roadmap should be uncomplicated and facilitate effective execution. While it may be counter-intuitive, too much information may weigh down the action plan and impede the fast-paced team.
6. No - a necessary magic
While it is important that the key stakeholders trust the product roadmap, buying into every idea and request is not an option. Remember the guiding principle discussed before, the PM holds the ultimate veto regarding the roadmap. Having the courage to say no will help prevent an overload of features from overcrowding the roadmap.
7. Make your goals measurable
Selecting metrics that help decisively quantify whether a goal is being met or not is crucial. If you don’t specify a target, it will be hard to tell if progress is being made.
8. Update your roadmap often
As discussed earlier, agile product roadmaps are very dynamic in nature. They should be easy to update when required. Having flexible formats will support these adjustments, additions or corrections.
9. Separate product roadmap from release plan
The product roadmap cannot double as the release roadmap, mainly because they serve two distinct purposes. A release roadmap outlines the tactical engineering plans and focuses on technicalities. Your product roadmap does way more. It illustrates the direction of the product and the company.
10. Communication, communication, communication!
PMs, and everyone on the agile team, should talk to customers daily. Remember one of the three inputs to the product roadmap is feedback. Since an agile roadmap is centered around customers, knowing what they need and want currently is vital. Catch up on those customer calls before setting out on designing your product roadmap.