Roadmaps as a Strategy Document

Roadmaps don't work well when modeled as a 12-month Gantt with specific dates.

It's supposed to be a strategy document, not a project plan.

Assigning dates that far out is futile because so much can change in just a few sprints. Market trends, competition, rise in technical debt etc.

You make one change in priorities in the near-term and it'll send a massive ripple across the rest of your planned schedule, making it redundant.

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Instead:

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1. Work with a now, next and later model to establish relative priority.

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2. Unless it's necessary (or obvious), list problem statements. Don't prematurely subscribe to a solution in the roadmap to allow for creative ideation.

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3. Maintain a separate dated schedule for just the next couple of sprints like an extended release plan. Shorter time frames are more predictable.

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