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Zhongwei Li
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skills/roadmap-frameworks/SKILL.md
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skills/roadmap-frameworks/SKILL.md
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name: roadmap-frameworks
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description: Master product roadmaps including roadmap types (timeline, outcome-based, Now-Next-Later), communication strategies, and prioritization. Use when creating roadmaps, communicating strategy, prioritizing initiatives, or evolving product direction. Covers roadmap formats, communication tactics, and roadmap best practices from product leaders.
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---
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# Roadmap Frameworks
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Frameworks for building, communicating, and managing product roadmaps that align teams, guide execution, and drive strategic outcomes.
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## What is a Roadmap?
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A roadmap is a strategic communication tool that:
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- Shows **WHERE** you're going (direction, themes)
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- Explains **WHY** you're going there (strategy, rationale)
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- Indicates **WHEN** (roughly) you'll get there (timeframes)
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- Communicates **HOW** you'll get there (initiatives, bets)
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**NOT**: A list of features with dates
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**BUT**: A strategic narrative about the future
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**Good roadmaps**: Outcome-oriented, flexible, strategic, audience-appropriate, actionable
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**Bad roadmaps**: Feature lists, hard dates, everything for everyone, disconnected from strategy, stale
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## When to Use This Skill
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**Auto-loaded by agents**:
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- `roadmap-builder` - For Now-Next-Later, theme-based, and outcome roadmaps
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**Use when you need**:
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- Quarterly/annual planning
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- Strategic clarity
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- Team coordination
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- Clear communication
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- Investment decisions
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- Customer/user communication
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---
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## Roadmap Types
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### 1. Now-Next-Later (Recommended for Most)
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**Structure**: Three buckets without dates
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**NOW**: What we're working on right now (high confidence, active)
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**NEXT**: What we'll likely do next (medium confidence, validated)
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**LATER**: What we're exploring (low confidence, directional)
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**When to use**: Maximum flexibility, minimal commitment, high uncertainty
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**Benefits**:
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- No date commitments
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- Easy to adjust
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- Clear focus
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- Simple communication
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**Template**: `assets/now-next-later-template.md`
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Complete template with examples, confidence levels, updating guidance
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---
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### 2. Theme-Based
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**Structure**: Strategic themes with grouped initiatives
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Organize by themes (e.g., "Enterprise Readiness", "Customer Experience") rather than features.
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**When to use**: Communicate strategic focus areas
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**Benefits**:
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- Strategic clarity
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- Outcome-focused
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- Flexible within themes
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---
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### 3. Outcome-Based
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**Structure**: Lead with results, not outputs
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Focus on customer/business outcomes (e.g., "Reduce churn by 50%") with flexible approaches.
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**When to use**: Results-driven teams, goal-driven culture
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**Benefits**:
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- Clear success criteria
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- Measurable
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- Team autonomy on "how"
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**Template**: `assets/outcome-roadmap-template.md`
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Includes outcome format, examples, comparison with feature roadmaps
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---
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### 4. Timeline
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**Structure**: Initiatives plotted on calendar/quarters
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Visual timeline showing sequencing and dependencies.
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**When to use**: Internal planning only, complex dependencies
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**NOT for**: External communication (creates date expectations)
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---
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**Choosing the right type**: See `references/roadmap-types-guide.md` for detailed comparison and selection criteria.
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---
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## Roadmap by Audience
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Different audiences need different roadmaps:
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### Executive Roadmap
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**Focus**: Strategy, business outcomes, resource needs
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**Format**: Themes + outcomes, annual + quarterly
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**Detail**: Low (strategic)
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### Customer Roadmap
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**Focus**: Value delivery, transparency
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**Format**: Now-Next-Later with problem framing
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**Exclude**: Internal work, hard dates
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### Sales Roadmap
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**Focus**: Deal enablement, competitive positioning
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**Guidance**: "Commit to Now, position Next as likely, describe Later as exploring"
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### Engineering Roadmap
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**Focus**: Execution, technical detail
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**Format**: Timeline with dependencies
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**Detail**: High (sprint-plannable)
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### Internal All-Hands
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**Focus**: Company alignment, transparency
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**Frequency**: Quarterly updates
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**Comprehensive guide**: `references/roadmap-communication-guide.md`
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Includes communication tactics, update formats, anti-patterns
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---
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## Building Your Roadmap
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### 7-Step Process
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**Step 1**: Establish Strategy (company goals, product strategy, market position)
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**Step 2**: Gather Inputs (customer feedback, business priorities, technical needs, competitive intel)
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**Step 3**: Prioritize (RICE, Impact/Effort, Strategic Fit)
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**Step 4**: Define Themes (3-5 customer-centric, strategic themes)
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**Step 5**: Sequence (dependencies, resources, timing, value delivery)
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**Step 6**: Validate & Align (exec, engineering, sales/CS, customers)
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**Step 7**: Communicate (audience-specific views, all-hands, documentation)
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**Detailed guide**: `references/roadmap-building-guide.md`
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Includes detailed steps, outputs, prioritization frameworks, maintenance cadence
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---
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## Roadmap Narrative
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Tell the story of your roadmap - where, why, how:
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**Structure**:
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1. Vision (where we're going)
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2. Strategy (why this roadmap)
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3. Prioritization approach (how we chose)
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4. What we're building (Now, Next, Later)
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5. Trade-offs (what we're NOT doing)
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6. Feedback process (how to influence)
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**Template**: `assets/roadmap-narrative-template.md`
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---
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## Roadmap Best Practices
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**DO**:
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- Start with strategy (not features)
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- Use themes and outcomes (not feature lists)
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- Tailor to audience (exec, team, customer)
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- Show trade-offs (what you're NOT doing)
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- Update regularly (quarterly planning, monthly review)
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- Communicate changes (transparency)
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- Link to metrics (measurable outcomes)
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- Keep "Now" specific, "Later" vague
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**DON'T**:
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- Commit to dates (use timeframes)
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- Promise everything (prioritize ruthlessly)
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- Use internal jargon (customer language)
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- Build in vacuum (validate with user feedback)
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- Set and forget (iterate continuously)
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- Hide trade-offs (be transparent)
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- Lead with features (lead with problems)
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- Make it static (living document)
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---
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## Roadmap Anti-Patterns
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**Common mistakes**:
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1. **Feature Laundry List**: Just features, no strategy → Use theme-based, outcome-oriented
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2. **Date-Driven Commitments**: "Ship X on June 15" → Use timeframes, confidence levels
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3. **One Size Fits All**: Same roadmap for all audiences → Tailor by audience
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4. **Set and Forget**: Never updated, stale → Regular review cadence
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5. **Everything for Everyone**: No priorities → Explicit prioritization, "not doing" list
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6. **No Strategic Connection**: Disconnected from goals → Link every theme to objective
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7. **Too Much Detail**: Over-specified → Appropriate detail for timeframe
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8. **Internal Jargon**: Technical speak → Problem-focused, customer language
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---
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## Roadmap Maintenance
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### Review Cadence
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**Weekly** (30 min): Current work on track? Adjust "Now"
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**Monthly** (60 min): Progress on quarter, validate "Next", refine "Later"
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**Quarterly** (Half day): Build next quarter roadmap, review outcomes
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### When to Update
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**DO update**:
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- Quarterly planning (always)
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- Major strategic shift
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- Significant customer feedback
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- Competitive threat
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- Resource changes
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**DON'T update**:
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- Every feature request
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- Minor adjustments
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- Random requests
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### Communicating Changes
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When roadmap changes materially:
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```
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Roadmap Update: [Date]
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What Changed: [Change + Why]
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What Stayed: [Core themes still priority]
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Impact: [Who this affects]
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```
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**Frequency**: Only material changes
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---
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## For Solo Operators / Small Teams
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**Simplify**:
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- Use Now-Next-Later (simplest format)
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- Focus on 2-3 themes max
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- Skip elaborate tools (Google Slides works)
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- Update monthly (not weekly)
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- Share with customers for feedback
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**Timeline**: 4-6 hours for quarterly roadmap
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**Key**: Simple beats perfect. Better a clear 1-page roadmap than elaborate 20-page deck nobody reads.
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---
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## Roadmap Tools
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**Lightweight** (Early stage):
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- Google Slides/PowerPoint
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- Notion/Coda
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- Miro/Figma
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**Purpose-Built** (Growth):
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- Productboard
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- Aha!
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- ProductPlan
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- Jira Product Discovery
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**Custom** (Enterprise):
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- Custom-built, integrated with data warehouse
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**Recommendation for solo/small teams**: Start with slides, upgrade only when pain is real.
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---
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## Templates and References
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### Assets (Ready-to-Use Templates)
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Copy-paste these for immediate use:
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- `assets/now-next-later-template.md` - Most flexible format, complete example
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- `assets/outcome-roadmap-template.md` - Results-focused format
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- `assets/roadmap-narrative-template.md` - Storytelling structure
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### References (Deep Dives)
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When you need comprehensive guidance:
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- `references/roadmap-types-guide.md` - All types compared, selection criteria
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- `references/roadmap-communication-guide.md` - Audience-specific roadmaps, communication tactics
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- `references/roadmap-building-guide.md` - 7-step process, prioritization, maintenance
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---
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## Related Skills
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- `prioritization-methods` - Prioritization frameworks (RICE, ICE, Impact/Effort)
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- `product-positioning` - Strategic positioning
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- `go-to-market-playbooks` - Launch planning and GTM strategy
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---
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## Quick Start
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**For your first roadmap**:
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1. Use Now-Next-Later format (simplest)
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2. Start with `assets/now-next-later-template.md`
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3. Define 2-3 strategic themes
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4. Fill in Now (what you're working on)
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5. Add Next (validated problems, likely next)
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6. Add Later (exploring)
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7. Include "Not Doing" (trade-offs)
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8. Present to team, get feedback
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9. Update quarterly
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**For quarterly planning**:
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1. Review last quarter: What shipped? What didn't? Why?
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2. Gather inputs: Customer feedback, business priorities, tech needs
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3. Prioritize: Impact, effort, strategic fit
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4. Sequence: Now → Next → Later
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5. Communicate: All-hands + written doc
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6. Update monthly based on learnings
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---
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**Key Principle**: Roadmaps are strategic communication tools, not commitments. They show direction and rationale, enabling alignment while maintaining flexibility. Good roadmaps create clarity without over-committing. Update regularly, communicate changes, focus on outcomes.
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