Behind every great product is a great team doing work in a way that guarantees results. They are following a roadmap from the starting point to the end product. But a product roadmap can be elusive. This talk addresses why it is important and presents an approach to make one.

1. WTF is a Product Roadmap?
C. Todd Lombardo
Chief Design Strategist
Fresh Tilled Soil
@iamctodd

2. Bake a Cake…

3. Voila!

5. PASTRY CHEF

6. PASTRY CHEF STAFF

7. PASTRY CHEF STAFF INGREDIENTS

8. PASTRY CHEF STAFF INGREDIENTS RECIPE

9. PASTRY CHEF STAFF TOOLSINGREDIENTS RECIPE

10. PASTRY CHEF STAFF TOOLSINGREDIENTS RECIPE
CAKE EATERS

11. PASTRY CHEF STAFF TOOLSINGREDIENTS RECIPE
(Product Manager) (Team) (Components) (Roadmap) (JIRA, Heroku,
Sketch, Swift, etc)
CAKE EATERS
(Users)

12. ..Without a Recipe?

13. ..Without a Recipe?
I BET IT WON’T BE AS GOOD

14. PASTRY CHEF STAFF TOOLSINGREDIENTS
(Product Manager) (Team) (Components) (JIRA, Heroku,
Sketch, Swift, etc)
CAKE EATERS
(Users)

15. PASTRY CHEF STAFF TOOLSINGREDIENTS
(Product Manager) (Team) (Components) (JIRA, Heroku,
Sketch, Swift, etc)
CAKE EATERS
(Users)

16. Cake or death?
Eddie Izzard
A FUNNY GUY

18. Focus
○ Make a cake, not cookies or
brownies.

19. Focus
○ Make a cake, not cookies or
brownies.
Alignment
○ Everyone is on board with the
cake style, flavor, and timing.

20. Focus
○ Make a cake, not cookies or
brownies.
Alignment
○ Everyone is on board with the
cake style, flavor, and timing.
Priority
○ When to mix flour & eggs, bake
the cake, slice the strawberries,
and when you can place the
candles on top

21. Focus
○ Make a cake, not cookies or
brownies.
Alignment
○ Everyone is on board with the
cake style, flavor, and timing.
Priority
○ When to mix flour & eggs, bake
the cake, slice the strawberries,
and when you can place the
candles on top
Visibility
○ How long until the cake is done?
The cake needs to be ready for
candles by 1:00pm.

22. Focus
○ Make a cake, not cookies or
brownies.
Alignment
○ Everyone is on board with the
cake style, flavor, and timing.
Priority
○ When to mix flour & eggs, bake
the cake, slice the strawberries,
and when you can place the
candles on top
Visibility
○ How long until the cake is done?
The cake needs to be ready for
candles by 1:00pm.
Coordination
○ What’s a birthday cake without
candles and a song?

23. Focus
○ Make a cake, not cookies or
brownies.
Alignment
○ Everyone is on board with the
cake style, flavor, and timing.
Priority
○ When to mix flour & eggs, bake
the cake, slice the strawberries,
and when you can place the
candles on top
Visibility
○ How long until the cake is done?
The cake needs to be ready for
candles by 1:00pm.
Coordination
○ What’s a birthday cake without
candles and a song?
Visionary
○ Maybe you need something
besides a cake next year?

24. What a Roadmap is not

25. What is not a Product Roadmap

26. It is not a release plan - so leave out specific dates!
What is not a Product Roadmap

27. It is not a release plan - so leave out specific dates!
It is not a list of features and/or components.
What is not a Product Roadmap

28. It is not a release plan - so leave out specific dates!
It is not a list of features and/or components.
It should not include job or user stories.
What is not a Product Roadmap

29. It is not a release plan - so leave out specific dates!
It is not a list of features and/or components.
It should not include job or user stories.
It is not a commitment.
What is not a Product Roadmap

30. It is not a release plan - so leave out specific dates!
It is not a list of features and/or components.
It should not include job or user stories.
It is not a commitment.
It is not waterfall… i.e.not a Gantt Chart
What is not a Product Roadmap

31. My First Roadmap…

32. Title (H1)

33. More often than not, the lack of a
roadmap encourages you to do
too many things not as well.
Anthony Accardi
CTO OF RUE LA LA

34. My 3-month Diversion…

35. Well.. WTF is it?!

36. What is a Product Roadmap?
Focused on the big picture.
Strategic communication artifact that conveys the
path you’ll take to fulfill your product vision.

37. McCarthy-Baron Strategic Pyramid

38. Where Does it Apply?

40. Who Uses it?

41. Stakeholders

42. Stakeholders
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
</>
PRODUCT

43. Stakeholders
EXECUTIVES & BOARD PARTNERS CUSTOMER SUPPORT
!
SALES & MARKETING
CUSTOMERS
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
</>
PRODUCT

44. How to Make a Roadmap
VISION
BUSINESS
GOALS
PRIORITIZE ROADMAP
USER
GOALS
PRODUCT
GOALS

45. Restaurants
Disclaimer: this is not real!

46. Required Inputs

47. 1) Clearly defined Problem and Solution
Why? You have to know what you’re doing and why, before you start thinking about where you’re going.
PROBLEM SOLUTION

48. 2) Understanding of Your Users Needs
Why? You need to be able to empathize with your users so you can understand and anticipate their needs.
Think? Feel?
Hear? See?
Do?
Think? Feel?
Hear? See?
Do?
Name: Dick
Age: 55
Job: Salesman
Tasks: Develop trust
Motivations: Happiness
Obstacles: Time
Name: Jane
Age: 27
Job: Advertising
Tasks: Create programs
Motivations: Viral reach
Obstacles: Superiors

49. 3) User Journeys for the Current Experience
Why? You need to fully understand how they’re currently solving the problem in order to make it better for them.
Jane
wakes up
makes
coffee
walks
dog
catches
train
reads
paper
arrives at
office

50. Vision

51. When: at a time when ___________
What: [our product] is the only ___________
How: that _____________
Who: for ______________
Where: in ______________
Why: who ____________
Source: Janna Bastow

52. At a time when travel is frequent, but travelers plan less…
Trip Advisor has 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.

53. Goals: Business

54. 1) Expand the customer base
2) Extend user time in app
3) Grow advertising around restaurants
4) Enhance user experience
1-5 Strategic Objectives

55. Goals: User

56. Goal #1:
Goal #2:
Goal #3:
Goal #4:
Goal #5:

57. Find a restaurant at the last minute
Find a restaurant near my hotel
See feedback from other patrons
Find a restaurant by cuisine
Make me look knowledgable to my fellow travelers
Help me brag about where I’ve been

58. Goals: ProductAKA Solutions

59. List of
Cuisines
Pictures of
food by cuisine
Select country of
origin on a map
Auto-populate
search box
Select flag for
country of origin
Ask a
local
Ask hotel
concierge
Find a restaurant by cuisine

60. List of
Cuisines
Pictures of
food by cuisine
Select country of
origin on a map
Auto-populate
search box
Select flag for
country of origin
Ask a
local
Ask hotel
concierge
Find a restaurant by cuisine

61. Connect
BUSINESS
GOALS
USER
GOALS
PRODUCT
GOALS

62. BUSINESS
GOALS
USER
GOALS

63. BUSINESS
GOALS
USER
GOALS
PRODUCT
GOALS

64. Grow advertising around restaurants
Find a restaurant by cuisine
Business Goal:
User Goal:
Product Goal: Pictures of food by cuisine + restaurant
restaurant sponsored food pictures

65. Prioritization

66. Strong. Light. Cheap. Pick Two.
Keith Bontrager
FOUNDER, BICYCLE PARTS COMPANY

67. Best Prioritization Methods
Credit. Bruce McCarthy

68. Best Prioritization Methods
Your CEO’s gut Not close enough
Worst
Credit. Bruce McCarthy

69. Best Prioritization Methods
Your CEO’s gut Not close enough
Analyst opinions Mostly backward-looking
Worst
Credit. Bruce McCarthy

70. Best Prioritization Methods
Your CEO’s gut Not close enough
Analyst opinions Mostly backward-looking
Popularity Most customers are small
Worst
Credit. Bruce McCarthy

71. Best Prioritization Methods
Your CEO’s gut Not close enough
Analyst opinions Mostly backward-looking
Popularity Most customers are small
Sales requests Change every week
Worst
Credit. Bruce McCarthy

72. Best Prioritization Methods
Your CEO’s gut Not close enough
Analyst opinions Mostly backward-looking
Popularity Most customers are small
Sales requests Change every week
Services requests Mostly incremental
Worst
Credit. Bruce McCarthy

73. Prioritization is hell.
Boaz Katz
CEO, BIZZABO

74. Source. Boaz Katz
HTTP://BIT.LY/1QWKYSL

75. Feasibility
(technical)
Desirability
(human)
Viability
(business)
Engineering
Design
Sales
Marketing
Product Managers
Executives
Source: IDEO

76. Feasibility
(technical)
Desirability
(human)
Viability
(business)
TOTALS
Restaurant reviews 5 5 5 15
User expertise rating 3 4 4 11
Find restaurant by
cuisine
2 4 3 9
Auto-populate search 5 2 2 9
Order of
priority

77. Shuttle Diplomacy

78. I have a draft of our product
prioritization for next year…
Can you help me?
You
PRODUCT PRO

79. The Roadmap

80. Many Formats

81. Key Elements
○ Broad time frames
○ Themes by time
○ Key features (optional)
○ High-level product goals
○ Metrics for each stage
○ Dependencies & risks
○ Status/stage
○ Sales & Marketing Effects
○ Safe harbor statement

82. Customer Facing Roadmap
Q3-2016 Q4-2016 H1-2017 H2-2017
Theme A Theme C Theme D
Theme E,
Phase II
Theme B
Theme E,
Phase I
Theme F
Source. Bruce McCarthy

83. Customer Facing Roadmap: Lean Edition
CURRENT PLANNED CONSIDERING
Theme A Theme C Theme D
Theme B Theme E
Source. Bruce McCarthy

84. Internal Facing Roadmap
Q3’13 Q4’13 H1’14 H2’14
Themes Theme A Theme C Theme D Theme F
Likely
Features
Feature 1
Feature 2
Feature 3
Feature 1
Feature 2
Feature 3
Stage Active Development Prototype Testing Discovery Discovery
Metrics Ship all MVP features
10 schools
6 renew
4 say “must have”
10 schools 10 schools
Dependencies
& Risks
Claire sick for 3 wks
UX resource from
Project Beetle
New PM hire
S&M
Improved competitive
position
Annual industry event New regulations
Source. Bruce McCarthy

85. Portfolio Roadmap
Q3’13 Q4’13 H1’14 H2’14
Product Y
Stage: Development
Goal: Product/Launch Fit
MVP Soft Launch Learn Product/Market Fit Grow
Product X
Stage: Introduction
Goal: Product/Market Fit
Product/Market Fit
Scale On-Boarding
Process
Enhance Product Value Grow
Product Z
Stage: Growth
Goal: 50% Sales Growth
Channel Enablement Key Integrations Critical B&R UX Standardization
Source. Bruce McCarthy

86. Timeframe
LaterNow Next

87. Now Next Later
User Profile Auto-pop Search Social media API’s
Map of Cuisines
User Reviews and
Recommendations
Share with Friend
Restaurant Reviews Search by City
User Expertise
Rating
Customer Support OpenTable API

88. Extend user time in app
Grow advertising around restaurants
Enhance user experience
Color Coding

89. Now Next Later
User Profile Auto-pop Search Social media API’s
Map of Cuisines
User Reviews and
Recommendations
Share with Friend
Restaurant Reviews Search by City
User Expertise
Rating
Customer Support OpenTable API

91. Process
VISION
BUSINESS
GOALS
PRIORITIZE ROADMAP
USER
GOALS
PRODUCT
GOALS

92. Artifact ≠ Deliverable
Thanks Kim Goodwin!

93. Output ≠ Outcome

94. Life is a journey,
so is your roadmap

95. roadmap@ctodd.co

96. Why you do this job I don’t know,
but it does explain all the beer.
Product Manager’s Spouse
Owner
Designer
Developer
Credit. Bruce McCarthy

97. http://bit.ly/mobx16-roadmap
SLIDES AVAILABLE HERE

98. ctodd@freshtilledsoil.com