Roadmap

Q: Why are traditional roadmaps not recommended?

Traditional product roadmaps create false certainty in an uncertain environment, become immediately outdated as teams learn, and turn into political exercises rather than customer-focused planning tools. They set unrealistic expectations with stakeholders and focus on features rather than outcomes.

Q: What are better approaches to roadmaps?

Better approaches include opportunity solution trees (discovery roadmaps) that show multiple possible paths to reach a known outcome, and Now-Next-Later roadmaps that communicate what teams are working on now, will likely work on next, and may work on in the future without overcommitting to specific features and dates.

Q: What is the core principle of good roadmaps?

Good roadmaps communicate how teams will make decisions and the general direction they're headed, rather than creating false certainty about exactly what will be built when.

A roadmap is a document that communicates what a product team is working on and how they plan to achieve their goals.

Why are traditional roadmaps not recommended?

A traditional product roadmap is typically created annually and outlines what features will get built when—essentially a list of features with release dates.

This type of roadmap does more harm than good:
- Creates false certainty in an uncertain environment
- Becomes immediately outdated as teams learn
- Turns into a political exercise rather than a customer-focused planning tool
- Sets unrealistic expectations with stakeholders
- Focuses on features rather than outcomes

Building products isn't about shipping features on predetermined dates—it's about discovering the right solutions to customer problems.

What are better approaches to roadmaps?

Opportunity Solution Trees (Discovery Roadmaps)

While a traditional roadmap depicts the route a product team will take to some uncertain outcome, an opportunity solution tree depicts all the routes a team might take to reach a known outcome.

The actual route is uncertain, but teams can optimize it based on what they learn in discovery. This approach:
- Shows the outcome the team is working toward
- Maps multiple possible paths to get there
- Allows teams to adjust based on learning
- Focuses on decision-making process, not predetermined features

Now-Next-Later Roadmaps

Now-Next-Later roadmaps (also called Now-Next-Future) allow teams to communicate essential information without overcommitting:

Now: What the team is currently working on
Next: What the team will likely work on soon
Later/Future: What the team may work on in the future

This format gives stakeholders visibility into team priorities without locking teams into specific features and dates that may not make sense as they learn.

What is the core principle of good roadmaps?

Good roadmaps communicate how teams will make decisions and the general direction they're headed, rather than creating false certainty about exactly what will be built when.

Learn more:
- Drop Feature-Based Product Roadmaps
- Ask Teresa: My Leaders Still Want Roadmaps with Timelines—What Should I Do?

Related terms:
- Opportunity Solution Tree
- Solutions
- Strategy

← Back to Discovery Glossary

Last Updated: October 25, 2025

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