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In the product development world, there are various opinions on Agile Philosophy. Should organizations use it? Does it work for manufacturing complex products? Is it scalable for large companies? The decision to use Agile, Stage-Gate, or a hybrid method of product development is up to each company, based on their needs and size. However, there is one discussion point that we feel strongly about and often arises when discussing Agile principles: the product roadmap.
Some industry players wonder if using product roadmaps contradicts the Agile Philosophy, which emphasizes flexibility and rapid decision-making. The answer is simple. Building great products requires some level of planning, and the product roadmap is where you outline, monitor, and track those plans.
Roadmaps Are Meant to Be Flexible
When new product managers ask for tips on how to create a product roadmap, the best piece of advice we can think of is that product roadmaps are never set in stone. Roadmaps are living, flexible tools that should be used regularly and updated as often as needed. Sometimes, even seasoned product managers need to be reminded of this advice.
Whether you need to track the approval of each stage on the way to launching a prototype or leave space for new ideas during the iteration process, your roadmap should adapt with you.
Some of the occasions that should trigger an update of your roadmap include:
- Introducing a new product feature
- The number of dependencies the product has
- The maturity of the product
- The nature of your market
- Meetings with stakeholders
Because the product roadmap is meant to be flexible and used frequently, it works with any product development method you want to use in your organization, from Stage-Gate to Agile to a Hybrid model.
Roadmaps Are the Compass for Your Team
The product roadmap is exactly as the name suggests. It guides your teams from the idea through to the launch of the product, whether you're working on a piece of software (a new application), a physical product (an espresso maker), or a complex product that combines hardware and software (a smart home appliance). The number of milestones you set along the way will vary, depending on how complex the development is and how many dependencies there are between components.
When the roadmap is kept up-to-date, it acts as the compass for your team, letting them know how far along in the process the development is at, where a potential delay or change could affect their work, and what the long-term goals are.
Roadmaps Are an Effective Communication Tool
Roadmaps are the touch point that keeps everyone involved in the product on the same page, especially with the Agile approach. The Stage-Gate approach calls for an update to the roadmap at every formal product test and approval phase. Without that structure, Agile teams need to ensure they maintain excellent communication and use the roadmap as their point of communication rather than abandoning the concept altogether.
Rather than fill in heavy details of each and every milestone, Agile teams can keep their roadmaps more flexible by noting the end goals in loose detail and filling in the immediate milestones with finer details.
Why Your Roadmap Matters Regardless of the Approach
Roadmaps will always matter in product development. The question that product managers should be considering is how much detail is required to make the roadmap useful. Any company that wants to stay in business for the long term needs to have long-term goals that extend beyond three or even five years. How can your company keep an eye on the long-term objectives without a roadmap in place?
The answer is that the closer you reach a milestone goal, the more detail you need on your roadmap. You'll want to know which metrics to track, what components need to be completed, and what, if any, dependencies exist. Long-term goals—such as designing more sustainable products—can be an objective on the roadmap without heavy detail on how it will happen. If the goal is for ten years into the future, the exact plans don't need to be defined at the start. The point of having it on your roadmap is to remind your teams that you have a long-term goal that requires continuous action in order to achieve it.
There are a few different scenarios where your company may need to keep a close eye on long-term objectives. These could include a change in the law or policies where the product is sold, a shift in the market demand, or due to ambitions to push innovation in the industry.
Meeting Legislative Changes
When a country decides to implement carbon reduction policies on manufacturing by a certain date in the future, companies need to give themselves time to meet those rules before the policy is activated. The more complex the product, the more lead time is required to ensure every department is on board with the change in direction.
Matching the Demand From Buyers
When consumer demand shifts from a trend to a long-term change in direction, companies are required to pivot to match that demand. For example, the more consumers care about sustainability, the more companies need to take meaningful steps to provide sustainable products. This can involve switching suppliers, upgrading facilities, modifying product plans, and innovating new components. Changes like these can't happen overnight, which is why plotting the long-term goals on the roadmap helps make them achievable.
Leading Your Industry With Innovation
Does your company want to make waves in your industry with a new product that is unlike anything else on the market? That kind of product launch doesn't happen overnight. Apple remains an excellent example of a company that had long-term goals before they had the technology and plans to make them a reality. Without stating the vision on the roadmap, product teams can lose focus as the pressures and demands of short-term tasks take over.
Building Better Roadmaps With the Right Tools
Whether you follow Agile values and principles or not, building a product roadmap involves similar tactics. Use your roadmaps to align your teams to the business goals, update the roadmap frequently, and keep your eye on the big picture by tracking the metrics that matter on a high level. With innovative product roadmap management tools, updating, monitoring, and using your roadmap becomes an automatic habit for your team.
Gocious Product Roadmap Management Software is a cloud-based software that features easy-to-use powerful roadmapping tools with clear visualizations your whole team can understand. Try it out with a free demo to see how Gocious can work for your portfolio.