A roadmap is a story

Roadmaps are a challenging concept for PMs - maybe the most challenging concept.

Many PMs believe it is a pro-forma part of the job - a picture that the execs or customers require of them and they are not always clear on WHY or WHAT its purpose is. They just assume “we gotta do this thing,” as if it was filing expense reports or something.

If you are a PM reading this and remember nothing else, remember that:

roadmap is not a plan, a roadmap is a story

Roadmaps exist to be statements of intention. They describe your “point of view. They are a narrative about what you, as a PM, believe is the most important thing to build, and why. Because there is a narrative, there is an opportunity to teach and to persuade.

This idea of narrative is, sadly, lost on (all but the best) PMs.

If you want to be a better PM, strive to always focus on the fundamentals and use your roadmap as the place where you tell the story of your product.

What choices are you. making?

What led you to these choices?

What are the impact of your choices?

Roadmaps are a great visualization, but thats all they are. A visualization of your story - so make sure you have a story, and you tell it.