Release plans are execution-level roadmaps concerning delivering desired work tasks along with suitable time frames of when you and your team can expect to complete said tasks. This roadmap involves releasing your product to the following:
- Stakeholders
- Senior executives
- Cross-functional teams, AND
- (eventually) Customers
Unlike the previous roadmap mentioned, you can set milestones for each task, rather than time-bound deadlines. In this way, you have a fixed scope with a regular release schedule.
Suppose you’re developing more than one product. Then this roadmap is ideal, since it combines several single products, thus allowing you to create long-term goals for your product journeys.
However, keep in mind that one caveat of using this roadmap is that you’ll find yourself multitasking, since you’re tracking more than one project. So, be sure to use this roadmap wisely.
Now-next-later roadmaps are all about priorities. With slots labeled “Now,” “Next,” and “Later,” teams are able to organize their priorities in a fast-paced environment. Despite having to track things via rigorous prioritizing, this roadmap is ideal for showing to larger audiences.
Finally, the Agile (also known as the “sprint”) roadmap sees project sprints as gold. Here, you’re focusing on short-term details, along with showing the features and stories that spawn from the sprints, thus showing developers the product’s overall strategic direction and limiting distractions.
Conclusion
As you can see, the product roadmaps shown in this article aren’t meant to be one-time solutions. In fact, many of these can be integrated according to the project itself. Each roadmap has a start to finish, and they’re on standby when work begins.
To recap, some of the best roadmaps to consider for your product development are some or one of the following:
- Single product
- Release plans
- Multiple product
- Now-Next-Later, AND
- Agile/Sprint
We hope that you’ll use an effective product roadmap for your next product idea. Whether you’re creating a new product, or innovating a current product, it’s worth checking out these great product roadmaps, and having them work for you and your development team.