How to create a product roadmap

A product roadmap is your high-level strategic document that communicates the 'why' and 'when' of your software’s evolution. The core requirement is to align your development work with your business objectives, ensuring you aren’t just building features for the sake of it, but solving specific problems for your users. By looking 6-18 months ahead, you provide a clear vision for your team while maintaining enough flexibility to pivot based on feedback.

1. Group Features into Strategic Themes

Rather than a messy list of individual requests, organise your planned work into 'Themes'. A theme is a high-level objective that describes the value you are delivering. For example, 'Simplifying Onboarding' or 'Improving Data Security'. This helps you see the bigger picture and prevents the roadmap from becoming a simple 'to-do' list. It also makes it much easier to explain your progress to investors or customers.

2. Use a Prioritisation Framework

Decision-making can be difficult when every feature feels important. Using a framework helps remove emotion from the process. One popular method in the UK startup community is the RICE model:

• Reach: How many users will this feature affect in a given timeframe?
• Impact: How much will this feature help an individual user? (e.g., 'Massive' vs. 'Minimal').
• Confidence: How sure are you about your Reach and Impact scores based on the data you have?
• Effort: How much time will your developers need to complete it? (e.g., 'Person-months').

3. Select Your Roadmap Style

Depending on who you are showing the roadmap to, you might choose different formats. For a growing SaaS business, the 'Now, Next, Later' format is often superior to a rigid calendar because it manages expectations without committing to exact delivery dates far in advance.

4. Maintain the 6-18 Month Horizon

Software moves fast, but enterprise clients and investors often want to see a longer-term vision. Use the 6-12 month window for more concrete plans, while the 12-18 month window should remain high-level and visionary. This allows you to signal the direction of the company without getting bogged down in the minutiae of a future that may change.

Tip: Avoid putting specific dates on your public-facing roadmap. Instead, use 'Quarters' (e.g., Q3 2024) to give yourself some breathing room for unexpected bugs or shifts in the market.