wtf is a product roadmap?

WTF is a Product Roadmap?C. Todd Lombardo

Chief Design Strategist

Fresh Tilled Soil

@iamctodd

Bake a Cake…

Voila!

PASTRY CHEF

PASTRY CHEF STAFF

PASTRY CHEF STAFF INGREDIENTS

PASTRY CHEF STAFF INGREDIENTS RECIPE

PASTRY CHEF STAFF TOOLSINGREDIENTS RECIPE

PASTRY CHEF STAFF TOOLSINGREDIENTS RECIPE

CAKE EATERS

PASTRY CHEF STAFF TOOLSINGREDIENTS RECIPE(Product Manager) (Team) (Components) (Roadmap) (JIRA, Heroku,

Sketch, Swift, etc)

CAKE EATERS(Users)

..Without a Recipe?

..Without a Recipe?I BET IT WON’T BE AS GOOD

PASTRY CHEF STAFF TOOLSINGREDIENTS(Product Manager) (Team) (Components) (JIRA, Heroku,

Sketch, Swift, etc)

CAKE EATERS(Users)

Cake or death? Eddie Izzard A FUNNY GUY

Focus ○ Make a cake, not cookies or

brownies.


brownies.

Alignment ○ Everyone is on board with the

cake style, flavor, and timing.


brownies.



Priority ○ When to mix flour & eggs, bake

the cake, slice the strawberries, and when you can place the candles on top


brownies.





Visibility ○ How long until the cake is done?

The cake needs to be ready for candles by 1:00pm.


brownies.







Coordination ○ What’s a birthday cake without

candles and a song?


brownies.







Coordination ○ What’s a birthday cake without

candles and a song?

Visionary ○ Maybe you need something

besides a cake next year?

What a Roadmap is not

What is not a Product Roadmap

It is not a release plan - so leave out specific dates!



It is not a list of features and/or components.




It should not include job or user stories.





It is not a commitment.





It is not a commitment.

It is not waterfall… i.e.not a Gantt Chart


My First Roadmap…

Title (H1)

More often than not, the lack of a roadmap encourages you to do too many things not as well. Anthony Accardi CTO OF RUE LA LA

My 3-month Diversion…

Well.. WTF is it?!

What is a Product Roadmap?

Focused on the big picture.

Strategic communication artifact that conveys the path you’ll take to fulfill your product vision.

McCarthy-Baron Strategic Pyramid

Where Does it Apply?

Who Uses it?

Stakeholders

Stakeholders

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

</>

PRODUCT

Stakeholders

EXECUTIVES & BOARD PARTNERS CUSTOMER SUPPORT

!

SALES & MARKETING

CUSTOMERS

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

</>

PRODUCT

How to Make a Roadmap

VISION BUSINESS GOALS PRIORITIZE ROADMAPUSER

GOALSPRODUCT

GOALS

Restaurants

Disclaimer: this is not real!

Required Inputs

1) Clearly defined Problem and Solution

Why? You have to know what you’re doing and why, before you start thinking about where you’re going.

PROBLEM SOLUTION

2) Understanding of Your Users Needs

Why? You need to be able to empathize with your users so you can understand and anticipate their needs.

Think? Feel?

Hear? See?

Do?

Think? Feel?

Hear? See?

Do?

Name: Dick

Age: 55

Job: Salesman

Tasks: Develop trust

Motivations: Happiness

Obstacles: Time

Name: Jane

Age: 27

Job: Advertising

Tasks: Create programs

Motivations: Viral reach

Obstacles: Superiors

3) User Journeys for the Current Experience

Why? You need to fully understand how they’re currently solving the problem in order to make it better for them.

Jane wakes up

makes coffee

walks dog

catches train

reads paper

arrives at office

Vision

When: at a time when ___________

What: [our product] is the only ___________

How: that _____________

Who: for ______________

Where: in ______________

Why: who ____________

Source: Janna Bastow

At a time when travel is frequent, but travelers plan less…

Trip Advisor has the only international restaurant recommendation engine…

that gives immediate recommendations based on location and review…

for the everyday traveler…

from countries all over the world…

who need to save time and energy on finding local eateries.

Goals: Business

1) Expand the customer base

2) Extend user time in app

3) Grow advertising around restaurants

4) Enhance user experience

1-5 Strategic Objectives

Goals: User

Goal #1:

Goal #2:

Goal #3:

Goal #4:

Goal #5:

Find a restaurant at the last minute

Find a restaurant near my hotel

See feedback from other patrons

Find a restaurant by cuisine

Make me look knowledgable to my fellow travelers

Help me brag about where I’ve been

Goals: ProductAKA Solutions

List of Cuisines

Pictures of food by cuisine

Select country of origin on a map

Auto-populate search box

Select flag for country of origin

Ask a local

Ask hotel concierge


Connect

BUSINESS GOALS

USER GOALS

PRODUCT GOALS

BUSINESS GOALS

USER GOALS

BUSINESS GOALS

USER GOALS

PRODUCT GOALS

Grow advertising around restaurants


Business Goal:

User Goal:

Product Goal: Pictures of food by cuisine + restaurant restaurant sponsored food pictures

Prioritization

Strong. Light. Cheap. Pick Two.

Keith Bontrager FOUNDER, BICYCLE PARTS COMPANY

Best Prioritization Methods

Credit. Bruce McCarthy


Your CEO’s gut Not close enough

Worst




Analyst opinions Mostly backward-looking

Worst





Popularity Most customers are small

Worst






Sales requests Change every week

Worst






Sales requests Change every week

Services requests Mostly incremental

Worst


Prioritization is hell. Boaz Katz CEO, BIZZABO

Source. Boaz Katz

HTTP://BIT.LY/1QWKYSL

http://bit.ly/1qWkYSl

Feasibility (technical)

Desirability (human)

Viability (business)

Engineering

Design Sales

Marketing

Product Managers Executives

Source: IDEO

Feasibility (technical)

Desirability (human)

Viability (business)

TOTALS

Restaurant reviews 5 5 5 15

User expertise rating 3 4 4 11

Find restaurant by cuisine

2 4 3 9

Auto-populate search 5 2 2 9

Order of priority

Shuttle Diplomacy

I have a draft of our product prioritization for next year… Can you help me?

You PRODUCT PRO

The Roadmap

Many Formats

Key Elements○ Broad time frames

○ Themes by time

○ Key features (optional)

○ High-level product goals

○ Metrics for each stage

○ Dependencies & risks

○ Status/stage

○ Sales & Marketing Effects

○ Safe harbor statement

Customer Facing Roadmap

Q3-2016 Q4-2016 H1-2017 H2-2017

Theme A Theme C Theme DTheme E, Phase II

Theme BTheme E,

Phase ITheme F

Source. Bruce McCarthy

Customer Facing Roadmap: Lean Edition

CURRENT PLANNED CONSIDERING

Theme A Theme C Theme D

Theme B Theme E


Internal Facing RoadmapQ3’13 Q4’13 H1’14 H2’14

Themes Theme A Theme C Theme D Theme F

Likely Features

Feature 1 Feature 2 Feature 3

Feature 1 Feature 2 Feature 3

Stage Active Development Prototype Testing Discovery Discovery

Metrics Ship all MVP features10 schools 6 renew

4 say “must have”10 schools 10 schools

Dependencies & Risks

Claire sick for 3 wksUX resource from

Project BeetleNew PM hire

S&M Improved competitive position

Annual industry event New regulations


Portfolio Roadmap

Q3’13 Q4’13 H1’14 H2’14

Product Y Stage: Development

Goal: Product/Launch FitMVP Soft Launch Learn Product/Market Fit Grow

Product X Stage: Introduction

Goal: Product/Market FitProduct/Market Fit

Scale On-Boarding Process

Enhance Product Value Grow

Product Z Stage: Growth

Goal: 50% Sales GrowthChannel Enablement Key Integrations Critical B&R UX Standardization


Timeframe

LaterNow Next

Now Next Later

User Profile Auto-pop Search Social media API’s

Map of CuisinesUser Reviews and Recommendations Share with Friend

Restaurant Reviews Search by CityUser Expertise

Rating

Customer Support OpenTable API

Extend user time in app

Grow advertising around restaurants

Enhance user experience

Color Coding

Now Next Later

User Profile Auto-pop Search Social media API’s

Map of CuisinesUser Reviews and Recommendations Share with Friend

Restaurant Reviews Search by CityUser Expertise

Rating

Customer Support OpenTable API

Process

VISION BUSINESS GOALS PRIORITIZE ROADMAPUSER

GOALSPRODUCT

GOALS

Artifact ≠ Deliverable

Thanks Kim Goodwin!

Output ≠ Outcome

Life is a journey, so is your roadmap

[email protected]

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Why you do this job I don’t know, but it does explain all the beer. Product Manager’s Spouse

Owner Designer Developer


http://bit.ly/mobx16-roadmap SLIDES AVAILABLE HERE

http://bit.ly/mobx16-roadmap

[email protected]

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