The product roadmap is a strategic document that outlines the vision, direction and progress of a product over time. It serves as a high-level plan that communicates the key milestones, initiatives and goals to stakeholders, ensuring everyone is aligned and informed. The roadmap helps guide the development process, prioritise tasks and allocate resources effectively, ultimately driving the product towards its desired outcomes.

Creating a product roadmap

The process should begin with defining the vision and goals, followed by identifying key initiatives and milestones. This roadmap serves as a strategic guide, outlining the high level timeline and resources required to achieve the desired outcomes. By involving relevant teams and stakeholders early in the process, the roadmap becomes a collaborative tool that drives transparency and accountability.

The product roadmap should:

• define product vision, goals, establishing the overarching objectives and key results (OKRs)
• be a high level strategic, visual summary of direction of a product over time
• set milestones, outlining significant checkpoints and deadlines to track progress
• be reviewed with the delivery and service teams and adjusted as required

Managing the product roadmap

Managing the product roadmap involves continuous oversight and adaptation to ensure the project stays aligned with its goals and timelines. This process requires regular updates, stakeholder communication and flexibility to address any changes or challenges that arise.

Effective management of the roadmap ensures that the team remains focused, resources are optimally utilised, and stakeholders are kept informed of progress and any necessary adjustments. The roadmap should be continuously updated to reflect current progress and any changes.

You should:

• maintain open lines of communication with stakeholders to keep them informed and engaged
• track the progress of initiatives and milestones to ensure alignment with the roadmap
• be flexible and ready to adjust the roadmap in response to new information or changes in priorities
• regularly review the roadmap with the team and stakeholders to gather feedback and make improvements

Product roadmap template

Using the product roadmap template within NHSBSA ensures a standardised approach to planning and communicating product timelines and milestones, ensuring there are defined OKRs. This consistency helps align teams across the NHSBSA, providing clear expectations for stakeholders on deliverables and progress.

By setting these expectations the roadmap will become a reliable tool for tracking development, identifying potential risks, and facilitating transparent communication, ultimately leading to more efficient project management and successful outcomes.

NHSBSA Roadmap Template (Miro)

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