What are product roadmaps actually good for?
- Darryn Probert
- Oct 15
- 4 min read
Roadmaps: The Ultimate Communication Asset
Product development teams pour countless hours into crafting the perfect product roadmap. But what if we told you that the document itself is merely the secondary prize?
At Next Phase Consultancy we view the roadmap not as a rigid blueprint for delivery but fundamentally as a communication tool. It is the end, not the means. The true value lies in the rigorous cross-functional process required to create it: the intense discussions with differing functional teams, the critical assessment of current commercial and operational states, the deep analysis of customer and investor relations and the relentless external market analysis. These valuable activities are where strategic intent is truly forged.
Product roadmaps are said to communicate the strategic intent for a product or portfolio of products. But who is the audience of that asset?
Is it to communicate or justify to the board or investors where investment is being prioritised on a product?
Is it to communicate to existing customers or the market in general?
Or is it used to align multiple internal product development teams and identify dependencies?
Each one of those groups needs varying degrees of information. A roadmap will not satisfy all those needs.
What the roadmap does communicate to these diverse stakeholders is simple: you, as a product team, have done your homework. It is the formal statement of what the business is betting on to achieve the required organisational results.
At Next Phase Consultancy, we believe that understanding what a roadmap truly is and what it absolutely isn’t, is the first step toward effective product leadership.
What a Roadmap Isn't (And What to Use Instead)
A product roadmap is not a fixed project plan, a detailed Gantt chart or a commitment to ship specific features on specific dates. When roadmaps are treated as immutable feature lists, they stifle agility, punish teams for inevitable market shifts and prevent necessary pivots.
In scenarios requiring fine-grained development detail you need a different tool:
Scenario | What It Is (The Wrong Tool) | What to Use (The Right Tool) |
Development Detail | A fixed Q3 feature list on the roadmap. | A Product Backlog or Kanban Board that contains user stories and implementation tasks. |
Internal Commitment | A promise to launch "Feature X" on October 1st. | A Release Plan or Delivery Schedule used by the development team, clearly communicating confidence levels and dependencies. |
Strategic Opportunities | A list of product features across the year | Opportunity Solution Trees or North Star Frameworks that focus on solving customer problems. Impact Mapping to identify the parts of the organisation that need to contribute towards a goal or result. |
Communicating Strategy, Not Just Schedule
The true value of a product roadmap lies in its ability to communicate the strategy and sequencing of tackling critical business goals. It provides the high-level narrative of why you are building what you are building next.
Developing this strategic document requires a rigorous, data informed process:
Define the Business Goal Every initiative on the roadmap must clearly map to a top-level business outcome (e.g. increase customer retention, expand into a new segment, reduce operational cost).
Strategic Sequencing Group product initiatives into themes or time horizons (e.g. Now, Next, Later) based on ability to achieve the defined goals and manage dependencies. The sequencing is a communication tool, not a delivery contract.
Inform with Data The confidence in your roadmap must be informed by continuous input from internal and external data.
Internal Data Organisational inputs such as current product performance (usage statistics, funnel drop-offs), technical debt status, sales velocity and support team insights.
Market Data External sources including competitive analysis, market sizing, regulatory changes and direct customer feedback from interviews and surveys.
The process of building the roadmap should be about synthesising this data to identify the highest-leverage opportunities that move the business toward its strategic goals.
Leading vs. Lagging Indicators of Success
A successful product roadmap process defines measurable outcomes linked to its strategic goals. You must select metrics that provide early warning and definitive proof of progress.
1. Leading Indicators (The Pivoting Signal)
Leading indicators provide an early, predictive signal that your recent developments are on the right path or, conversely, need immediate attention and a potential pivot. These focus on user behaviour and early adoption, or a preceding organisational metric.
Leading Indicator Examples | What They Tell You |
Feature Usage/Adoption Rate | Are users discovering and engaging with the new solution? |
Time to Value | How quickly does a new user find success or achieve a desired outcome? |
Click-Through Rate (CTR) | Is the new value proposition compelling enough for users to try it? |
If leading indicators fail to move, it suggests the feature solved the wrong problem or was implemented poorly. This would signal the need to iterate or pivot the approach before the large investment is complete.
2. Lagging Indicators (The Success Metric)
Lagging indicators confirm progress towards the high-level business goals over a longer period. They measure the ultimate success and impact of the strategic decisions made on the roadmap.
Lagging Indicator Examples | What They Tell You |
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) | Are retained customers spending more over time? |
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) | Is the product contributing to sustainable business growth? |
Churn/Retention Rate | Did the product development meaningfully improve customer loyalty? |
By establishing a clear chain of metrics from a successful leading indicator (e.g. increased feature adoption) to a positive lagging indicator (e.g. improved retention) you create a continuous feedback loop that ensures the roadmap remains a dynamic, goal-driven tool rather than a static constraint.
Ready to Turn Promises into Progress?
Ready to transform your roadmap from a simple list of promises into a true strategic asset?
If your current roadmap feels more like a wish list than a plan, let's chat. Contact us today to explore how Next Phase Consultancy can help you build and execute a roadmap that actually drives success.
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