How to Create a Software Roadmap

Whether you are developing the simplest software program to the most complex software system, according to Chron, having a software roadmap guides your company structure your priorities and execute your project, giving your team a clear vision on your short-term and long-term goals. Thus, meeting your deadlines on time by creating a timeline of your tasks.

Stated below are a few tips on how you may create your software roadmap:

1. Analyze the Project in a Big-Picture Perspective

When you design a software application or test an operating system, you do not only analyze what is happening right now but you must also look at the project as an entire picture. Create your long-term goals and analyze how you may respond to the changes six months or maybe a year after launching your product.

2. Create Your Product Strategy and Define Your Project Plan

Strategy is the key in solving the issues involved with your software development. Create an analysis on your project's strengths and weaknesses and describe how you may achieve your business goals.Then create your project plan, which state your project deadline and milestones.

3. Assign Roles and Responsibilities for Your Project

Of course, you need people to execute the tasks. Assign people their roles and responsibilities for your project, make sure that your key stakeholders takes active parts in the creation of your software roadmap.

4. Determine Your Project Risk and Generate Your Roadmap

Never underestimate your project risks as this can cause project delays. List down all possible risks that may occur during your software development and come up with the right solution for them. Always keep a back-up plan for your project and be ready to share it with the group.

General FAQs

  • What is a software roadmap?

    A software roadmap is a tool that acts as a strategic plan for software developers and engineering teams by providing them with a clearer and a higher-level overview of their software development and design processes. This tool serves as a support on the product's goals, vision, and priorities. Thus, fostering transparency on the project, allowing its developers and stakeholders to stay ahead in the market.

  • How do you create a roadmap?

    1. Start by having a customer-focused vision
    2. Incorporate the inputs of your key stakeholders
    3. Focus on your high-level priorities
    4. Be agile with your approach
    5. Focus on how you can solve your customer's problem

  • How do you build an agile roadmap?

    1. Identify the requirements of an agile project
    2. Arrange the features of the agile project
    3. Estimate and organize the project's features 
    4. Determine high-level agile time frames of the project 
     

  • What makes a good roadmap?

    1. Present a clear visual of your product roadmap
    2. Prepare different versions of your product roadmap
    3. Make your product roadmap visible to your organization
    4. Create a flexible product roadmap
    5. Let your key stakeholders be involved with your roadmap
    6. Allocate time to review your roadmap
     

  • What should be included in your roadmap?

    1. Your products
    2. Your project goals
    3. Your project initiatives
    4. Your new releases/launches
    5. Your product's epic
    6. Your product's features
    7. Your user experiences
    8. Your project's timeline/schedule
    9. Your project's status/progress