Use roadmaps to plan and visualize your project goals

Imagine a product team racing to launch a new app feature, but marketing is unclear on the rollout plan, engineering is fixing technical debt, and leadership is asking for status updates that no one has time to compile. It doesn’t exactly sound like the setup for a successful release.

Fortunately, misalignments like this are avoidable. According to the Project Management Institute, organizations that prioritize strategic alignment are 57% more likely to achieve their business goals.

This is where a roadmap comes in handy. An actionable roadmap is a dynamic visual plan that keeps teams focused and projects moving forward. This project planning and prioritization tool provides a high-level vision of progress and a framework to translate that vision into execution.

Here, we’ll discuss the different types of roadmaps and roadmapping formats. You’ll learn tips to ensure your roadmap is compelling and boardroom-ready. Finally, we’ll show you how Tempo makes roadmapping easier with direct Jira integrations and a free agile roadmap template.

What is a roadmap?

A visual roadmap is a communication tool organizations use to align teams and stakeholders on planned outcomes. It shows what needs to be done, when it needs to happen, and how different teams contribute to the overall strategy.

Unlike a static project plan, a roadmap is dynamic and adaptable. It tracks progress and keeps everyone on the same page, from executives to project teams. Roadmaps inform decision-making by illustrating timelines and dependencies.

A strategic roadmap helps organizations with the following tasks:

• Creating stakeholder alignment by fostering a shared understanding of strategic goals and priorities

• Enhancing transparency by providing visibility into timelines, milestones, and dependencies

• Improving decision-making by helping leaders prioritize initiatives based on strategic objectives

• Boosting efficiency by reducing miscommunication and aligning teams with shared outcomes

Benefits of using a roadmap

A roadmap helps teams work more effectively by providing structure for planning, execution, and communication. It ensures everyone, from leadership to developers to sales teams, is aligned on priorities and working toward the same goals.

Here are several benefits of using a strategy roadmap:

• Increased consensus and alignment: A roadmap helps teams and leadership agree on prioritization, reducing confusion and conflicting objectives.

• Intuitive visual overviews: Clearly outlined milestones and initiatives help project managers track progress and adjust plans when needed.

• Improved cross-team communication: Roadmaps centralize strategic plans in one place so different departments stay coordinated.

• Eliminated workflow silos: Connecting resource planning to business goals helps teams work collaboratively rather than in isolation, improving efficiency and accountability.

Types of roadmaps and their use cases

Various roadmaps exist to serve diverse needs and objectives, ensuring teams can find just the right tool for the job and maintain guidance throughout their projects. Here are some frequently used types of roadmaps:

• Product roadmaps: These outlines show a product’s evolution, including upcoming features and customer benefits. They ensure development aligns with market demands and business objectives.

• Technology roadmaps: A technology roadmap focuses on IT infrastructure and digital investments. It guides decision-making for tech improvement and innovation.

• Project roadmaps: Project managers use these to present an overview of project timelines and deliverables. Project roadmaps coordinate efforts among stakeholders and summarize resource planning.

• Marketing roadmaps: These map out campaign schedules and channel strategies. Marketing teams get clarity on timing and messaging.

• Strategic roadmaps: These high-level planning tools summarize long-term strategic goals and cross-department initiatives. They support senior leaders in aligning priorities and tracking organizational progress.

Roadmap formats and visual styles

The appropriate roadmap format will clearly communicate your strategic plans. Consider these commonly used roadmap formats:

• Timeline roadmap: This format presents initiatives along a chronological axis that’s segmented into timeframes, such as months or quarters. It visualizes project schedules, helping teams understand deadlines and plan resources.

• No-dates roadmap: This format focuses on themes and progress without assigning fixed dates. It works well for flexible projects. With a no-date roadmap, tasks’ sequence and relationships are more important than strict timelines.

• Hybrid roadmap: Combining the elements of timeline and no-dates formats, the hybrid roadmap categorizes initiatives into broad time horizons like “Current,” “Near-Term,” and “Future.” A hybrid roadmap gives a project structure while enabling adaptation to changing circumstances.

• Swimlane roadmap: By organizing initiatives into parallel lanes based on objectives or workstreams, swimlane roadmaps highlight task dependencies. This format enhances cross-functional collaboration by visualizing which groups are accountable for each task.

• Kanban roadmap: Inspired by the Kanban methodology, this format visualizes tasks in columns representing stages of progress. It summarizes workflow status, identifies bottlenecks, and illuminates task priorities.

• SAFe Roadmap: A SAFe roadmap is a time-based plan that aligns product development with business strategy. It comprises multiple planning layers, from long-term strategic themes to near-term Program Increments (PIs). 

• Matrix roadmap: Using a two-dimensional grid, the matrix roadmap plots initiatives based on impact vs. effort or risk vs. reward. Visualization helps leaders prioritize tasks and make informed decisions about resource allocation.

Design tips for boardroom-ready roadmaps

With these roadmap design strategies, you’ll develop roadmaps that communicate your vision and facilitate informed stakeholder decision-making:

• Tell a compelling story: Frame your roadmap within a narrative that explains each initiative’s rationale. Storytelling engages your audience and provides context for strategic decisions.

• Consider your audience: Tailor your roadmap to its intended viewers and their unique needs. Specialized tools (like Tempo’s Strategic Roadmaps) let you create custom views of the same document, saving time and maintaining a single source of truth.

• Focus on themes over features: Organize your roadmap around themes rather than individual features. A broad perspective helps stakeholders understand goals and priorities.

• Use visual aids: Incorporate visual elements, like charts or graphics, to illustrate complex information. Visual aids make your roadmap more engaging and intuitive.

• Maintain flexibility: Be prepared to adjust your roadmap to suit shifting market conditions or organizational priorities. A flexible roadmap enables adaptability and responsiveness.

• Be realistic: Set achievable strategic goals to build credibility and trust with your audience. Overpromising can set unrealistic expectations and cause setbacks. 

How Tempo supports roadmapping

Tempo’s suite of tools enhances roadmapping capabilities within Jira so teams can build and adapt dynamic project plans. Here’s how Tempo supports roadmapping:

• Direct Jira integration: Tempo’s Strategic Roadmaps tool integrates with Jira, so users can synchronize epics and portfolios. Integration ensures project plans remain up-to-date and accessible, improving collaboration and transparency.

• Custom views and flexible formats: With Tempo, teams can create tailored views of their roadmaps, adjusting the layout to suit their needs. Flexibility allows you to present data in various formats, such as Gantt charts or Kanban boards.

• Access to free roadmapping templates: Tempo provides a collection of customizable roadmap templates to help teams accelerate the planning process. These templates cover various use cases and adapt to fit diverse project requirements.

Tempo provides free roadmap samples that demonstrate how to effectively structure and utilize this crucial project management tool. Download Tempo’s seven free agile roadmap templates today.