10 Step Guide to Create your Roadmap in a simple way

Whether you are developing a new product or service, that you are undertaking with Your new business or that you are innovating in your company. A Roadmap will be a vital tool to achieve your goals. No matter that whatever You are creating to be a physical service such as a hairdresser or the latest innovation technological that will change the world. Having a roadmap will provide you with a sheet of Route that will allow you to build your vision without losing yourself on the road since it traces the Future course of the product, aligning strategy, objectives and resources.

The Roadmap is undoubtedly the axis on which all the decisions that They allow you to build your vision. It doesn't matter if you are the CEO of your company, a product manager, a product designer or a developer. This tool will help all profiles involved in any project to be clear about where you want to go and What steps are necessary to meet the proposed objectives.

It is for all this that, in this article I present a simple step by step guide that It will help how to create a Roadmap in a simple way.

1. Understand the vision and objectives of the product

One of the fundamental aspects of any project or business you decide undertaking is having a clear vision of the product you want to create and objectives you would like to achieve. If your vision is clear You will have the necessary context to be able to make informed decisions about which are the needs of your product or service and will allow you to plan each of the necessary activities in order to build this vision and achieve those objectives.

I'm going to give you an example that you can move to your day to day and surely You will understand. Let's say you live in Madrid and want to make a trip but you don't know where . . . you vision is to make a trip but, if you don't know where you want to go, if you don't even know If you feel like going to the beach or mountain, if you want a cultural visit or a spa relaxing, you can hardly address the following step in order to reach your goals.

This example is very basic but, taken to your project or business, will make you understand what Fundamental that is clear your vision and your goals.

2. Collect information and data

Investigate, investigate and investigate. Research is one of the sources of fundamental knowledge for building your roadmap. Either detect needs of your clients through interviews or surveys, which external external sources data (sociodemographic, business . . . ) that have to be related to whatever you want Build, you may have to analyze market trends or, maybe, you just have What to speak with different experts within your own team that help you understand the republic and the benefits of the challenge you are addressing. But don't stop investigating and collecting data.

All the information that collects from the different sources will make you have a 360º vision on the impact that each decision has when building your vision and will help you prioritize the characteristics and fundamental functionalities at every moment of project life.

Continuing with the example of considering you a trip, it will not be the same decisions that You will take if you go with your partner who is afraid of the planes, with some friends who love Nature or if you decided to travel alone. The fundamental objective will be the same, make a trip, but these situations define different contexts in how it will take place that trip.

3. Define who your client is

Very hand with the previous point, it is important that you are very aware of who? You are building your product or service. It will not be the same propose a tourist guide for twenty -year -olds to RetireesYour specific needs and desires will be very different. Thanks to the research you can detect in which client segment you fits your vision.

Given the case in which you do not have real data on who your product or service do not seek. A good technique in initial phases of Any project can be to create fictitious people who help you visualize and understand better To your audience. These fictitious people are, basically, a hypothesis that you will have that contrast at some point with the market but they are a very useful exercise of face To be able to advance with your project and will allow you to define characteristics and Specific functionalities in your Roadmap.

4. Prioritization of characteristics and functionalities

There are techniques such as Moscow Analysis (Must Have Have) or the impact and effort matrix to prioritize characteristics and functionalities depending on its importance and viability. These tools will allow you Organize and visualize the information so that your brain does not collapse with so much information.

I will tell you one thing, in the years that I have been managing the tool more important that I have detected to build any vision is the meaning common. I know this can be very generic but I will try to simplify with two councils, taking as reference the example of your trip, which They will help you understand this that I say:

• Separates the urgent of the important:si te vas a ir de viaje es urgente que sepas como vas a llegar a tu destino y es importante saber dónde vas a dormir la primera noche ya que, si no sabes cómo vas llegar a tu destino y, por culpa de esto, no eres capaz de llegar, no hará falta que te plantees ni tan siquiera dónde vas dormir.
• Submit yourself if what you are doing provides value: en ese gran viaje que tienes en mente... ¿qué valor aporta ir en avión o en coche? ¿qué valor aporta dormir en una casa rural con respecto a un hotel de cinco estrellas? Si tu visión está clara y, por ejemplo, quieres un viaje relajante y conducir te relaja, ahí tienes el valor que te aporta el coche con respecto al avión... y creo que en base a esta misma visión de relax podrías tomar la decisión sobre dónde hospedarte.

Beyond tools, that they will help you organize the information I suggest that you always apply common sense when prioritizing tasks, characteristics or functionalities.

5. Establish dates and objectives to the equipment

Define deadlines, for different stages of development and launch. These deadlines can be tentative but will provide you with a clear temporary frame and will help you You and the rest of the team to Manatener the focus on the goal.

Let's continue with the example. If in March you begin to raise your summer vacation, which will be in August you and all who go on vacation are clear that, in that Time, you must take action, so that the trip can occur. I don't know if you'll leave by car or plane, alone or accompanied and if the mountain or beach But, regardless of combinations, if the vision of your cowions is Well defined you know all the steps you have to take for those vacations to be given.

This same example, taken to your project, will make the team propose small objectives and execute the necessary tasks of face to build the vision.

6. Draw the Roadmap

You could use tools such as Gantt diagrams, tables or management tools of specific products to create Roadmap. These tools will allow you Organize characteristics and functionalities in a logical and coherent way.

But beyond concrete tools that can help you organize the Information, I suggest you spend time painting your Roadmap. The fact of Putting in front of a blank sheet will make you reflect on all the information with The one you are working on and, painting it will make you visualize all that knowledge that you have gone acquiring in an orderly and framed manner in time.

Sometimes, as product managers, we are not aware of the amount of tasks to be performed and the excessive workload we are moving to the different teams. Lanzate to draw your Roadmap with your times and with the necessary tasks to undertake the Vision and plant the implications of everything that transmits that drawing.

7. Communication and collaboration

Share the Roadmap with the whole team, make sure everyone is aligned with the vision and product objectives. Endback and Collaboration to refine and adjust Roadmap as necessary.

This is where it is essential to have that drawing of your roadmap that suggested you in the previous point. When we paint and organize information about a paper or slide We land all the knowledge about a specific asset that will reflect all the involved. Perhaps you have already lived the amount of conversations in the air that occur in a project on priorizations, functionalities that have to develop before or then and the amount of time and energy that is lost in these meetings. No Umegers the power that your Roadmap has. I can assure you that, with that Drawing painted someone does not fit something to you, and at that time he instantly You can invite you to suggest a proposal taking into account the general context of everything The Roadmap.

8. Itera your roadmap and be flexible

As Bruce Lee said "The Water Can Flow, The Water Can Crash, Be Water My Friend. " You have to be able to flow and surf all the situations that you will find on the road. A Roadmap should not be written in stone. You will find new realities that you did not have contemplated at the beginning of this trip so, a roadmap, is a living element.

In short, product roadmap must be flexible and open to changes as the needs of the market, the needs of the client or the problems that are Find the team in vision development. Check and update the Roadmap regularly to reflect new knowledge and priorities.

And do not forget to communicate, as soon as possible, any situation that you detect that compromises the vision. Makes to stop machines and guide them in the right direction than wasting time and resources along the way.

9. Monitoring and evaluation

Establishes metrics and objectives that allow you to evaluate progress and Roadmap success. Perform periodic follow -up to make sure You are reaching your goals and adjust the plan as necessary.

Share all this information with the team as it will help you Feel motivated. Be aware that you have reached a goal after putting a lot effort to develop a functionality or get a sales number will make Each person of the team feels useful and wants to Afro are the following objectives. The Motivation of each of the members of a team is, without a doubt, one of the aspects fundamental to build the vision. Do not underestimate this aspect.

10. Applies a lot of emotional intelligence

I know that this aspect is intangible but you don't know how important it is to be empathetic When managing a project. Understands that all participants Of that vision are that, people. Each one has their motivations and expectations. Take out Any project ahead is not a simple task and, along the way, many emotions arise and Feelings that make the project be ahead or not. Human beings are glad When we got something and frustrated ourselves when things don't go as expected. Take this Very into account when working with the team.

Reflect on the following. If you need a programmer to program your website and, this programmer breaks the hand playing padel, I assure you that the biggest problem of your project does not It will not have the website made, it will be that your programmer will not be able to write the Your website code . . . this example that may seem simplistic and reductionist, it happens many times unnoticed when we are in the maelstrom of getting a AWARDING PROJECT. Addresses problems with emotional intelligence and is very aware of the reality and implications of your project.

In summary

Keep in mind that "practice does the teacher. "Create an effective product roadmap It is essential for the long -term success of any product or service But, at the same time, it is a real art in which you will have to combine skills from Resource management, times, priorities. It reslies and tries not to frustrate on the road Follow this guide and you will see how, little by little you will develop your own mechanisms to create good roadmaps and build any vision of business that you propose.