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The three maps you need to execute a strategy

"We need a roadmap, is there a template we can use?"

I see this request all the time. From clients to peers, developers to product execs.

I get it. A roadmap feels like such a great thing, its an artifact that says "this is what we're doing, and how we'll do it".

In that way, its also misleading. Because most roadmaps look like this:

This isn't so much a map, as it is a chart – and a fragile one at that. Do nothing and this chart becomes out of date immediately.

No only that, but this chart has the illusion of alignment – when often, there isn't. How many stakeholders weighed in? What prioritization process put Project A in front of Project B?

Most roadmaps don't describe (or sadly, reflect) a strategy.

They show you a snapshot of a prediction, a point-in-time representation of your ideas about the future.

My secret for anyone who wants to creates valuable, rich roadmaps is this:

Great Roadmaps are made by a Repeatable Process.

A good Roadmap is made like a great entree: collect the ingredients, follow a well-thought out recipe and present the final dish.

Inputs > Preparation > Presentation

Unfortunately too many teams start with:

Presentation > Preparation > Inputs

Today, I'm going to walk through three maps that I've found to be invaluable, repeatable, prepared inputs for a roadmap:

  • Wardley Map
  • Domain Map
  • User Journey Map

Decision-making is a super power for any leader.

Wardley Map – What's our landscape?

Wardley maps, named after their inventor Simon Wardley, are a visualization of the landscape a business operates within. The key elements are the resources that produce value for a customer (the value chain), plotted against the sophistication of the market (evolution) and the visibility of the resource. This seems complex in prose, but as a map is quite simple to parse.

Domain Map - What's our approach?

Domain maps are high level views of how your organization works. These maps capture your unique (ubiquitous language)[https://martinfowler.com/bliki/UbiquitousLanguage.html].

Also called Business Process Domain Views

I'm explicit about high-level because much of the literature and frameworks surrounding this tend to be very workflow-y, architecture-y and detail-y. Sure, the details matter, but what we want to know is "how does a bill get made?" not "who couriers the letter to the speaker of the house?"

User Journey Map - What's the promise to our customers?

A user journey map outlines the activities, touchpoints and quality of experience that your user (usually: customer, but could be an internal user, downstream team, etc) has with your product.

Journey maps are ubiquitous for UX and Marketing teams, but somehow less so on technical product teams. The great thing about a journey map is that they are extremely easy to create and once you have it, simple to adjust, correct and augment.

User journey maps are used for decision making by outlining where your product is failing to meet needs, or where you may be overcommitted. Because the user experience is placed where position matters, you can see if a touchpoint with your product (or a competitors) is an opportunity to prioritize the experience.

Pulling in all together: Roadmaps as a process

As I said above: the process is far move valuable than the result. If you already have the three maps above, here's where you start with your roadmap process:

  • A clear view of the environment your venture/product/startup operates within, including where the opportunity lies and what approach is befitting of your evolutionary stage
  • A full graph of the boundaries within your organization, where communication crosses them and
  • An end-to-end picture of the customer journey and where you show up during that (and where you don't)

If you pass this along to your peers, boss or clients – the input you'll receive will be far more useful than "when will that be done?". If you can imagine: being able to ask and answer "Why are we doing this?" with a "No, we shouldn't be doing this" is just glorious.

There's certainly a place for a traditional Roadmap. It feels great, and is even necessary, to be able to share a visualization of "What we're doing" to your leadership and peers. But if you want to make actual impact, provide alignment and work on the most important things – its all about the Roadmap preparation and process.

Having a process with rich inputs, that you can use repeatedly to create a Roadmap: This is what will set you apart.