Product Roadmaps are Hard

We've heard it all the time: a product managers responsibility is to own the roadmap! How to manage this when there are so many competing priorities, there never seem to be enough resources, and things always take longer than initially planned. This session will review some of the gotchas commonly found in creating and updating a product roadmap, and offering some practical tips on how to approach your roadmap and engage your stakeholders effectively.

Transcript

1. ROADMAPS ARE EASY! C Todd Lombardo @iamctodd HARD
2. WHAT TO COVER? HTTPS://BIT.LY/MTPROADMAP2020
3. IT DEPENDS DISCLAIMER: THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING IS @iamctodd
4. A QUIZ: ROADMAP? OR NOT?
10. BLINDED CLIENT WORK
11. BLINDED CLIENT WORK
12. BUFFER.COM
13. BUFFER.COM
15. ATLASSIAN
16. ATLASSIAN
17. Figure 1-1. Product roadmaps can take many forms, and aren’t necessarily a single artifact or document. In fact, it’s really not about creating artifacts at all—it’s about creating a shared understanding of where you’re going and why. Kanban board Slide deck Spreadsheet Other THEY TAKE MANY FORMS
18. HOW-TO ROADMAP IN 30 SECONDS
19. 1. GATHER INPUTS @iamctodd
20. 1. GATHER INPUTS 2. ORGANIZE & PRIORITIZE THEMES @iamctodd
21. NOW NEXT FUTURE 1. GATHER INPUTS 2. ORGANIZE & PRIORITIZE 3. PLACE INTO TIMEFRAMES ON YOUR ROADMAP THEMES @iamctodd
22. NOW NEXT FUTURE 1. GATHER INPUTS 2. ORGANIZE & PRIORITIZE 3. PLACE INTO TIMEFRAMES ON YOUR ROADMAP 4. MAP TO SPRINT OR / RELEASE PLAN THEMES @iamctodd
23. IF IT’S THAT EASY THEN WHY AM I SO…
27. EITHER I’M GOING TO DISAPPOINT YOU BY GIVING YOU EXACTLY WHAT WE THOUGHT SIX MONTHS AHEAD OF TIME WAS THE BEST SOLUTION WHEN IT’S NOT, OR BY CHANGING COURSE AND HAVING LIED TO YOU. — David Cancel, CEO, Drift “
30. ZOMG, THINGS WILL CHANGE!?
31. HOW TO DEAL WITH SHORT TERM-itis
32. HOW TO CONVINCE STAKEHOLDERS
33. HOW TO TAILOR FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES
34. FOR INNOVATION AND STARTUPS… IS IT NECESSARY?
35. WHAT *IS* A ROADMAP?
36. NOT A RELEASE PLAN OR A PROJECT PLAN A ROADMAP IS… @iamctodd
37. A STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION TOOL A ROADMAP IS… @iamctodd
38. A PRODUCT ROADMAP IS A PROTOTYPE OF YOUR PRODUCT STRATEGY. Janna Bastow, CEO ProdPad WHAT SHE SAID
39. A STATEMENT OF INTENT AND DIRECTION A ROADMAP IS… @iamctodd
41. NOT A LIST OF FEATURES WITH DATES A ROADMAP IS… @iamctodd
42. Source: wodify.com/roadmap
43. Source: wodify.com/roadmap
44. Source: wodify.com/roadmap
45. Source: wodify.com/roadmap
46. Source: wodify.com/roadmap
47. FEATURES ON A ROADMAP ARE OK. SOMETIMES. HOWEVER… @iamctodd
48. WHHAAAAAAT!?
49. LEVEL OF MATURITY A ROADMAP LOOKS LIKE LOW: JUST STARTING FEATURES, MAYBE DATES MEDIUM: AT THIS A WHILE FEATURES, BROAD TIMESCALES HIGH: WE’RE EXPERTS THEMES, BROAD TIMESCALES
50. WHAT MAKES UP A ROADMAP?
51. FIVE PRIMARY COMPONENTS
52. PRODUCT VISION BUSINESS OBJECTIVES TIMEFRAMES THEMES DISCLAIMER @iamctodd
53. vempathy.com
54. vempathy.com
55. vempathy.com
56. BLINDED CLIENT WORK TIMEFRAMES
57. MANAGES OUTCOMES MANAGES OUTPUTS
59. WE REMOVE FEATURES AND DATES!? WAITAMINUTE. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN… @iamctodd
60. @iamctodd
61. WTF ARE THEMES?!? @iamctodd
62. WTF ARE THEMES?!? PROBLEM + @iamctodd
63. WTF ARE THEMES?!? PROBLEM + USER OUTCOME + @iamctodd
64. WTF ARE THEMES?!? PROBLEM + USER OUTCOME + BIZ OUTCOME + @iamctodd
65. WTF ARE THEMES?!? PROBLEM + USER OUTCOME + BIZ OUTCOME + OUTPUT @iamctodd
67. THE PROBLEM Majority support tickets are for billing & invoicing issues
68. THE PROBLEM Majority support tickets are for billing & invoicing issues Less customer issues with billing USER OUTCOME
69. THE PROBLEM Majority support tickets are for billing & invoicing issues Less customer issues with billing USER OUTCOME BIZ OBJECTIVE Reduce support tickets related to billing
70. THE PROBLEM Majority support tickets are for billing & invoicing issues POSSIBLE OUTPUTS Shared payments Recurring Invoices Membership payments Less customer issues with billing USER OUTCOME BIZ OBJECTIVE Reduce support tickets related to billing
71. THE PROBLEM Majority support tickets are for billing & invoicing issues POSSIBLE OUTPUTS Shared payments Recurring Invoices Membership payments Less customer issues with billing USER OUTCOME BIZ OBJECTIVE Reduce support tickets related to billing Improve Invoicing Options or Expand Payment Types THEMES
72. WE ACCEPT THAT WE DON’T KNOW WHICH SPECIFIC FEATURES WE’RE GOING TO BUILD, AND WE GIVE THE TEAMS THE FREEDOM. [ TO FIGURE IT OUT ] Elli Rego, Product Manager @ Wodify WHAT SHE SAID
73. WAIT. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO BUILD?!
74. DELIVERY ≠ DISCOVERY BUILD THE RIGHT THING BUILD THE THING RIGHT
75. WE SHIP THE WRONG THINGS @iamctodd
76. Always 7% Often 13% Sometimes 16% Rarely 19% Never 45% STANDISH GROUP ALMOST HALF OF WHAT WE SHIP IS NEVER USED
77. BUT.. LEAN STARTUP!?
78. LEARN BUILD MEASURE PRODUCT DATA IDEAS
79. BUILD BUILD BUILD PRODUCT PRODUCT PRODUCT THANKS: W. BRÜNING
80. THIS ASSUMES YOU KNOW WHAT PRODUCT TO BUILD
81. OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACT I DON’T THINK YOU MEAN WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS… @iamctodd
82. YOU’LL SHIFT FROM THE STANDARD APPROACH OF ‘LOOK AT US AND WHAT WE CAN DO’ TO ‘WE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE DEALING WITH AND WE CAN HELP YOU.’ ROADMAPS WILL BE YOUR COMPANY’S COMPETITIVE STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE. Jared Spool CEO of UIE “
83. UNIVERSAL BUSINESS OBJECTIVES THREE DRIVERS AND TEN OBJECTIVES GROWTH Improve recurring revenue Grow market share Fulfill more demand Develop new markets PROFIT Support higher prices Improve lifetime value Leverage assets Lower costs VALUE Support core value Barriers to competition
84. THINK IN PROBLEMS NOT SOLUTIONS
86. THE FLOOR IS WET
87. THE FLOOR IS WET I NEED A MOP
88. THE FLOOR IS WET I NEED A MOP KEEP THE FLOOR DRY OBJECTIVE PROBLEM NEED
89. PROBLEM SOLUTION THANKS: W. BRÜNING! AKA — FEATURES!
90. PROBLEM SOLUTION Water on the floor Mop it up THANKS: W. BRÜNING! AKA — FEATURES!
91. PROBLEM SOLUTION Water on the floor Mop it up WHY? Leaky pipe Fix the pipe THANKS: W. BRÜNING! AKA — FEATURES!
92. PROBLEM SOLUTION Water on the floor Mop it up WHY? Leaky pipe Fix the pipe WHY? Too much pressure Lower pressure THANKS: W. BRÜNING! AKA — FEATURES!
93. PROBLEM SOLUTION Water on the floor Mop it up WHY? Leaky pipe Fix the pipe WHY? Too much pressure Lower pressure WHY? Pressure regulator Replace regulator THANKS: W. BRÜNING! AKA — FEATURES!
94. PROBLEM SOLUTION Water on the floor Mop it up WHY? Leaky pipe Fix the pipe WHY? Too much pressure Lower pressure WHY? Pressure regulator Replace regulator WHY? Maintenance schedule More frequent inspection THANKS: W. BRÜNING! AKA — FEATURES!
95. STRATEGIC HIERARCHY
96. COMPANY VISION STRATEGIC HIERARCHY @iamctodd Inspired by: Teresa Torres
97. COMPANY VISION PRODUCT A VISION PRODUCT B VISION STRATEGIC HIERARCHY @iamctodd Inspired by: Teresa Torres
98. COMPANY VISION PRODUCT A VISION PRODUCT B VISION OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE STRATEGIC HIERARCHY @iamctodd Inspired by: Teresa Torres
99. COMPANY VISION THEME PRODUCT A VISION PRODUCT B VISION OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE THEME THEME THEME THEME THEME STRATEGIC HIERARCHY @iamctodd Inspired by: Teresa Torres
100. COMPANY VISION THEME PRODUCT A VISION PRODUCT B VISION OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE FEATURE THEME FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE THEME THEME THEME THEME STRATEGIC HIERARCHY @iamctodd Inspired by: Teresa Torres
101. COMPANY VISION THEME PRODUCT A VISION PRODUCT B VISION OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE FEATURE THEME FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE THEME THEME THEME THEME STRATEGIC HIERARCHY @iamctodd Inspired by: Teresa Torres OUTCOME OUTCOME OUTCOME OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT
102. COMPANY VISION THEME PRODUCT A VISION PRODUCT B VISION OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE FEATURE THEME FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE THEME THEME THEME THEME STRATEGIC HIERARCHY @iamctodd Inspired by: Teresa Torres OUTCOME OUTCOME OUTCOME OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT ROADMAP
103. INNOVATION AND STARTUPS… DO THEY NEED ONE?
104. COMPANY VISION THEME PRODUCT A VISION PRODUCT B VISION OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE THEME EXPERIMENT FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE THEME THEME THEME THEME EXPERIMENT EXPERIMENT EXPERIMENT EXPERIMENT EXPERIMENT STRATEGIC HIERARCHY — WITH EXPERIMENTS! FEATURE FEATURE EXPERIMENT FEATURE FEATURE EXPERIMENT ROADMAP @iamctodd Inspired by: Teresa Torres COMPANY STRATEGY PRODUCT STRATEGY
105. COMPANY VISION THEME PRODUCT A VISION PRODUCT B VISION OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE THEME EXPERIMENT FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE THEME THEME THEME THEME EXPERIMENT EXPERIMENT EXPERIMENT EXPERIMENT EXPERIMENT STRATEGIC HIERARCHY — WITH EXPERIMENTS! FEATURE FEATURE EXPERIMENT FEATURE FEATURE EXPERIMENT ROADMAP @iamctodd Inspired by: Teresa Torres RELEASE PLAN COMPANY STRATEGY PRODUCT STRATEGY
106. SHORT TERM-itis
107. WAIT. WHAT’S A PRODUCT VISION!??
108. YOUR TIMELINES MAY VARY!
112. PathCheck Foundation Started w/ TWO products, crafting a vision they realized they had THREE different products. SafePaths SafePlaces
113. @iamctodd “We help [type of customer] to [improve in some way] by [what we do best]”
114. ZOMG, THINGS WILL CHANGE!?
115. IF WE JUST HAD MORE ENGINEERS & DESIGNERS, PRIORITIZATION WOULD BE EASY!!
116. IT’S NOT A RESOURCE PROBLEM. IT’S A PRIORITIZATION PROBLEM “BUT IF WE ONLY HAD MORE RESOURCES..” @iamctodd
117. VALUE / EFFORT = PRIORITY
118. VALUE / EFFORT = PRIORITY The time and resources required to execute the initiative
119. VALUE / EFFORT = PRIORITY The time and resources required to execute the initiative Expected contribution to customer needs and business objectives
120. VALUE / EFFORT = PRIORITY The time and resources required to execute the initiative Expected contribution to customer needs and business objectives (BO1+BO2+BO3..)*(CI1+CI2..)
121. VALUE / EFFORT = PRIORITY The time and resources required to execute the initiative Expected contribution to customer needs and business objectives (E)
122. (V / E) * C = PRIORITY CONFIDENCE How certain are you?
125. LIGHT. CHEAP. FAST. PICK TWO. Keith Bontrager YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR CAKE (OR YOUR BIKE) AND EAT IT TOO
126. THE ELASTIC TRIANGLE ALL ARE INTERRELATED Quality Schedule Scope Resources (inverse)
127. REDUCTION IN SCHEDULE CHANGE ANY, QUALITY WILL BE AFFECTED Quality Schedule Scope Resources (inverse)
128. ADD MORE RESOURCES? CHANGE OF TWO MAY NOT MAKE UP A DIFFERENCE Quality Schedule Scope Resources (inverse)
129. CONVINCING STAKEHOLDERS
130. ALIGNMENT: BE A CRISIS NEGOTIATOR
131. STAKEHOLDERS (ONLY) LOVE THE ROADMAP WHEN THEIR FAVORITE THING IS ON IT WHERE’S MY FEATURE? @iamctodd
132. HOW ARE WE GOING DO THAT? SAY ‘NO’ WITHOUT SAYING ‘NO’ @iamctodd Stolen from: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
133. “THAT’S RIGHT” IS BETTER THAN “YOU’RE RIGHT” IT AIN’T ABOUT YOU @iamctodd Stolen from: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
134. FORGET ‘YES’ GET TO ‘NO’ YES? NO. @iamctodd Stolen from: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
135. SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY
136. Core Team Product Owner Design Engineering Operations Customers Executives Research Customer Support Production Finance Vendors & Partners Sales Marketing & PR Other Product Teams STAKEHOLDER ATOM
137. 1:1 FIRST
138. 1:1 FIRST
139. TEAM AFTER 1:1 FIRST
140. @iamctodd MUCH THANK! Say “hi” —>