Product Roadmap

Synopsis

Customers seek out companies that can anticipate their needs and tailor personalized experiences for them. That is why product roadmap process is an essential part of any strategic planning. Take advantage of our customizable Product Roadmap slide deck to visually communicate the direction of your product to internal and external teams and partners and develop products people rave about.

Questions and answers

How can a product roadmap help in aligning a team's goals and objectives?

View answer

A product roadmap can help in aligning a team's goals and objectives by providing a clear vision and direction for the product. It outlines the strategic plan and the steps needed to achieve it, which helps in aligning the team's efforts towards a common goal. It also facilitates communication and collaboration among team members, ensuring everyone is on the same page.

What are some strategies to engage external teams and partners with a product roadmap?

View answer

Some strategies to engage external teams and partners with a product roadmap include: sharing the roadmap regularly to keep them updated, involving them in the planning process to get their input and buy-in, using visual aids to communicate the direction of the product, and providing clear explanations of the roadmap to ensure understanding. It's also important to be open to feedback and make adjustments based on their suggestions.

View all questions

Ask follow up

download Download this presentation

Get 59 out of 150+ slides

Powerpoint Keynote

View all formats chevron_right

Download and customize this and hundreds of business presentation templates for free

Sign up

OR

Start for free ⬇️

Voila! You can now download this presentation

Download

Slide highlights

The product roadmap presentation discusses the direction of the product, so setting an agenda is crucial. Set a clear agenda with this slide, keeping your audience in mind. This step will provide an overview for what to expect.

With this slide, share your vision of the product as a part of the wider product strategy and direction. Include an explanation of the product's business model, initiatives and competitors. Consider using our Video Backgrounds.

As a product manager or a business owner, you want to gather as much feedback and valuable information as possible about the product. Use this slide to answer your audience's questions and ask for comments, suggestions and reactions.

Overview

Per Harvard Business Review's 2017 survey, only four out of 10 respondents said they have used or will use customer data to customize analyzing customer data to create more personalized and anticipatory customer service, sales and product development processes. Thus, building and presenting a product roadmap is vital to getting ahead of the competition. Product roadmaps are most important because they communicate key product benefits with internal and external stakeholders and aid team alignment structure on priorities.

Questions and answers

How can a product roadmap be used to improve customer service?

View answer

A product roadmap can be used to improve customer service by providing a clear vision and direction for the product development process. It helps in aligning the team's efforts towards achieving customer satisfaction. The roadmap can be used to anticipate customer needs and preferences based on data analysis, which can lead to more personalized and effective customer service. It also helps in communicating the product's benefits to both internal and external stakeholders, which can enhance the overall customer experience.

What are some ways to present a product roadmap to external stakeholders?

View answer

There are several ways to present a product roadmap to external stakeholders. One way is to use a visual presentation tool, such as a PowerPoint or a digital roadmap software. This allows you to visually represent the product's development timeline, key milestones, and strategic objectives. Another way is to provide a written document that outlines the product's roadmap in detail. This can include the product's features, benefits, and the timeline for its development and release. It's also important to tailor the presentation to the audience. For example, for non-technical stakeholders, it might be more effective to focus on the product's benefits and high-level objectives, rather than technical details.

View all questions

Ask follow up

Application

In his article for "Forbes Technology Council," Brian de Haaff, Co-Founder and CEO of Aha! – the product roadmap and marketing planning software, recommends a number of best practices for how product managers and business owners can build customer-centric product roadmaps.

1. Create personas

To get started, find out what your prospective customers want and need. One way to do this is by meeting with customer-facing teams and getting their insights. Once you have the data, you can create a persona for each type of customer you have.

2. Define strategic initiatives

Initiatives are crucial to your roadmap, as they represent major areas of investment. Initiatives are normally time-boxed, Haaff says, and reflect when the work will be completed. In order for your initiatives to be effective, concentrate on what pain points your customers are trying to remedy.

3. Connect the work

According to Haaff, "customer-driven" is not the same as "customer-controlled." "Customer-driven"means that product strategy is rooted in a thorough understanding of the customer's problems, desires and needs. To connect planned work to this strategy means to prioritize the features that will help to achieve goals and keep costumes happy.

Ask follow up

4. Share the plan

Building a product people will love is almost impossible without getting internal stakeholders on board. A customer-driven roadmap is designed to help you communicate the strategic vision and demonstrate every twist and turn of the road that will lead to success.

"When you present the roadmap to different audiences, highlight how your plan relates to what is most relevant to them. Executives may want a high-level view of the product vision and timelines for major bodies of work, while support will likely want to see a detailed view of the features their team requested. Showing the right information to the right audiences can help earn you buy-in for the plan and for your product," Haaff recommends.

Ask follow up

5. Get customer input

Establishing open feedback loops is the proven way to stay on track with your developing product. Haaff suggests using an online ideas portal where customers have the voice and power to share their feedback, concerns and suggestions for product improvement.

6. Keep refining

Keep refining and learning, Haaf says, so you can learn something in relation to your overall strategy. "It could come directly from customers, from colleagues with customer insights or from your own market research. Whatever the source is, be flexible – and do not be afraid to adjust your roadmap as needed," he says.

Ask follow up