Going beyond the "Now-Next-Later" Roadmap

Overview

Roadmaps are a visual tool used to communicate and align many audiences. Yet why do most of them just look so boring? Now-Next-Later is a great start in breaking bad patterns but there’s more to rethinking the roadmap. Great ones show goals, priority and optionality. They capture direction, discovery and delivery. Yet they stay simple enough for everyone to understand. Learn about 14 visual styles you can choose from to deliver the message and keep the audience interested. Let’s turn your roadmaps from dull documents into powerful tools.

Talking Points

• Roadmaps are for communication and alignment, not just planning.

• The maturity scales for timing and content on your roadmap.

• Different audiences need different roadmap views and levels of detail.

• Mixing features, outcomes, and risks improves roadmap clarity and flexibility.

• Strategic framing helps avoid repeated debates.

• Visual storytelling makes roadmaps more engaging and effective.

Key Takeaway

• Outcome-driven roadmaps are more stable and useful than feature-driven ones.

• A great roadmap is simple, strategic, and audience-specific.