Ah, product roadmaps! If you're dipping your toes into the world of product management, you've probably heard this term tossed around like confetti at a parade. So, what is it exactly? Why is everyone in the office so obsessed with it? And why should you care? Let’s break it down in plain, simple terms.
The first thing you need to understand is that the product roadmap is just like your go-to travel app—Google Maps. It helps you get from Point A to Point B. It's that simple! I know that didn’t seem to do much in our goal to demystify it, but that’s how we’ll make the connections.
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Quick pro tip: Overwhelmed by all the buzzwords in product management? Fear not. Many of them are just everyday English words wrapped in fancy lingo. Simplify the words first and then the application of the word won’t be too difficult.
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To really grasp what a roadmap is, we need to get two big-picture things straight:
I’d be using Google Maps as props for my explanation. So let’s assume you need to make a road trip to a particular destination. I’d walk you through this process while explaining the concept of product roadmaps side by side. Let’s answer a series of questions about this road trip:
Imagine you and your friends decide to go on a road trip. The first question to answer is, why? Maybe you're all dying to visit that new garden in town that's 8km away. That's your vision.
Some people hit the road on a whim, often for emotional reasons. But when you're going with friends, you need a clear reason for the trip. In product management, this 'reason' is known as your product or company's vision
<aside> 💡 The Vision: This speaks to why the business even exists in the first place. One of my favorite business visions is that of Amazon, "Our vision is to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices."
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