Types of Product Roadmaps  

Graphic depicting different types of product roadmaps

9 minute read  

Understanding the different types of product roadmaps is crucial for aligning team efforts and achieving strategic goals. Learn how to choose and implement the right roadmap for your product’s needs. 

 
A product roadmap is a strategic document that lays out the vision, direction, priorities and progress of a product over time. It is essential for guiding product development and aligning team efforts with business goals. There are, however, different ways of organizing product roadmaps to best suit the way a company functions, the goals for the product, the ways teams work and any number of other factors.  

This article explores the various types of product roadmaps that cater to different aspects of product planning and execution.  

12 Types of Product Roadmaps

There are different types of product roadmaps to choose from, each with benefits and limitations. The following is not an all-inclusive list, but it does provide an overview of some commonly used product roadmaps.   

 1. Strategy Roadmap 

A strategy roadmap focuses on the long-term vision and strategic goals of the product. It aligns product development with overarching business objectives and market trends. This type of roadmap can help set the direction for a new product, highlighting major milestones, core features and planned releases.  

When it’s ideal: Best for new products or when setting long-term strategic directions.
When it’s not ideal: Less useful for managing short-term projects or specific feature updates.  

2. Release Roadmap

A release roadmap details the timeline for product releases, including key milestones, features and deadlines. It helps coordinate marketing, sales and development efforts for upcoming launches. This type of roadmap outlines the steps needed for a product release and assigns responsibilities to different teams     

When it’s ideal: Useful for coordinating multi-departmental efforts around product launches.  
When it’s not ideal: Not suitable for high-level strategic planning or ongoing feature updates.   

3. Feature Roadmap

A feature roadmap provides a timeline for developing and releasing specific features. It prioritizes features based on customer feedback, market demands and business value. This type of roadmap helps teams manage the development process by setting general dates   

When it’s ideal: Ideal for managing and communicating feature development and priorities. 
When it’s not ideal: Less effective for overarching strategic direction or long-term planning.  

4.Technology Roadmap

The technology roadmap focuses on technological advancements and infrastructure improvements needed to support the product. It includes updates on tools, platforms and technical capabilities, helping plan for technology stack upgrades and integrations.    

When it’s ideal: Best for planning and communicating technology upgrades and integrations.  
When it’s not ideal: Not suited for feature-specific or market-oriented planning.  

5. Market Roadmap

A market roadmap centers on market trends, customer needs and competitive analysis. It ensures that a product stays both relevant and competitive by identifying emerging market opportunities and adjusting the product strategy accordingly.  

When it’s ideal: Useful for staying ahead of market trends and competitive analysis.  
When it’s not ideal: Less useful for internal development and feature planning.  

6. Development Roadmap

The development roadmap highlights key development activities and iterations. It includes sprint planning, development milestones and timelines for different phases of product development, often used in Agile sprint cycles and deliverables.  

When it’s ideal: Ideal for managing Agile development cycles and sprint planning.  
When it’s not ideal: Not suitable for long-term strategic planning or market analysis.  

7. Portfolio Roadmap

A portfolio roadmap provides a high-level plan for executing strategy across an entire product portfolio. It illustrates how different products and projects align with overall business goals, helping manage dependencies and prioritize resources across the portfolio.  

When it’s ideal: Best for managing multiple products and ensuring alignment with business goals.  
When it’s not ideal: Less effective for detailed planning of individual product features.  

8.Visionary Roadmap 

A visionary roadmap offers a high-level view of the product’s future, focusing on aspirational goals and innovative ideas. It is used to inspire stakeholders and guide long-term planning, outlining a future vision for the product that includes disruptive innovations.  

When it’s ideal: Useful for inspiring stakeholders and setting long-term visionary goals.
When it’s not ideal: Not suited for short-term planning or detailed execution tasks.  

9. Sales and Marketing Roadmap

The sales and marketing roadmap aligns product development with sales and marketing activities. It includes plans for promotional campaigns, sales strategies and customer engagement efforts, detailing timelines for marketing campaigns and sales targets.    

When it’s ideal: Ideal for coordinating product launches with sales and marketing efforts.
When it’s not ideal: Less useful for internal development timelines and technical planning.  

10. Evidence-Based Roadmap

An evidence-based roadmap integrates features and improvements with concrete data such as customer feedback and market trends. This type of roadmap aids in making informed product decisions by presenting metrics like cumulative MRR and the number of customer requests directly on the roadmap.  

When it’s ideal: Best for data-driven decision making and prioritizing based on customer feedback.  
When it’s not ideal: Not suited for high-level strategic or long-term visionary planning.  

11. Agile Product Roadmap

An agile product roadmap is a dynamic and iterative plan that adapts to changing requirements and feedback. Its aim is to provide consistent value in small, frequent increments, fostering an environment of adaptability and teamwork throughout the development process. This type of roadmap is organized by high-level priorities rather than specific features.  

When it’s ideal: Ideal for flexible and iterative development environments.  
When it’s not ideal: Less useful for fixed long-term planning and rigid project timelines.  

12. Timeline-Based Roadmap 

A timeline-based roadmap presents product features, improvements and milestones along a linear timeline. It is useful for setting expectations and communicating deadlines to stakeholders by providing a clear picture of the project’s lifecycle and key milestones   

When it’s ideal: Best for projects with fixed deadlines and clear milestones.  
When it’s not ideal: Not suitable for environments requiring high flexibility and frequent changes.    

 

Ways to Prioritize Product Roadmaps

In addition to the different types of product roadmaps, there are many ways to prioritize product roadmaps.  

MoSCoW Method  

The MoSCoW method, which was created by Dai Clegg of Oracle UK consulting, categorizes features or tasks into four groups: Must have, Should have, Could have and Won’t have. It is most suitable when you need to clearly prioritize tasks and manage stakeholder expectations by identifying critical versus non-critical features  

  • Must have: Critical features or tasks that must be included.  
  • Should have: Important but not critical features or tasks.  
  • Could have: Desirable but not necessary features or tasks.  
  • Won’t have: Features or tasks that will not be included at this time. 
     

 RICE Scoring Model

The RICE scoring model evaluates features based on Reach, Impact, Confidence and Effort. It is best used when you need to quantify and compare the potential value and effort of different initiatives to make data-driven prioritization decisions.  

  • Reach: How many people will this impact?  
  • Impact: How much will this impact each person?  
  • Confidence: How confident are you in the estimates?  
  • Effort: How much effort is required? 
     

Kano Model

The Kano model classifies features into Basic Needs, Performance Needs and Excitement Needs to understand their impact on customer satisfaction. This method of prioritizing a product roadmap is ideal for identifying which features will delight customers the most and help to differentiate it in the marketplace.   

  • Basic Needs: Features that are expected and must be included.  
  • Performance Needs: Features that improve user satisfaction proportionally.  
  • Excitement Needs: Features that delight users and exceed expectations. 
     

Value vs. Effort Matrix

The Value vs. Effort matrix helps prioritize tasks by comparing their potential value against the effort required to implement them. It is useful for quickly identifying high-impact, low-effort tasks that can provide immediate benefits and improve efficiency.  

  • High Value, Low Effort: Prioritize these tasks first.  
  • High Value, High Effort: Plan and schedule these tasks.  
  • Low Value, Low Effort: Do these tasks if there’s time.  
  • Low Value, High Effort: Consider not doing these tasks. 
     

Weighted Scoring  

Weighted scoring assigns scores to tasks or features based on various criteria like revenue potential, customer satisfaction and strategic alignment. It is most effective when you need a structured and comprehensive approach to evaluate and prioritize multiple criteria simultaneously.  

  • Assign scores to tasks or features based on various criteria such as revenue potential, customer satisfaction and strategic alignment. You then total the scores in order to prioritize the features being compared. 
     

These prioritization methods can be used to enhance the effectiveness of any product roadmap. They offer structured ways to evaluate and organize features and tasks based on their importance and impact. 
 

Read in detail about four types of roadmap prioritization methodologies 

 

Ways to Visualize Product Roadmaps  

In addition to ways of prioritizing product roadmaps, there are different ways of visualizing the information they provide. There is no right or wrong way to visualize a roadmap, it is just another way to clarify and communicate goals.   

  • Gantt Charts
    • Provides a timeline view of project tasks and milestones.
    • Suitable for detailed planning and tracking progress against deadlines.
  •  Kanban Boards 
    • Uses columns to represent various stages of a workflow (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done).  
    • Ideal for Agile teams and iterative development processes.
  • Calendar Views  
    • Displays tasks and milestones on a calendar, showing when activities are planned.
    • Useful for coordinating release schedules and marketing campaigns.
  •  Swimlane Diagrams  
    • Organizes tasks into parallel lanes based on categories, teams, or projects. 
    • Helps visualize how different efforts align and progress concurrently.
  •  Timeline Charts  
    • Shows a linear sequence of tasks, milestones, and key dates.  
    • Effective for high-level overviews and communicating long-term plans. 
  • Layered Diagrams  
    • Visualizes complex plans by layering different aspects (e.g., technology, market trends) on top of each other. 
    • Useful for strategic and technology roadmaps.
  •  Dashboards  
    • Combines various charts and metrics into a single view.  
    • Ideal for evidence-based roadmaps to visualize data-driven insights.
  • Vision Maps  
    • High-level visualizations that outline aspirational goals and future directions.  
    • Best for visionary roadmaps to inspire stakeholders.
  • Portfolio Dashboards  
    • Displays multiple projects and their status in a single view.  
    • Suitable for portfolio roadmaps to manage and prioritize resources across different projects.
  • Trend Charts  
    • Graphs that show market trends, customer needs, and competitive analysis.  
    • Effective for market roadmaps to adapt strategies based on market insights. 
       

Product roadmap visualization methods can be tailored to fit the needs of different types of product roadmaps. This enhances clarity and communication among team members and stakeholders. 
 

Read more about building a visual product roadmap.  

Choosing the right type of product roadmap, followed by finding the best prioritization and visualization method, is more than just a procedural step—it’s a strategic decision that impacts your product’s development. By understanding the unique strengths and appropriate contexts for each, teams can navigate complex projects with clarity and precision. 

As you implement these roadmaps, remember that flexibility and adaptability are essential in responding to evolving market demands and technological advancements. The right roadmap not only guides your team but also is a communication tool that aligns stakeholders and drives your product toward success. 

Author

  • Pragmatic Editorial Team

    The Pragmatic Editorial Team comprises a diverse team of writers, researchers, and subject matter experts. We are trained to share Pragmatic Institute’s insights and useful information to guide product, data, and design professionals on their career development journeys. Pragmatic Institute is the global leader in Product, Data, and Design training and certification programs for working professionals. Since 1993, we’ve issued over 250,000 product management and product marketing certifications to professionals at companies around the globe. For questions or inquiries, please contact [email protected].

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