north star

At the mention of product roadmaps I’m reminded of the scene in Blackadder II where he becomes a explorer. Lord Melchett hands him a scroll and says “The foremost cartographers have prepared this map of the area you will be traversing.”

Blackadder unrolls the scroll, looks at the other side and replies “But it is blank”

“Yes,” replied Melchett, “they asked if you could fill it in along the way.”

Which if you think about it, isn’t that different to what the Lewis and Clerk expedition did. Starting with what was know they explored and created better maps.

Now you don’t have to talk to a Product Manager for very long before the topic of Roadmaps comes up:

“How can I build a good roadmap?”

“How can I guarantee my roadmap is delivered?”

“How do OKRs fit with a roadmap?

“How can I make sure my roadmap is accurate?”

and so on… frankly, roadmaps drive me to despair. For a start the word “roadmap” means different things to different people, or rather, different organisations expect different things from a roadmap.

Second, most so called roadmaps are little more than a list of features with dates. Worst still, most of those dates are little more than guesses so even if the features listed didn’t change they are unreliable.

What roadmaps should be

I’ve long held that the best roadmaps are scenario plans, they are one version of how the future might unfold. Like all scenario plans they are designed to create learning, that means they need to involve multiple people. Creating a roadmap should not be a solo activity for a product manager. It should be a group activity, as is so often the case the true value is not the map itself but the process of creating a map. Another case where you want to prioritise planning over plans.

Like a good scenario plan the starting point for any roadmap should be what you know will happen. The future is uncertain but there are many events which are already programmed in.

We know how many people will turn 18 in 2030.

It is almost certain that Apple will launch an updated iPhone in 2026.

Laws don’t come out of the blue: implementation is usually months, if not years, after the law if passed by legislators.

You know the major trade shows in your industry and when they will occur. If you work in telecoms you will already be planning around WMC Barcelona, 2 March 2026. You can bet in WMC will be March 2027, then March 2028….

Only when you’ve mapped out what you know might you turn to what you want, and when you want it.

But still, roadmaps are hard. There must be a better way…

Compass over map

Leave aside those lists with dates, product development is too complex to make them worthwhile. Those who request them are misguided themselves and those who provide them are either living in fantasy land or knowingly offering up a flawed map.

What we need is direction.

What we need is purpose and intention.

Maps are not a good metaphor, what we want is a compass. We want a mechanism for pointing us in the right direction, a tool to measure deviation from our desired destination.

After all, we increasingly aim for a “North Star” (or “True North”, or the one I heard this morning “Lode Star”).

Armed with such a device, if you know where you are, and how long you have to get to your destination you can calculate how fast you need to go. Or, if you know how fast you are going you can work out when you will arrive.

Although, nobody has ever arrived at Polaris, the North Star. We have only at interim points along the journey. If we do the right thing then good things will follow.

Navigation with automomy

When you follow a roadmap you are programmed: Feature X by 1 June, feature Y by 1 September, product completion by 1 December. Miss one of the milestones and you may be called to account. Maps reduce your autonomy.

When roadmaps are used as a plan they are disempowering. Someone has decided the route your job is to follow not to question it. There may even be traffic police on hand to keep you on the route and take charge of any accidents, further removing autonomy and discretion.

Compare that with compass and North Star: you take readings, you recalibrate, you calculate how far you need to go, you adjust your direction… in other words you Inspect and Adapt!

Having a compass and following a North Start leave responsibility and decision making with those on the journey, the team. After all, the team are the experts, the team have the most knowledge, the team should be the fulcrum of making things happen.