9 Types of Product Roadmaps: Pros, Cons, and When to Choose Each One

1What type of product roadmap makes the most sense for your product? Here you’ll learn some options and how to choose between them.

You’re putting together a product roadmap to help your stakeholders understand your product plans and keep your teams aligned.

What should it look like? What roadmap style should you choose?

Here’s your guide to product roadmap types. I’ve broken them down into categories:

• Types based on what information you include
• Types based on your workflow
• Types based on the design style

Use the following list as inspiration and to find the version that works best for your team.

Note:* Before you start your roadmap, make sure you’ve firmed up your product vision and strategy. Find more on that here. Looking for product roadmap templates? Check these out. Looking for roadmapping tools? They’re here.

Roadmap types by information included

A product roadmap is ultimately a communications tool. Like any form of communication, they’re most effective when they’re targeted at your audience. So, the best roadmap style for you depends on what you want to communicate and to who.

Here are a number of roadmap styles that differ based on the information they contain.

1. Feature-based product roadmaps

Feature-based product roadmaps emphasize individual functionalities that will be delivered in the product. They typically include a detailed breakdown of features, their priorities, and estimated release dates or time frames.

Feature-based roadmap examples: Here’s an example of a feature-based roadmap for a 12-month time period.

*An example feature-based roadmap over a 12-month period. Image source: *Münch, Trieflinger, Roling, and Eißler, 2020.

And here is another example of a feature-based roadmap. The focus of this one is on the specific features planned for Q3 by status: those in progress now, those that are next in the queue, and those that are for later.

*An example of a feature-based roadmap in *Savio. Note that this one is structured as a Kanban-style board, but it doesn’t have to be. Similarly, you can use any titles for columns—it doesn’t have to be “Now, Next, and Later”.

Pros:

• Clarity and detail: They clearly specify which features and functionalities will be developed and offer time frames.
• Stakeholder alignment: These roadmaps help align stakeholders by providing a shared understanding of the product's feature development priorities. The process of developing these typically requires agreement about what you’ll build.

Cons:

• Feature factory: Feature roadmaps can encourage companies to pump out new features from the backlog without careful reflection on customer needs or how those features contribute to a product’s vision.
• Lack of flexibility: Roadmaps are planning documents and should be open to change so companies can adapt to changing market conditions. A focus on features and dates can be interpreted by some stakeholders as inflexible commitments.
• Potential overload: When dealing with a large number of features, feature-based roadmaps can become overwhelming and complex, leading to difficulties in managing dependencies and maintaining a coherent product vision.

According to some experts, these cons make feature-based roadmapping inappropriate for many software development processes. One group of researchers says:

“The traditional [feature-based] procedure for the roadmapping process is not suitable anymore for an agile and innovative environment.” — Jürgen Münch, Stefan Trieflinger, and Dominic Lang.

Ideal use case: Feature-based roadmaps are particularly useful when you need granular visibility into the features you’re planning. They are suitable when product teams have a clear understanding of the desired features, their priority order, and the estimated timeline for their implementation.

Note: Savio helps you centralize, organize, and prioritize product feedback from your GTM team, by integrating with Slack, HubSpot, Intercom, Zendesk, SFDC, Help Scout, and more. Learn more about Savio.

2. Goal-oriented product roadmaps

These structure your product planning around specific business and product goals. These goals are essentially the reason you’re building the feature—they serve as a kind of justification. Roman Pichler has an especially good description of these on his blog.

Goal-based product roadmaps are seen as an alternative to feature-based roadmaps because they don’t keep you in a feature factory mode where your team is just working to pump out features. Instead, they help your team focus on what features will best accomplish your stated goals.

Goal-based roadmap example: Here’s an example goal-based roadmap.

*An example of a goal-based roadmap. Source: *Münch et al., 2020.

Pros:

• Strategic alignment: Goal-based roadmaps ensure that product development is aligned with strategic objectives for the new product. They provide a clear vision of what the product aims to achieve and how it contributes to broader business goals.
• Flexibility and adaptability: They allow for flexibility in feature prioritization and implementation. They enable product teams to adjust their approach and focus on different features or initiatives as long as they contribute to the defined goals.

Cons:

• Lack of granularity: Goal-based roadmaps may lack detailed feature-level information, which can make it challenging for development teams to understand specific requirements and dependencies. Execs, too, often want more detailed information than goal-based roadmaps provide.
• Difficulty in prioritization: When multiple goals are defined, it can be challenging to prioritize and balance the resources and efforts across different objectives. This can result in competing priorities and potential conflicts in decision-making.

Ideal use case: Goal roadmaps are ideal when the product strategy is driven by specific outcomes or objectives. They can help your teams stay flexible and focused on high-level outcomes rather than get tied to specific features.

3. Outcome-based product roadmapss

Also called outcome-driven or outcome-oriented roadmaps, these align your product development with specific outcomes or desired results. They focus on the impact or value that the product aims to deliver to users or the business, rather than specific features (which may or may not deliver value).

There are a number of ways to build an outcome-based roadmap: Jeff Gothelf has suggested one way (he calls it an agile product roadmap) and Jason Doherty has suggested another. What their approaches have in common is a focus on the outcomes—the value—the features provide.

Outcome-based roadmap example: In the below example from Jason Doherty and colleagues.

*An example of an outcome-oriented roadmap. Notice that the roadmap includes a vision and objective at the top, outcomes, and the timeframes to accomplish them. Source: *Medium

Pros:

• Customer-centric approach: Outcome-oriented roadmaps keep the focus on customer needs. They prioritize value to users and align product decisions with customer requirements and preferences.
• Flexibility and adaptability: Because they’re tied to outcomes rather than to specific features, these roadmaps typically foster better flexibility.

Cons:

• Potential lack of specificity: Outcome-based roadmaps often don’t provide detailed feature-level information. That can make it tough for development teams to understand specific requirements and dependencies. They can also be unpopular with other stakeholders like executives.
• Difficulty in measurement: Defining and measuring the outcomes can be complex, requiring clear metrics and tracking mechanisms. It may be challenging to determine the specific features or initiatives that will directly lead to the desired outcomes.

Ideal use case: Outcome-based roadmaps are ideal when your primary focus is delivering value to users or achieving specific business outcomes. They are particularly useful in customer-centric organizations or in situations where there is a need to drive user engagement, retention, or revenue growth.

4. Portfolio roadmaps

Product portfolio roadmaps provide a high-level view of multiple products or initiatives within an organization. They align various product roadmaps to show how they contribute to overall business objectives and strategic goals.

Portfolio roadmap example: Here’s a simple example of a product portfolio roadmap with two products.

*A simple portfolio roadmap example. Source: *Slidemodel

Pros:

• Holistic view: Portfolio roadmaps offer a big-picture view of the organization's product landscape. They show stakeholders various products and initiatives at the same time and how they each contribute to the broader business strategy.
• Resource allocation: By visualizing multiple product roadmaps together, portfolio roadmaps help facilitate resource allocation and prioritization across different products or initiatives. They provide insights into resource availability, dependencies, and potential conflicts.

Cons:

• Complexity: Portfolio roadmaps can become complex and challenging to manage, especially when many products and teams are involved. Keeping the portfolio roadmap up to date and ensuring alignment among various stakeholders can be difficult.
• Lack of granularity: Due to their high-level nature, portfolio roadmaps may lack the detailed information that individual product teams require for execution. They may not provide sufficient visibility into specific features, milestones, or technical details.

Ideal use case: Portfolio roadmaps are ideal when an organization has multiple products, projects, or initiatives that need to be managed and coordinated to achieve overarching business objectives. They are particularly useful for product managers, executives, and stakeholders who need to understand the big picture and make strategic decisions based on the portfolio of products.

5. Evidence-based product roadmaps

This is a version of roadmaps for software development that we might have pioneered at Savio (if someone else did it first, though, let us know and we’ll give credit).

Basically, they’re unique in that they focus on displaying data that are relevant to the roadmapping exercise. You include data right on the roadmap.

For example, you might want to put cumulative MRR for each feature right on the roadmap so you can see one metric of value for the feature (cumulative MRR is when you add up the MRR of each customer that asked for a feature.) Or, you could display cumulative opportunity revenue. Or, the number of votes for each feature.

Evidence-based roadmap example: Here’s an example of a quarterly evidence-based roadmap. Note that each feature request card has customer data displayed on it. Again, you can display evidence-based roadmaps in a Kanban style (like this one), or another way.

An evidence-based roadmap in Savio. Notice that there are four different types of evidence displayed: each feature’s cumulative MRR, cumulative opportunity revenue, priority, and the number of customers that requested the feature.

Pros:

• Customer-centric: Evidence-based roadmaps put customer feedback data—like MRR and number of requests—front and center on your roadmap. That allows you to more easily make product decisions based on customer needs.
• Less conflict: One of the most challenging aspects of product roadmapping is dealing with conflict. Including evidence helps anchor disagreement in customer needs and helps you justify the product decisions you made. It can create a more peaceful roadmapping process.

Cons:

• Feedback management system: You can only include statistics for each feature, like its cumulative MRR, if you have a robust system for collecting feedback and feature requests from customers. Putting one together isn’t that complicated, but it requires some coordination between teams.

Ideal use case: Evidence-based roadmaps are ideal for customer-centric companies that want to delight their users. They’re also best for teams that really value making use of data to inform (or drive) product decisions. And finally, they’re great for any teams that are looking for a way to approach roadmapping more constructively and avoid more adversarial ways to get features on the roadmap.

Guide: Evidence-based roadmaps: Definition and examples

Roadmap types by workflow framework

Next, take a look at what roadmaps might be best for the particular development process or workflow you use.

Note: Savio helps you centralize, organize, and prioritize product feedback from your GTM team, by integrating with Slack, HubSpot, Intercom, Zendesk, SFDC, Help Scout, and more. Learn more about Savio.

6. Agile product roadmaps

Agile roadmaps are dynamic and iterative plans that adapt to changing requirements and feedback. They focus on delivering value incrementally and frequently, enabling flexibility and collaboration throughout the development process.

Agile roadmaps can be designed to have any of the above types of information: features, goals, outcomes, portfolios of products, and relevant data.

Note:* Agile is a group of methodologies and principles for software development that emphasize flexibility, collaboration, and iterative development. Because it’s not a specific thing, per se, there are a number of different kinds of agile roadmaps you could have. Two examples are Scrum roadmaps and Kanban roadmaps.*

Scrum roadmap example: These are tailored to teams that use the Scrum framework. Scrum product roadmaps usually include features and improvements organized into sprints, allowing teams to quickly adapt to changing requirements and incorporate user feedback to continuously improve the product.

*An example scrum roadmap. Notice that there are swimlanes on the right for different teams and their projects. The numbers along the top represent sprints—sprint one, sprint two, etc. *Source.

Kanban board roadmap example: Kanban boards are visual project management tools that use columns to represent different stages in a workflow. They help teams manage work items, improve communication, and identify bottlenecks by moving cards from one column to another as tasks progress through the stages.

*An example kanban-style roadmap. In this roadmap, each of the columns represents a stage in the development process. You can customize these to fit your own workflow. Source: *Savio roadmaps

Pros:

• Flexibility and adaptability: Agile roadmaps allow for adjustments and iterations based on evolving needs and priorities. They enable teams to respond to feedback, changes in the market, or new insights, resulting in a more responsive product development process.
• Transparency and collaboration: Agile roadmaps promote transparency by providing visibility into the product's development progress and priorities. They foster collaboration among team members, stakeholders, and customers, facilitating better alignment and shared decision-making.

Cons:

• Potential lack of predictability: Agile roadmaps prioritize adaptability, which can result in uncertainty regarding specific features or product release dates. It may be challenging to provide precise estimates or timelines, which can be a concern for stakeholders who require fixed schedules or commitments.
• Complexity in planning and communication: Agile roadmaps require continuous planning, iteration, and communication. The dynamic nature of agile development can make it challenging to effectively communicate the roadmap and its changes to all stakeholders involved.

Ideal use case: Agile product roadmaps are ideal when there is a need for iterative and collaborative development approaches. They are commonly used in Agile software development methodologies such as Scrum or Kanban.

Agile roadmaps are particularly beneficial in situations where there is a high degree of uncertainty, rapidly changing market conditions, or when user feedback plays a critical role in shaping the product. They are suited for organizations that prioritize adaptability, customer-centricity, and continuous improvement in their product development processes.

7. Release x Features roadmaps

“Feature by release" roadmaps outline the specific features or functionalities that will be included in each upcoming release of a product. They provide a roadmap of features based on the planned release schedule. These might fit a more traditional software development workflow like Waterfall (although they could also be used with agile frameworks as well).

Feature-by-release roadmap example: Here’s an example of a roadmap where features are organized by release.

Pros:

• Clear feature visibility: Feature-by-release roadmaps offer clear visibility into which features are planned for each release. It helps stakeholders, including product managers, developers, and customers, understand the scope and timeline of feature delivery.
• Incremental value delivery: These roadmaps allow for incremental value delivery by grouping features into specific releases. It enables stakeholders to see the progression of the product over time and the value added with each release.

Cons:

• Potential lack of flexibility: Feature-by-release roadmaps may be less flexible when it comes to accommodating changes or reprioritization of features. Once a feature is assigned to a release, it may be challenging to adjust without disrupting the overall release schedule (or without generating extensive discussion between teams).
• Limited focus on strategic goals: These roadmaps primarily focus on feature delivery rather than high-level goals or strategic alignment. They may lack the broader context or strategic objectives behind the feature prioritization.

Ideal use case: Feature x release roadmaps are best when you need to communicate specific feature delivery timelines and manage stakeholder expectations accordingly. They’re best when you have a predetermined release schedule or when it's important to communicate feature rollouts to customers or internal teams.

These roadmaps are effective for teams that have a clear understanding of feature dependencies, development timelines, and the ability to deliver features incrementally.

Types of roadmap by design style

Finally, we can distinguish between roadmap types based on their design style. For example, timeline-based roadmaps and “Now/Next/Later” roadmaps.

8. Timeline-based roadmaps

Timeline-based roadmaps present product features, improvements, and milestones along a linear timeline, giving teams a clear overview of the product's development schedule. This type of roadmap is useful for setting expectations and communicating deadlines to stakeholders.

Example timeline-based roadmap: Here’s an example of a timeline-based roadmap that doesn’t include exact dates.

An example of a timeline-based roadmap that doesn’t use exact dates. Source.

Example Gantt chart roadmap: Some people also use a specific version of this roadmap—a Gantt chart—for their roadmap. Gantt charts typically have exact dates and use bars to plan how long a feature or product will take to build.

​​*An example of a Gantt-chart roadmap. *Source.

Pros:

• Visual clarity: Timeline-based roadmaps provide a clear visual representation of the product's development timeline, making it easy for stakeholders to understand the sequencing of features, milestones, and dates tasks will be completed.
• Communication and alignment: These roadmaps can serve as effective communication tools to help coordinate tasks between different teams.

Cons:

• Limited flexibility: Timeline-based roadmaps can be less flexible when it comes to accommodating changes or adjusting priorities. Stakeholders tend to see the specific dates and understand them as concrete.
• Potential overemphasis on deadlines: They may inadvertently place excessive focus on deadlines rather than value or quality. Teams sometimes find themselves rushing through features or compromising on the overall product experience to meet arbitrary timelines.

Ideal use case: Timeline roadmaps and Gantt charts are best for when you need to communicate the product's development plan, major milestones, and release dates to stakeholders. They are commonly used in scenarios where a fixed timeline is required, such as when coordinating product launches, managing external expectations, or aligning with marketing and sales efforts.

They also might be more appropriate for development teams and release plans, and less appropriate for communicating high-level strategy to executives or customers.

9. Now/Next/Later roadmaps

"Now/Next/Later" roadmaps categorize features or initiatives into three distinct timeframes: "Now" represents current or ongoing work, "Next" signifies upcoming priorities, and "Later" indicates longer-term or future initiatives. It provides a simple and concise way to communicate priorities and sequencing.

Example Now/Next/Later roadmap: Here’s an example of a Now/Next/Later roadmap created in Savio.

An example of a Now/Next/Later roadmap in Savio. They often also come with a “Complete” category, although this example doesn’t include one.

Pros:

• Clarity in priorities: "Now/Next/Later" roadmaps offer a clear visual representation of the current and future priorities, helping stakeholders understand what is being worked on presently and what to expect in the near future.
• Flexibility and adaptability: These roadmaps don’t communicate specific dates, so stakeholders are more likely to see them as flexible and adaptable. They provide a framework that can be easily adapted to accommodate shifting requirements or emerging opportunities.

Cons:

• Lack of specificity: "Now/Next/Later" roadmaps usually don’t provide detailed information on specific dates or milestones within each category. This lack of granularity can make it challenging for certain teams (like developers) to have a clear understanding of the specifics associated with each timeframe. Execs, also, may want more information than they provide.
• Potential oversimplification: By categorizing initiatives into broad timeframes, the roadmap may oversimplify complex projects or multi-faceted product development efforts, potentially leading to a loss of necessary detail.

Ideal use case: "Now/Next/Later" roadmaps are ideal for scenarios where there is a need to communicate high-level priorities and give stakeholders a sense of the product's immediate focus and future direction. They are valuable when the product team wants to maintain a balance between providing transparency about ongoing work while allowing for flexibility in adapting to changing needs.

Choosing the best type of roadmap for your needs

There’s no “right” roadmap. Any of them can work.

So how do you pick one?

Think about what your audience needs to know, and then decide which format best communicates that information.

• Your Dev team might need specific features and dates so they know what to build and by when. It also needs to fit with their workflow—so if they’re using Kanban, give them a Kanban roadmap.
• Your other teams—Sales teams, Support, Marketing, etc.—need to know what’s coming up and roughly when. They probably need to know the features coming down the pipe, but you can leave specific dates for a release plan.
• Your customers don’t need exact dates. Instead, you can give them a sense of features or themes with rough timeframes. A Now/Next/Later roadmap might work well for them.

Choosing the Right Product Roadmap Tool

When diving into the world of product roadmaps, it's crucial to have the right tool in your arsenal. A top-tier product roadmap tool doesn't just list features; it prioritizes them based on real customer feedback. It provides a clear visualization of the product's trajectory, ensuring everyone is aligned with the strategic vision. Collaboration is key, so look for a tool that promotes teamwork and integrates seamlessly with other platforms.

Whether you're working with feature-based, goal-oriented, or timeline roadmaps, the right tool will make all the difference in conveying your product's direction and priorities. So, as you explore the various types of product roadmaps, ensure you're equipped with a tool that brings your vision to life. Dive into our curated list of product roadmapping tools.

Up next:

• Prioritize roadmap features
• Product roadmaps for SaaS

*(A special thanks to Jürgen Münch and colleagues’ *Product Roadmap Formats for an Uncertain Future: A Grey Literature Review paper presented at the Euromicro Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications. I’ve used it extensively here as a primary source.)

Last Updated: 2023-05-22

Want more articles like this?

Product Leaders from Slack, Zapier, and Appcues read our newsletter to delight customers, lower churn, and grow revenue.

Send me more like this

Unsubscribe anytime.