Embracing Theme-Based Roadmapping

Why the future of product teams lies in strategic themes, not feature-driven timelines.

If you have been working anywhere near the tech industry, you've likely encountered a product roadmap document before. The essence of rigid planning in every software company, featuring endless feature-driven timelines, missed deadlines, and unrealistic expectations, all wrapped up in a neat package of frustration and disappointment!

The problem with feature-based roadmaps

The traditional approach to product roadmapping falls short in today's dynamic and ever-changing business environment, leading to missed deadlines, unattainable expectations, and a lack of alignment among stakeholders. This approach often prioritizes individual release of features and “output” over a higher-level perspective of end-user value or the “outcome”.

As automation and collaboration continue to improve, more companies are adopting a continuous release approach, pushing updates to customers as soon as they're ready. While some may argue for keeping feature-driven roadmaps updated and live, It sounds like we are missing the purpose of a big-picture roadmap if we are constantly worried about its version!

Some of the usual suspects that commonly cause roadmaps to get obsolete quickly are:

• New information or insight about customers

• Market fluctuations and emerging opportunities

• New technology advances within the software industry

In response, a theme-based approach to planning has gained popularity among product leaders and entrepreneurs, offering greater alignment, focus, and flexibility. This approach enables teams to shift their focus on what they are building, to “why” they are building it. Keeping sight of the big picture, allows them to better embrace change in an increasingly ambiguous world.

How Theme-Based Roadmaps Stay Relevant

Imagine you're a product manager tasked with developing a new product. You have a list of features, a set of milestones, and a deadline to meet. You feel confident that you can deliver on time, but you're not sure if the end result will really meet your customers' needs.

Now, imagine a different scenario when you start with a clear theme, a broad strategic objective that aligns with your business goals. You and your team focus on understanding the problem you're trying to solve, not just developing a list of features. You have the freedom to explore and experiment on what initiatives to build to find the best way to solve the problem. Your theme is not considered done until it's actually adopted by real users, ensuring that it meets their needs and exceeds their expectations.

A simple example of how theme-based road mapping for a food delivery service. Link to this template and example here

Yes, you will miss the mental comfort of the promised feature-release timeline, but the truth is, deadlines on specific releases are often just arbitrary dates thrown out by people who care more about the end impact than the precise function and its timing. Yet, we still cling to them, even when they lead to missed targets and a lack of flexibility.

This approach works well with tracking KPIs because they are naturally focused around a theme, not specific features to reach that goal. For example, a general theme of “Improving Customer Satisfaction” that can be tracked with a common CSAT metric, can be reflected in new changes, adding or retiring features.

In our world where the only constant is change, it's time to say farewell to the outdated ways of product roadmapping and embrace the theme-based approach. The truth is, deadlines are often just arbitrary dates thrown out by people who care more about the end impact than the precise timing. Yet, we still cling to them, even when they lead to missed targets and a lack of flexibility.

It's like following a GPS to get to your destination, but if you see something shiny or a food truck along the way, you can take a detour without getting lost, as long as you end up at the right place eventually.

Template and example here

Stay curious!