Roadmap, meet Mr. Strategy

If win/loss analysis is a Mrs. then strategy can be a Mr. 

I stumbled across a podcast, A Roadmap is not a Strategy, and it triggered a few thoughts. (By the way, who makes you register for podcasts anymore?)

Depending how you read that statement, it could be true that your roadmap is not a strategy. However, your roadmap communicates your product strategy including all the supporting strategies and therefore is a strategy.

• If your roadmap is a long-term plan and strategy is a long-term plan then your roadmap is a strategy. However, if your roadmap is just features plotted on to time periods or slotted into releases, your roadmap is not a complete or sufficient strategy.
• If your roadmap is not your strategy, then what is it?  No seriously. What is it?
• If your roadmap is not your strategy, then where do you document and communicate your strategy?

Product managers create a lot of content stored in a variety of formats and with different flavours of presentation. A roadmap is a tool that is used to show all stakeholders where you are going and it makes sense to use this tool as a platform for communicating your strategy.

Disclaimer: I never listened to the podcast (too lazy to register) but the content was not relevant to this post.

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