I received another request in my “suggest a post” area (thanks!).
The use of the Product Road Map for internal planning vs in support of the selling process?
I am going to make one assumption that the author of this suggestion is referring to the external sales selling process and not an internal selling process (i.e getting roadmap buy-in).
In my opinion and I think everyone else will agree, having a roadmap for internal planning purposes is not an option. It is mandatory! The roadmap for selling is generally frowned upon.
Roadmap as a Planning Tool
Some of this is rehashed from previous posts, but your roadmap is your strategy. It is your long-term plan for success. It’ll contain the details of your value network, vision and mission statement.
I know, I know. Typically your roadmap is a power-point presentation or a spreadsheet, but it is time to mature that process. Your roadmap should contain descriptions of your partners, your buyer and user personas. It should contain describe your vision and the plan to to achieve that vision. (Unless you are a single product company you will want to provide some additional commentary on how this vision helps the company achieve their vision.) Typically, this plan is described with your release plan for the short term (less than 12 months), a feature plan for the longer term (more than 12 months) and any business development plans. Your mission statement defines your product’s purpose and primary objectives. Its prime function is internal – to define the key measure or measures of the product’s success. I have written in the past about metrics. Everything should be written using a language that shows alignment across your value network, vision and mission.
As you can see, the content is driven from the planning for your product. The nice thing about using a roadmap, is that it allows you to bucket all your strategic thinking into one document.
Roadmap as a Sales Tool
Now despite the comment above that using your roadmap as a sales tool, you will sometimes not have a choice. Prospects may want to see your vision. You’ll need to make everyone aware the risks with showing prospects the roadmap. It could delay the sales cycle if they wait for future features or set poor expectations if they believe the roadmap will not change (and it will change). There is nothing wrong with sharing your vision, but the appropriate expectations need to be set for the Sales team and the prospect.
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