This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Inspired" by Marty Cagan. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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What is a product roadmap? Is creating a product roadmap worth your time?
Product roadmaps are commonly used because they help employees prioritize tasks and allow bosses to build a completion schedule. However, in many cases, product roadmaps end up being a waste of time and resources.
Here’s why you might want to think twice before creating a product roadmap.
The Roadmap Approach
Most companies develop products by starting with an idea and creating a product roadmap: a series of orders handed down by executives that, if completed properly, should result in a desired output. Roadmaps are lists of priorities. Generally, either upper management or the product manager issues a new roadmap every three months or so.
Roadmaps include big picture requests and due dates, but not where engineers need to fix bugs or address smaller technical questions. There are a few reasons why managers think that roadmaps are a good management technique:
- They keep employees focused on what managers see as the most important tasks to the overall success of the company first.
- They help managers liaise with stakeholders and colleagues, because they can plan, based on their roadmaps, when they think various tasks will be completed.
- Roadmaps help managers feel like they’re generally more in control of their employees.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Marty Cagan's "Inspired" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full Inspired summary :
- A two-step plan for creating and sustaining successful technology products
- Why product managers are so important in product development
- How to avoid some of the biggest pitfalls that most tech companies fall into
