Honest Roadmaps
Stop the development chaos. Build roadmaps responsibly
Who We Are and What We Stand For
Many software development companies experience chaos. Deliveries are unpredictable and deadlines frequently missed. Developers have to work overtime to keep up with the company’s commitments. Any major priority change is a challenge that creates massive communication and performance gaps.
We believe that the root of many of these issues is a misalignment between product management and engineering teams caused by roadmaps that are disconnected from reality.
“Roadmaps are lies anyway,” many people argue.
We believe that roadmaps are honest, as long as you treat them as a reasonable hypothesis rather than a hard commitment.
That’s why we promote a process of building roadmaps that is based on a predictive planning approach. By using this approach, roadmaps transform from being pure speculation, which is often the root of the problem, to being a low-risk schedule that can be used for quality decision making and honest alignment between product management and engineering teams.
Do you want to be part of the community? Join us on Slack!
Receive detailed information about the tools and approaches for predictive planning, talk to people who use the method in day-to-day practice
What Is Predictive Planning Approach
Predictive planning approach is different from conventional planning by using predictions (forecasts) based on historical data, risk, and other factors to define future roadmap outcomes and performance, rather than speculative assumptions.
This approach has been widely used throughout the other industries to successfully deliver the following positive results:
– Weather forecasts are based on predictive analysis that can confidently indicate temperature changes, rain, and other natural events
– Manufacturing has been using predictive planning to ensure the smooth execution of production lines and uninterrupted supply of goods and services to consumers
– In outer space, projects such as the Apollo program heavily utilized predictive analysis to determine the best strategy for the Moon landing
Other industries have recognized that forecasting and predictive planning are essential to reliable operations. Rather than treating planning as a static, one-time exercise, they have embedded forecasting, coordination, continuous monitoring, and corrective action into their daily operating processes.
How Predictive Planning Approach Helps with Eliminating Chaos in Development
When used with a good level of management, a disciplined process of decision making, and proper coordination, the predictive planning approach can be very effective in reducing risks, improving performance, and smoothing delivery.
Compared to conventional static planning, it may result in significant improvements:
– Delays and last-minute deployments are replaced by a predictable delivery process powered by forecast-based timelines
– Coordination issues mid-quarter are mitigated by clear and fast algorithm-based change management process
– Budget overruns are eliminated by establishing clear scope for features and initiatives on a roadmap
Using Predictive Planning Approach for Building Roadmaps
Below is the example of building roadmaps with a predictive planning approach. It can be tweaked based on organization’s specifics and preferences.
Build the Portfolio
The portfolio defines the signals worth exploring. A signal, is defined as hypothesis (initiative) being worth investment and testing. Once enough information about a particular signal is collected, it can be either reinforced or cancelled to leave opportunity for new developments.
Features inside initiatives represent underlying business ideas. Each feature or subset of features can be prioritized against their potential ROI using different product management frameworks (e.g., RICE or Kano).
Collect the Data
First of all, the features should be assigned a specific priority in execution. All requirements, high-level estimates, dependencies and other inputs related to features and initiatives should be carefully collected, verified with teams, and recorded for current and future reference. Some technical inputs, such as high-level estimates, must include a level of uncertainty and assumptions. The data shouldn’t necessarily be 100% or even 50% complete, but if there is any level of risk or uncertainty, it must be recorded.
Perform the Delivery Simulation
Once the data is available, the next important step is delivery simulation and sequencing. All data pieces must be evaluated:
- Which scope do we assume for each feature?
- Which teams will be performing the features?
- Are there any dependencies?
- What is the risk buffer? How does the buffer correlate with uncertainty and risk appetite?
- How calendar days allocated for the tasks relate to the teams’ availability and velocity?
This process can be cumbersome. Deep Planner performs the roadmap delivery simulation with the help of automation.
Perform Alignment
Developers, stakeholders, managers and other parties must be invited into the roadmap alignment. There could be multiple rounds of reviews where parties will be able to verbalize gaps in data, scope preferences, or claim ownership of features. This is also a good time to reassess the portfolio hypothesis in case it wasn’t proven practical. A properly aligned roadmap serves both as a proof of portfolio visibility and an execution strategy.
Execute and Track Status
The roadmap can be executed using normal short development cycles, like sprints. Measuring the portfolio progress should be connected to measuring the progress and completion status of the underlying initiatives, features, and their dependencies. This should be an ongoing and frequent process—ideally, synced to the short development cycles—to address the potential risks and make any necessary adjustments early. To update the roadmap, follow the same steps, starting by updating the portfolio inputs, and proceed downstream.
A Predictive Planning Approach for Roadmaps Will Help Your Teams Deliver Better Results
Software development is a relatively young industry with many processes still developing. Right now we see that the occupation of a TPM (Technical Program Manager or Technical Project Manager) is slowly emerging. That is a sign that multi-team coordination and balanced execution become vastly important in many companies and roadmap creation becomes a key process for successful software development. By adding a useful ingredient, such as predictive planning, the process becomes not just about coordination but also great efficiency, proper alignment, and reliable facilitation.
Do you want to be part of the community? Join us on Slack!
Receive detailed information about the tools and approaches for predictive planning, talk to people who use the method in day-to-day practice