Honest Roadmaps
An initiative that aims to reduce delivery issues in Software Development by using predictive planning approach for building roadmaps
Who We Are and What We Stand For
Many software development companies experience chaos: deliveries are unpredictable and deadlines are frequently missed, developers have to work overtime to keep up with company’s commitments, any major priority change is a challenge that creates massive communication and performance gaps.
We believe that in the root of many of these issues is misalignment between product and engineering caused by roadmaps disconnected from reality.
Many people would argue: “Roadmaps are lies”. We believe: “Roadmaps are honest as long as you treat them as a reasonable hypothesis rather than a hard commitment.”
That’s why we developed a process of building roadmaps that is based on a predictive planning approach. By using this approach roadmaps transform from being a pure speculation (what is the root of the problem) to being a low-risk schedule that can be used for quality decision making and honest alignment between product and engineering.
Do you want to be part of the community? Join us on Slack!
What Is Predictive Planning Approach and Why it Helps with Reducing Risks
Predictive planning approach is different from conventional planning by the matter that it’s 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 positive results:
– Weather forecasts are based on predictive analysis that can confidently indicate temperature changes, rain and other nature 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 space, projects such as the Apollo program heavily utilized predictive analysis to determine the best strategy for the Moon landing
When used with a good level of management, disciplined process of decision making and proper coordination the predictive planning approach can be very effective in reducing risks, improving performance and smoothening delivery.
Using Predictive Planning Approach for Building Roadmaps
The process of building roadmaps with predictive planning approach is not a secret. It can be used by anyone using the steps provided below.
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 could be prioritized against their potential ROI using different product management frameworks (such as RICE, Kano, etc).
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?
The tool like Deep Planner can help build and fine-tune the delivery simulation with the help of automation.
It builds the timeline sequence that accounts for risk buffers, dependencies, teams’ availability and calendar days.
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 from updating the portfolio inputs, and proceed downstream.
We Believe that Predictive Planning Approach for Roadmaps has Great Potential and We are Open to Any Feedback
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 about great efficiency, proper alignment and reliable facilitation.