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Glossary
Roadmap & strategy

What is Roadmap?

A Roadmap is a high-level strategic document that maps out the evolution of a product or project over a specific timeframe. It communicates the strategic intent and expected outcomes behind your team's work, connecting short-term tasks to long-term business goals while setting expectations for stakeholders.

When to use it

Teams should use a roadmap when they need to align cross-functional departments—such as engineering, sales, and marketing—on future priorities and product direction. It solves the problem of disconnected workflows by providing a single source of truth for upcoming initiatives. Use it to balance customer feedback with internal innovation and to ensure resources are focused on the most impactful work.

Example

A SaaS team planning for the second half of the year uses a roadmap to organize three major initiatives: an API overhaul, a new mobile app, and enhanced security features. They plot these on a timeline to show that the API work must finish in July before mobile app development can start in August. By sharing this roadmap, the marketing team knows to prepare promotional materials for a September launch, while the sales team can inform prospective clients that the security upgrade is scheduled for Q4.

How Planet Roadmap helps with Roadmap

Planet Roadmap has a Public Roadmap view that lets you share high-level progress with customers while keeping internal technical details private. It also includes a Timeline view that automatically visualizes project durations and milestones based on your task data.

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FAQ

How is a roadmap different from a project plan?
A roadmap focuses on high-level strategy and the 'why' behind product direction, whereas a project plan is a tactical document detailing specific tasks, individual assignments, and granular deadlines.
How often should a roadmap be updated?
Roadmaps should be reviewed monthly and updated at least quarterly to reflect changes in market conditions, resource availability, and customer feedback while maintaining a consistent long-term vision.

Related terms

Product StrategyPublic RoadmapInternal RoadmapNow-Next-Later RoadmapMilestoneInitiativeProduct Backlog

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