Consequence-based product roadmaps provide many advantages over conventional, feature-based ones together with a robust deal with the worth a product ought to create. However how are you going to introduce this new strategy when an organisation is used to feature-based plans and stakeholders discover it troublesome to belief an outcome-based roadmap? To deal with this problem, I introduce a four-step course of on this article.
Take heed to the audio model of this text:
Conventional vs Consequence-based Roadmaps
Earlier than I share the 4 steps, let me briefly describe the principle variations between a standard, feature- and an outcome-based product roadmap. A conventional roadmap is actually an inventory of options, that are mapped onto a timeline. Such a plan would possibly work if there’s little uncertainty, change, and innovation current, and you may accurately predict what the product ought to seem like and do. However in as we speak’s fast-changing digital product area, that’s hardly the case. Utilizing a feature-based roadmap that fixes the product performance for the subsequent, say, twelve months due to this fact dangers making a product that provides the improper performance and creates little worth for the customers and clients.
Luckily, a special roadmapping strategy has emerged in recent times: outcome-based, goal-oriented product roadmaps like my GO Product Roadmap. As an alternative of figuring out options, you in the beginning think about the precise worth the product ought to create—the outcomes it ought to obtain. These would possibly embrace buying new customers, lowering churn, growing engagement, bettering conversion, and lowering improvement time and value by eradicating technical debt. To place it in another way, as a substitute of focussing on what must be delivered, you ask why it’s worthwhile progressing the product.
Nevertheless, I discover in my teaching work that administration and enterprise stakeholders could be very connected to feature-based plans and anticipate to see roadmaps that state when a characteristic might be delivered. In such a state of affairs, it may be an enormous ask to let go of detailed, feature-based plans and belief an outcome-based, goal-oriented product roadmap. If you end up in the same state of affairs, then apply the 4 steps, that are proven within the infographic under and defined within the the rest of this text. (You’ll be able to obtain the infographic by clicking on it.)
Step 1: Set an Consequence-based Objective for the Subsequent Three Months
To get began, set a single, outcome-based purpose for the subsequent three months. An instance for an internet store is likely to be “improve conversion by 5%.”[1] Make it possible for the purpose states the constructive influence you need to make on the customers/clients and the enterprise. Keep away from the pitfall of setting feature-based objectives, comparable to “prioritise the search outcomes” or “enhance the search algorithm.” Assume why, not what. Moreover, be certain that the purpose is particular and measurable with the intention to clearly inform if it has been met.[2]
Be sure you contain the key stakeholders and improvement workforce representatives within the goal-setting course of. This helps you leverage their information, it creates transparency and robust alignment, and it maximises the possibilities that they’ll observe the purpose.[3] Purpose to realize consent. Because of this no one concerned within the goal-setting course of has any significant objections towards the purpose.
A good way to have interaction the people is to ask them to a collaborative workshop, which can happen onsite or on-line.[4] Ask a talented facilitator to run the session particularly when the attendees don’t know one another properly and the extent of belief is low. This frees you from having to facilitate and lets you deal with setting the fitting purpose.
Step 2: Use the Consequence to Decide the Options
With a particular, measurable, and outcome-based purpose in place, decide the options that should be delivered to satisfy the purpose. A sensible option to obtain that is to focus the product backlog on the end result.
Begin by eradicating any backlog gadgets, which aren’t required to create the specified final result. Delete or archive them. Then decide how the product has to vary to satisfy the purpose. Does the consumer expertise should be tailored? Do it’s important to add or change any performance? Do it’s important to meet new or enhanced non-functional necessities together with compliance requirements? Are bug fixes and structure refactoring work required to realize the end result?
Decline any characteristic requests that don’t allow you to meet the purpose. Use the end result as your choice instrument and persist with it—except it turns into invalid. Don’t make the error of accepting a characteristic to please a stakeholder or keep away from a troublesome dialog. Saying no is an element and parcel of a product particular person’s job, as I talk about in additional element within the article 5 Suggestions for Saying No to Stakeholders.[5]
Step 3: Evaluate the Strategy
On the finish of the three months, evaluate how the brand new strategy has labored for you. What went properly and what didn’t? Did you handle to satisfy the purpose? How helpful was utilizing the agreed final result to find out the product options? To what extent do administration and enterprise stakeholders assist an outcome-based roadmap?
If the strategy was considerably however not fully profitable or the extent of assist continues to be low, repeat steps one and two and set one other purpose for the subsequent three months. Contemplate what you are able to do in another way this time to be extra profitable. Must you, for instance, contain the stakeholders extra carefully within the goal-setting course of? Must you do a greater job of focusing everybody on the end result? Must you be extra ruthless and decline characteristic requests that don’t match the purpose?
If the strategy was profitable and administration and stakeholders assist it, you’re able to take step 4.
Step 4: Construct an Consequence-Based mostly Product Roadmap
Having efficiently used an outcome-based purpose to find out the product options places you in a fantastic place to set outcomes for the subsequent six to 12 months and construct an outcome-based product roadmap utilizing a template like my GO Product Roadmap proven under. You’ll be able to obtain it along with a useful guidelines by clicking on the picture.
The template above locations the outcomes on the centre of the roadmap. It makes use of chosen options. However these should assist meet the objectives. Moreover, they should be coarse-grained and are restricted to 3 to 5 capabilities per purpose. You’ll be able to study extra about utilizing the GO Product Roadmap by watching this YouTube video.
However earlier than you construct your outcome-based roadmap, be certain that a sound product technique exists. Such a method ought to state the customers and clients who will profit from the product, the wants the product will deal with, the enterprise advantages it would provide, and the standout options which is able to set it aside from competing choices—which is especially necessary for business merchandise. A useful template to seize the technique is my Product Imaginative and prescient Board.
As soon as a sound product technique is on the market, use it to find out the fitting roadmap outcomes. To realize this, you may have two choices, as I clarify in additional element in my e book Strategize: First, you’ll be able to derive the roadmap objectives immediately from the wants and enterprise objectives by breaking them into subgoals. Second, you need to use your key efficiency indicators (KPIs) to find outcomes comparable to growing engagement and lowering churn—so long as these are aligned with the wants and enterprise objectives within the technique.
Lastly, don’t neglect to contain the important thing stakeholders and improvement workforce representatives within the roadmapping work. As described in the first step, invite the people to a collaborative workshop and co-create the product roadmap. It will allow you to make the fitting roadmapping selections and generate robust buy-in.
Notes
[1] For simplicity’s sake, I take advantage of a business-focused purpose for example fairly than a compound one which covers a consumer/buyer and a enterprise profit. Whereas I are inclined to choose the latter, each strategies work—as lengthy you state the influence you need to obtain.
[2] In case you use targets and key outcomes, OKRs, then you’ll be able to view the purpose as an goal, see my article OKRs and Product Roadmaps. Equally, should you apply a Scrum-based course of, you’ll be able to regard the end result as a product purpose, as I talk about within the article Product Objectives in Scrum.
[3] Involving individuals within the goal-setting course of makes it extra doubtless that they’ll work in direction of the end result, so long as you attentively take heed to their strategies and considerations, as I clarify in additional element in my e book How one can Lead in Product Administration.
[4] In case you work with an prolonged product workforce, which consists of the particular person in control of the product, dev workforce reps, and key stakeholders, then invite the workforce members to the workshop, see my article Constructing Excessive-Performing Product Groups.
[5] In case you can’t decline a characteristic request, you lack the mandatory stage of empowerment to do an efficient product administration job, see my article 3 Empowerment Ranges in Product Administration.
