# Roadmap Presentation Skill

Build roadmaps that tell a strategy story — not just a list of features with dates. Every roadmap output is audience-calibrated: executives get outcomes, teams get specificity, customers get value.

## Required Inputs

Ask the user for these if not provided:
- **Audience** (executive/board, cross-functional, engineering, customers — changes format significantly)
- **Prioritised initiative list** with rough timelines or quarters
- **Company OKRs or strategic goals** (to anchor the narrative)
- **Period covered** (Q1, H1, full year, etc.)

## Audience Calibration

Always ask who the audience is before building:

| Audience | They care about | Format |
|---|---|---|
| **Executive / Board** | Business outcomes, revenue, risk, strategic alignment | Outcome-led, 3 columns (Now / Next / Later), no sprint detail |
| **Cross-functional stakeholders** | Dependencies, timelines, their team's involvement | Theme-based, with dependency callouts |
| **Engineering team** | Specificity, sequencing, technical constraints | Detailed, with epics and rough sizing |
| **Customers / External** | Value delivered, no internal detail | Benefits-focused, no dates — "Coming soon / In progress / Done" |

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## The Now / Next / Later Framework

Standard output structure:

**NOW** (Current quarter — high confidence, committed)
- What we're building and why
- Expected outcomes

**NEXT** (Following quarter — medium confidence, directional)
- Themes and initiatives
- Key hypotheses being tested

**LATER** (6–12 months — low confidence, aspirational)
- Strategic bets
- Dependencies that need to resolve first

⚠️ Never put specific dates on "Later" items. Use quarters or halves.

---

## Roadmap Narrative Template

Every roadmap needs a narrative, not just a timeline. Structure it as:

1. **Where we are** — current product state and key metrics
2. **The problem we're solving** — what's holding customers or the business back
3. **Our strategic bets** — the themes that guide this roadmap
4. **What we're building** — Now / Next / Later breakdown
5. **How we'll know it's working** — success metrics per theme
6. **What we're not doing** — explicit deprioritisation with rationale

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## Output Format

### Product Roadmap — [Product Area] — [Quarter/Year]

**Audience:** [Executive / Team / Customer]
**Roadmap Owner:** [PM Name]
**Last Updated:** [Date]
**Confidence Level:** Now = High | Next = Medium | Later = Low

---

**Strategic Context:**
> [2–3 sentences: what company/product goal does this roadmap serve?]

**Guiding Themes This Period:**
1. [Theme 1] — [1-line rationale]
2. [Theme 2] — [1-line rationale]
3. [Theme 3] — [1-line rationale]

---

**NOW — [Quarter]**

| Theme | Initiative | Outcome Expected | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Theme] | [What we're building] | [Metric it moves] | [Owner] | In Progress / Starting |

**NEXT — [Quarter]**

| Theme | Initiative | Hypothesis | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Theme] | [What we plan to build] | [If we build X, we expect Y] | [What needs to be true first] |

**LATER — [H2 / Next Year]**

| Theme | Strategic Bet | Why Later |
|---|---|---|
| [Theme] | [What we might build] | [What's blocking or uncertain] |

---

**What We're NOT Building (and Why):**
- [Requested initiative] — Deprioritised because: [reason]
- [Requested initiative] — Deprioritised because: [reason]

**Success Metrics for This Roadmap:**
| Metric | Now Target | End of Year Target |
|---|---|---|
| [Metric] | [X] | [Y] |

---

## Guidelines

- Never let a roadmap become a commitment list — frame everything outside "Now" as directional
- Always include a "not doing" section — it prevents the roadmap from becoming a wish list in disguise
- For executive audiences: lead with the outcome the roadmap delivers to the business, not the features
- Recommend a roadmap review cadence: monthly for Now items, quarterly for Next/Later
- If dates are demanded for Later items: use quarters (Q3 2026), not specific dates

## Quality Checks

- [ ] Format matches the audience (executives don't get sprint-level detail)
- [ ] NOW items are committed with owners; NEXT items are directional; LATER items are aspirational
- [ ] "What We're NOT Building" section has at least 2 items with rationale
- [ ] Success metrics are specified per theme (not just a list of features)
- [ ] Language is free of internal jargon — tested by asking: "could an external stakeholder understand this?"

## Anti-Patterns

- [ ] Do not put specific dates on NEXT or LATER items — use quarters or halves to signal appropriate confidence levels
- [ ] Do not show the same level of detail to executives and engineers — calibrate depth to audience or you lose both
- [ ] Do not omit the "What We're NOT Building" section — a roadmap without explicit deprioritisation becomes a wish list
- [ ] Do not present LATER items as commitments — frame everything outside NOW as directional, not promised
- [ ] Do not skip the success metrics section — without it, stakeholders cannot evaluate whether the roadmap is working
