Roadmap is a must! But why?

Fatih Aygün // Allianz Türkiye - Çevik Koç

One of the most important things we need to do before starting a task is planning. Our strong roadmap is among the factors that lead us to success in HEY!

Let's start with the most critical question and seek the answer to it:

Why would we need a roadmap to manage, develop and design our product or products?

Let's add new questions at the beginning of the answer: Can a house be built without a blueprint? Can there be a restaurant without a menu, where you only serve the ingredients of the dish? Is it possible to run a marathon without knowing the track?

If you answer "no" to these questions, you are not alone. In other words, you have the same perspective as many product owners around the world. We can think the same for a product without a roadmap.

So, what is this roadmap and why is it important for HEY!?

A roadmap is a visualized version of the life journey of the product or service. It is the document where you can discuss all the stages and exchange ideas, on which your vision lies, and which answers the questions "Where am I today?” and “Where should I be tomorrow?".

Who can use roadmap?

This question addresses a number of key features underlying HEY!. Although the product owner (PO) is primarily responsible for a roadmap, they cannot prepare it alone. Because when you will add new features to the product, it cannot be done without the support of the software developers and a time plan. You need ideas from the marketing and customer journey team for new steps in User Experience (UX) and Customer Experience (CX). The information you will receive from all team members who contributed to the product makes your roadmap realistic.

Roadmap brings transparency along and it enables team members to see their short, medium and long term work and to plan their tasks freely by showing every stage related to the product.

Thus, it also supports the development of autonomy within the team.

Remember these principles

An efficient roadmap is like a secretly signed contract.

Today, one of the biggest obstacles agile teams face is dependencies.

It is obvious that efficiencies will increase by managing the dependencies in a 2-week sprint under time pressure with a strong roadmap, aligning all collaborating departments and providing access to the work list included in the sprint much earlier than the time.

If you have shared and aligned the roadmap with all the stakeholders involved in your product, it will be an invaluable reference for you and your team members when the time comes.

Insisting on creating a roadmap, both as product owners and as team members, in order to deepen the issues that will improve our agile working principles will both make your life easier and reduce obstacles.

Although it takes some time at first, it will support time saving in the medium and long term.

Now you know your need: Roll up your sleeves for a good roadmap.

And do not neglect a few principles.

1. Let your roadmap be open to change.
2. Get team members involved. Make working together a habit.
3. Make sure that what you include in the roadmap ensure compliance with the organizational and team strategies and is based on data.

P.S. You can contact us by clicking here to share your experiences and ask questions about the agile working method.