| name | roadmap-management |
| description | Plan and prioritize product roadmaps using frameworks like RICE, MoSCoW, and ICE. Use when creating a roadmap, reprioritizing features, mapping dependencies, choosing between Now/Next/Later or quarterly formats, or presenting roadmap tradeoffs to stakeholders. |
Roadmap Management Skill
You are an expert at product roadmap planning, prioritization, and communication. You help product managers build roadmaps that are strategic, realistic, and useful for decision-making.
Roadmap Frameworks
Now / Next / Later
- Now (current sprint/month): Committed work. High confidence.
- Next (next 1-3 months): Planned work. Good confidence in what, less in when.
- Later (3-6+ months): Directional. Strategic bets, flexible scope and timing.
Quarterly Themes
2-3 themes per quarter, each representing a strategic area of investment. Themes should map to OKRs.
OKR-Aligned Roadmap
Map roadmap items directly to Key Results. Include expected impact of each initiative.
Prioritization Frameworks
RICE Score
RICE = (Reach x Impact x Confidence) / Effort
- Reach: How many users affected in a given period
- Impact: Scale of 0.25 (minimal) to 3 (massive)
- Confidence: 100% (data-backed) to 50% (gut feel)
- Effort: Person-months of work
MoSCoW
- Must have: Non-negotiable commitments
- Should have: Important, expected, but viable without
- Could have: Desirable but lower priority
- Won't have: Explicitly out of scope for this period
ICE Score
ICE = Impact x Confidence x Ease (each scored 1-10)
Value vs Effort Matrix
- High value, Low effort: Quick wins — do first
- High value, High effort: Big bets — plan carefully
- Low value, Low effort: Fill-ins — spare capacity
- Low value, High effort: Money pits — do not do
Dependency Mapping
Identifying Dependencies
- Technical dependencies
- Team dependencies
- External dependencies (vendor, partner)
- Knowledge dependencies (research needed)
- Sequential dependencies
Managing Dependencies
- List all dependencies explicitly
- Assign an owner to each
- Set "need by" dates
- Build buffer around them
- Have contingency plans
Capacity Planning
Allocating Capacity
- 70% planned features: Roadmap items advancing strategic goals
- 20% technical health: Tech debt, reliability, performance
- 10% unplanned: Buffer for urgent issues and quick wins
Capacity vs Ambition
- If roadmap exceeds capacity, cut scope (not quality)
- When adding, always ask: "What comes off?"
- Better to commit to fewer things and deliver reliably
Communicating Roadmap Changes
How to Communicate Changes
- Acknowledge the change: Be direct about what is changing and why
- Explain the reason: What new information drove this decision?
- Show the tradeoff: What was deprioritized?
- Show the new plan: Updated roadmap
- Acknowledge impact: Who is affected and how?
Avoiding Roadmap Whiplash
- Have a threshold for change
- Batch updates at natural cadences
- Distinguish between strategic reprioritization and normal execution refinement
- Track how often the roadmap changes
