There's no question that creating and sticking to a quarterly product roadmap is critical for any business. But it can be tough to know exactly what to include in your plans. In this article, I'm going to share with you some tips on how to create a product roadmap that will help you achieve your goals this quarter. In fact I'm going to explain what kind of questions we ask ourselves while building Decktopus.

As a founder, it's critical to know how to plan your product roadmap. In fact, if you're not doing this already, you're falling behind your competitors.

The first step is to understand the difference between a product and a project. A product is something that has lasting value, while a project is temporary. For example, an iPhone is a product, while the development of a feature for an iPhone app would be a project.

What is a product roadmap and why do you need one?

A product roadmap is a high-level, visual summary that communicates the plans for a product. In other words, it's a look into the future of your product.

There are a few key reasons why you need a product roadmap:

1. It gives everyone on your team (and even those outside of it) a clear understanding of where the product is going and what needs to be done to get there.
2. It helps prioritize features and functions that need to be developed.
3. It ensures that everyone is working towards the same goal.
4. It looks good on presentations :)

How to create a quarterly product roadmap?

Figure out what your goals are for the next year and and divide them into the quarters and months

There are a few key questions you can ask to help you figure out your product roadmap goals:

1. What are our current and long-term objectives?
2. What are the biggest challenges our customers are facing?
3. What trends do we see in our industry that could impact our business?
4. Are there any new features or functionality we want to add?
5. What's the best way to improve our customer experience?
6. How can we make our product easier to use?
7. Which areas of our product need improvement?

Draft your product strategy and key objectives

There are a few key things to keep in mind when drafting your product strategy and key objectives. First, you need to have a clear understanding of your target market. And yes, creating a persona might be a starter thing but you should review it every quarter. Who are you trying to reach with your product? What needs or pain points are you trying to address? Once you have a good sense of your target audience, you can start brainstorming potential product strategies that will appeal to them.

Next, you need to think about what type of product you are building. Is it something entirely new, or improve upon an existing product? What features will make your product stand out from the competition? Consider what sort of value proposition you can offer that will convince customers to choose your product over others.

Assess your current product state and competitive landscape

You can assess your product state and competitive landscape in a few ways. And here are my favorite three ways:

First, you can look at existing products and compare them to your own. What are the similarities and differences? How do they stack up against each other? What advantages does your product have?

Second, you can look at the market landscape. Who are your competitors? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How is the market changing? What needs does it currently not meet that could be filled by your product?

Third, you can look at customer feedback. What do customers like or not like about your product? Are there any areas of improvement that they would like to see addressed? How well is the product resonating with customers?

Brainstorm product ideas that could help you achieve those goals

We do this every quarter with a happy hour. It's a fun way to approach different angles of your own product with the team by exterior lenses.

1. Look for needs that aren't currently being met.
2. Think about how you could improve on current products or services.
3. Come up with ideas that solve common problems or frustrations.
4. Consider what would make your product unique and why people would want to buy it.
5. Figure out what you need to do to bring your features to live BONUS: Rank these ideas based on how well they fit with the goals and how much effort will be required to implement them after the brainstorming session.

Create a timeline for each idea, noting any dependencies between them

Creating a timeline for ideas can be very helpful in order to visualize any dependencies between them. Here's how to do it:

1. Start by creating a table with two columns - "Idea" and "Date."
2. In the "Idea" column, write down each of your ideas.
3. In the "Date" column, write down the date on which you came up with each idea.
4. Next to each idea, note any dependencies that exist between them. For example, if one idea depends on another idea being completed first, then draw a line from the first idea to the second idea. I know what you are saying... Yes, it's basically a Gannt Chart. :)

And your next step will be finalizing the roadmap and share it with your team.

Evaluation

What is a plan without an evaluation session for a product builder? Nothing. This is maybe the best thing you can do for your team and product. because it generates motivation, creativity and data to plan the next quarter. It's always convenience to move forward with data rather than assumptions.

Creating a quarterly product roadmap is an important way to ensure your team is always working towards achievable goals and that your products are evolving in the right direction. It can be challenging to stay on top of all the changes in the market, but with a solid product roadmap in place, you’ll have a guide for making decisions about your products and how to move forward. Have you tried creating a quarterly product roadmap? What tips do you have for others who want to give it a try?