If you haven’t heard this term before it might seem like a daunting task, but don’t worry, the concept is actually quite simple and useful. So, what’s a roadmap? A roadmap is a strategic plan that defines the final features of your app through a set of milestones.
A roadmap is the blueprint of your product. It is a high-level overview that helps articulate strategic thinking—the why and when—behind each feature and the plan for getting there.
Why should I use a roadmap? Using a roadmap provides visibility on progress, current features, planned features, and estimate feature releases. Moreover, a roadmap reduces the risk of going over budget or falling behind schedule since all phases are clearly outlined and plan-ahead. In addition, it allows for constant self or feedback-driven reflection to make course corrections along the way while maintaining a clear direction of the final goal.
What should it contain? Now, first of all, let me tell you that there is no universal method to build a roadmap or a minimum set of phases it should have. At Pelisat, we design and provide a 6-month plan divided into 2-3 phases to our partners (yes, that means you) at the start of every project. The number of milestones or phases depends on the complexity of the app and how fast you need it on the market; however, phase 0 is always an MVP (minimum viable product). Phase 0 allows for validation and/or commercialization without an unnecessary high investment, while phases 2 and 3 power-up the app. All our phases are centered on functional milestones since we want you and your users to notice the improvements and additional investments made.
Why start with an MVP? Using the MVP principles saves time and resources by allowing to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about users with the least effort and investment. We proud ourselves in calling you our partners rather than clients, and as such, our roadmaps always have your best interest in mind. We want you to have a functional product from the start that serves as the cornerstone to a sustainable business. If there’s no real value in investing in specific features from the start, we would let you know and advise you to wait until future phases and propose a cost-effective strategy. When you’re just starting feedback is key and a big factor to consider when deciding on changes for future phases, so starting with an MVP saves thousands of bucks you can then use to improve the product after analyzing users’ reactions. Think big, start small, and move fast!
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