How to Develop a Project Roadmap: Сomprehensive Guide with Examples

What is a project roadmap? What projects and teams will it be useful for? How to build it properly? What services to use? A detailed guide.

No matter what the team is working on, it’s important to keep track of their goals and the steps needed to achieve them. Project roadmaps help visualize this path clearly.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

• The difference between a roadmap and a project plan
• The importance of roadmaps and whether projects can operate well without them
• How roadmaps are used in project management
• Tips for creating a straightforward project roadmap
• The existing services for creating a project roadmap

We suggest familiarizing yourself with our company through the next video before proceeding with the article.

What is a roadmap and what is the difference with a project plan?

A roadmap is like a big picture view of a project. A roadmap is a strategic document outlining a project’s objectives, key milestones, deadlines, and involved parties. Typically created at the start to give everyone an idea of where things are going. It serves as a high-level overview upon which detailed plans and schedules are constructed.

A project plan, on the other hand, is like a step-by-step guide for the project. It breaks things down into smaller tasks, tells who needs to do what, and when they need to do it. Project plans are more detailed than roadmaps and are based on the big picture outlined in the roadmap.

In projects involving multiple teams, roadmaps are invaluable. While teams may operate autonomously, adherence to the roadmap ensures alignment with the project’s overall strategy. For instance, in a bank, various departments may collaborate on launching a new credit card. Though each team has distinct tasks, they align with the roadmap’s strategy.

Although similar, roadmaps and project plans differ in scope and detail. Both documents explain the project’s essence and the path to successful completion. However, while the roadmap provides a general overview, the project plan outlines all tasks and subtasks involved. In essence, the roadmap offers a visual guide to the project’s trajectory, while the plan provides detailed instructions for each participant.

Why do companies use project roadmaps?

Well, they give an overall picture of the project — its goals, main steps, deadlines, and how teams collaborate.

Roadmaps aren’t magic solutions for project success, but they’re really helpful. Here are some reasons why:

• Everyone gets to see the same plan, so there’s a clear path ahead. We all know where the project stands and when things are due. If there are issues with deadlines, they show up on the roadmap, and other teams can adjust accordingly.
• They help with accountability. When everyone’s responsible for everything, it’s tough to figure out who dropped the ball if things go off track. With a roadmap, you can see which team is behind, why it’s happening, and what to do about it
• Roadmaps prevent micromanagement. Anyone interested in the project — like a boss or investor — can check the roadmap to see where things stand. They can contact the person in charge of a specific task without bothering everyone else.

In the next section, we’ll explore five examples of how roadmaps make project management easier.

Here are some examples of how roadmaps are useful in projects:

• 1) Developing IT Products: Programmers and designers use roadmaps to coordinate their work on a product. It’s important to connect different teams and set checkpoints.
• 2) Starting a Business or Startup: Before starting a new business, it’s crucial to know what steps to take, like making a business plan and finding suppliers. Setting goals early helps create a roadmap for success.
• 3) Creating Online Courses: Launching a new course involves many tasks across different stages. A roadmap helps meet deadlines, manage advertising, and reach sales goals.
• 4) Publishing a Book: Authors and publishers benefit from roadmaps. Authors plan chapters and submission timelines, while publishers track the manuscript’s journey to publication.
• 5) Internal HR Processes: HR maps out recruitment, onboarding, and training stages, ensuring smooth interactions among departments and clarifying responsibilities.

In the next sections, we’ll talk about how to make effective roadmaps for your projects.

Key steps to create a project roadmap

• Determine Goals: Decide what the roadmap is for. It could be for a small project or a long-term company strategy. The structure and format of the roadmap depend on the goal.
• Choose Structure: Decide how to present the roadmap. It could be a simple line with key points, a table with columns and rows, or a kanban board. The choice depends on the project’s scale and how teams work together.
• Set Priorities: Figure out which project details are most important. Identify key tasks and checkpoints needed to complete them successfully.
• Assign Responsibility: Decide who’s in charge of each stage. Usually, department heads or experienced team members take on these roles.

Since project roadmaps require teamwork, it’s crucial to create them together. Each responsible team member outlines their tasks, deadlines, and expected results. These mini-maps are then combined into one comprehensive roadmap, providing a clear picture of the entire project.

Here are three tips to ensure your roadmap works effectively:

• 1) Keep it simple: Don’t overload the map with too many details. Think of it as seeing the project from a bird’s-eye view. This makes it easier to track relationships and the order of tasks.
• 2) Regularly update: Review the map weekly or monthly and adjust as needed. Be flexible with the sequence of tasks so changes won’t disrupt the entire project.
• 3) Have team meetings: Regularly meet with the project team to address any issues that arise and ensure everyone understands the process.

For the roadmap to be useful, it should be like a handbook for the team. Everyone should refer to it to see where the project stands, if deadlines are on track, and if there are any problems. So, it’s important to make sure the map is clear and easy to use.

Here are some services for creating a project roadmap:

You can start by using simple tools like Excel or Google Spreadsheets. These are easy for beginners to use, and it’s best to work online so team members can edit them anytime.

These tools can include all the important details of your roadmap, like goals, stages, deadlines, and who’s responsible for what. They make it easy to track changes.

You can also use presentation software like PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Slides. They offer more visual options, but it’s still best to work online for shared access among teams.

There are various services available for creating roadmaps, with RedmineUP being one of the versatile options.

Gantt charts are commonly used for project roadmaps. They visually map out tasks on a timeline. Online tools like ProjectManager offer features such as task organization, milestone tracking, and real-time progress updates, which enhance collaboration.

Here’s an example of a project Gantt overview created in RedmineUP.

RedmineUP project management tool keeps all your project plans, strategies, and tasks in one place. This makes it easy to access and connect all the important information. For example, you can organize your tasks into a Kanban board, which gives a clear view of what’s being worked on and how it fits into the overall plan.

Check out our video to learn how to work with Sprints on your Agile board in RedmineUP.

On the Roadmap Dashboard, project managers can see the progress details, including due dates and related issues. This helps keep track of how the project is moving forward.

Main benefits of RedmineUP:

• Great balance between price and quality
• Wide range of useful functional plugins

Agile Plugin: Helps manage projects using Agile methods like Scrum and Kanban. It includes features such as planning sprints, managing backlogs, and tracking progress with burndown charts.

Helpdesk Plugin: Adds customer support tools to Redmine, allowing you to create support tickets, integrate emails, and manage a knowledge base.

CRM Plugin: Integrates customer relationship management features into Redmine, making it easier to manage customer contacts, track opportunities, and monitor sales activities.

Finance Plugin: Adds financial management features to Redmine, allowing you to track project costs, budgets, and financial data.

People Plugin: Enhances user management and HR functions in Redmine. It includes features like an employee directory, leave management, and attendance tracking.

Checklists Plugin: Allows you to create and manage checklists within Redmine issues. This is useful for tracking task completion and ensuring project requirements are met.

These are just a few examples, but there are many more plugins available on the RedmineUp website.

RedmineUp offers advanced functionality for efficient project management. If you want to learn more about our services and special offers, click here.