ROD: Roadmap
Document Type
Code: ROD
Name: Roadmap
Domain: Product & Service
Abstract
This specification defines the Roadmap document type within the BSpec 1.0 Universal Business Specification Standard. It establishes normative requirements, structured templates, and implementation guidance for organizations documenting roadmap within the product-service domain. This specification enables systematic, machine-readable documentation that supports strategic planning, operational execution, and organizational alignment.
Purpose and Scope
The Roadmap document defines strategic product and technology direction over multiple time horizons, aligning development efforts with business objectives while managing resource constraints and market dynamics. It provides stakeholders with visibility into planned evolution and investment priorities.
Document Metadata Schema
yaml
---
id: ROD-{roadmap-scope}
title: "Roadmap — {Scope Description}"
type: ROD
status: Draft|Review|Approved|Active|Archived
version: 1.0.0
owner: Product-Owner|Product-Team
stakeholders: [leadership-team, engineering-team, business-stakeholders]
domain: product
priority: Strategic|High|Medium|Low
scope: roadmap-planning
horizon: long-term
visibility: internal|confidential
depends_on: [STR-*, OBJ-*, PRD-*]
enables: [FEA-*, REQ-*, QUA-*]
roadmap_type: Product|Technology|Feature|Strategic
time_horizon: 6-months|1-year|2-years|3-years
planning_confidence: High|Medium|Low
scope: Product|Platform|Company|Department
budget_category: Major|Significant|Moderate|Minor
success_criteria:
- "Roadmap aligns with strategic objectives"
- "Resource allocation is realistic and achievable"
- "Stakeholder alignment is maintained"
- "Progress tracking enables course correction"
assumptions:
- "Market conditions remain relatively stable"
- "Resource availability meets planning assumptions"
- "Technology strategy remains viable"
dependencies: [External dependency identifiers]
constraints: [Resource and market constraints]
review_cycle: quarterly
---Content Structure Template
markdown
# Roadmap — {Scope Description}
## Roadmap Overview
**Purpose:** {Why this roadmap exists}
**Scope:** {What products/areas are covered}
**Time Horizon:** {Planning period covered}
**Planning Philosophy:** {Approach to roadmap planning}
## Strategic Context
### Strategic Objectives
- **Primary Objectives:** {Key business objectives supported}
- **Success Metrics:** {How success will be measured}
- **Strategic Initiatives:** {Major initiatives this roadmap supports}
- **Competitive Position:** {How this improves market position}
### Market Context
- **Market Trends:** {Relevant market trends and drivers}
- **Customer Evolution:** {How customer needs are changing}
- **Competitive Landscape:** {Competitor activities and threats}
- **Technology Trends:** {Technology changes affecting roadmap}
### Resource Context
- **Team Capacity:** {Available development capacity}
- **Budget Constraints:** {Financial limitations and allocations}
- **Technology Constraints:** {Technical debt and platform limitations}
- **Regulatory Constraints:** {Compliance requirements affecting timeline}
## Roadmap Structure
### Planning Horizons
#### Near-term (0-6 months)
**Theme:** {Descriptive theme for this period}
**Confidence Level:** High
**Focus Areas:**
- **Focus Area 1:** {Name}
- **Objective:** {What we're trying to achieve}
- **Key Deliverables:** {Major outputs expected}
- **Success Criteria:** {How we'll know we succeeded}
- **Resource Allocation:** {Team and budget allocation}
#### Medium-term (6-18 months)
**Theme:** {Descriptive theme for this period}
**Confidence Level:** Medium
**Focus Areas:**
- **Focus Area 1:** {Name}
- **Objective:** {What we're trying to achieve}
- **Key Capabilities:** {New capabilities to be built}
- **Dependencies:** {What must happen first}
- **Risk Factors:** {Major risks to timeline}
#### Long-term (18+ months)
**Theme:** {Descriptive theme for this period}
**Confidence Level:** Low
**Focus Areas:**
- **Focus Area 1:** {Name}
- **Vision:** {Aspirational end state}
- **Breakthrough Opportunities:** {Game-changing possibilities}
- **Research Areas:** {Investigation and exploration needed}
- **Strategic Bets:** {High-risk, high-reward initiatives}
### Initiative Prioritization
#### Priority 1: Critical Initiatives
- **Initiative 1:** {Name}
- **Business Value:** {Expected business impact}
- **Customer Value:** {Expected customer benefit}
- **Strategic Importance:** {Alignment with strategy}
- **Risk Level:** {Implementation risk assessment}
- **Dependencies:** {What this depends on}
- **Resource Requirements:** {Team and budget needs}
#### Priority 2: Important Initiatives
- **Initiative 1:** {Name}
- **Business Rationale:** {Why this matters}
- **Success Metrics:** {How success is measured}
- **Flexibility:** {Ability to adjust timing}
- **Trade-offs:** {What we give up to do this}
#### Priority 3: Opportunistic Initiatives
- **Initiative 1:** {Name}
- **Opportunity:** {Market or technology opportunity}
- **Conditions:** {What must be true to pursue}
- **Resource Pool:** {How this would be resourced}
- **Go/No-Go Criteria:** {Decision criteria}
## Feature and Capability Evolution
### Current State Assessment
- **Existing Capabilities:** {What we have today}
- **Capability Gaps:** {What we're missing}
- **Technical Debt:** {What needs to be fixed}
- **Performance Issues:** {What needs to be improved}
### Capability Development Plan
- **New Capabilities:** {Net new capabilities to build}
- **Enhanced Capabilities:** {Existing capabilities to improve}
- **Deprecated Capabilities:** {What we'll stop supporting}
- **Platform Investments:** {Infrastructure and foundation work}
### Feature Roadmap
- **Q1 Features:** {Major features planned}
- **Feature 1:** {Name}
- **User Value:** {Value to users}
- **Business Value:** {Value to business}
- **Effort Estimate:** {Development effort}
- **Dependencies:** {Prerequisites}
## Technology Evolution
### Technology Strategy
- **Technology Vision:** {Where technology is headed}
- **Platform Evolution:** {How platform will evolve}
- **Architecture Changes:** {Major architecture shifts}
- **Technology Debt Reduction:** {Technical debt paydown plan}
### Technology Investments
- **Infrastructure:** {Platform and infrastructure investments}
- **Developer Experience:** {Tools and process improvements}
- **Performance:** {Performance and scalability improvements}
- **Security:** {Security enhancement priorities}
### Technology Risks
- **Technology Risks:** {Technology-related risks}
- **Mitigation Strategies:** {How risks will be addressed}
- **Contingency Plans:** {Backup technology approaches}
- **Decision Points:** {Key technology decisions ahead}
## Resource Planning
### Team Planning
- **Team Growth:** {Hiring and team expansion plans}
- **Skill Development:** {Training and capability building}
- **Team Allocation:** {How teams will be allocated}
- **Cross-functional Needs:** {Collaboration requirements}
### Budget Planning
- **Development Budget:** {Engineering investment}
- **Infrastructure Budget:** {Technology infrastructure costs}
- **Third-party Budget:** {External services and tools}
- **Contingency Budget:** {Buffer for unknowns}
### Capacity Management
- **Available Capacity:** {Team bandwidth assessment}
- **Capacity Allocation:** {How capacity is distributed}
- **Overcommitment Risk:** {Risk of taking on too much}
- **Flexibility Buffer:** {Reserved capacity for opportunities}
## Risk Management
### Schedule Risks
- **Timeline Risk:** {Risk to planned timeline}
- **Impact:** {Effect on business if delayed}
- **Probability:** {Likelihood of delay}
- **Mitigation:** {Actions to reduce risk}
- **Contingency:** {Alternative approaches}
### Resource Risks
- **Team Risk:** {Risk from team changes or availability}
- **Budget Risk:** {Financial constraints affecting plan}
- **Skill Risk:** {Risk from capability gaps}
- **Vendor Risk:** {Third-party dependency risks}
### Market Risks
- **Competitive Risk:** {Risk from competitor actions}
- **Customer Risk:** {Risk from changing customer needs}
- **Technology Risk:** {Risk from technology changes}
- **Regulatory Risk:** {Risk from regulatory changes}
## Success Metrics and Tracking
### Business Metrics
- **Revenue Impact:** {Expected revenue contribution}
- **Market Share:** {Expected market position improvement}
- **Customer Satisfaction:** {Expected satisfaction improvements}
- **Operational Efficiency:** {Expected efficiency gains}
### Product Metrics
- **Feature Adoption:** {Expected feature usage}
- **User Engagement:** {Expected engagement improvements}
- **Product Quality:** {Expected quality improvements}
- **Time to Market:** {Expected delivery speed improvements}
### Progress Tracking
- **Milestone Reviews:** {Regular progress review schedule}
- **Success Criteria:** {Specific success measurements}
- **Course Correction:** {How roadmap will be adjusted}
- **Communication Plan:** {How progress will be communicated}
## Communication and Alignment
### Stakeholder Communication
- **Executive Summary:** {High-level summary for executives}
- **Team Details:** {Detailed plans for development teams}
- **Customer Communication:** {What to share with customers}
- **Market Communication:** {Public roadmap elements}
### Review and Update Process
- **Review Schedule:** {How often roadmap is reviewed}
- **Update Process:** {How changes are incorporated}
- **Decision Authority:** {Who can make roadmap changes}
- **Change Communication:** {How changes are communicated}
### Assumptions and Dependencies
- **Key Assumptions:** {Critical assumptions underlying plan}
- **External Dependencies:** {Dependencies on other teams/organizations}
- **Decision Dependencies:** {Decisions required to proceed}
- **Validation Requirements:** {What needs to be validated}
## Validation
*Evidence that roadmap is realistic, aligned with strategy, and achievable*Quality Standards
Bronze Level (Minimum Viable)
- [ ] Roadmap overview with purpose, scope, and time horizon
- [ ] Strategic context with objectives and market conditions
- [ ] Basic planning horizons with near-term focus areas
- [ ] All required metadata fields completed
Silver Level (Investment Ready)
- [ ] Comprehensive roadmap structure with detailed planning horizons and initiative prioritization
- [ ] Feature and capability evolution with current state assessment and development plan
- [ ] Technology evolution strategy with investments and risk management
- [ ] Resource planning with team, budget, and capacity management
- [ ] Risk management covering schedule, resource, and market risks
- [ ] Success metrics and progress tracking framework
Gold Level (Operational Excellence)
- [ ] Dynamic roadmap management with real-time progress tracking
- [ ] Advanced scenario planning with multiple roadmap options
- [ ] Continuous stakeholder alignment and communication
- [ ] Data-driven roadmap optimization and course correction
- [ ] Integrated portfolio management across multiple roadmaps
- [ ] Automated progress reporting and stakeholder communication
Common Pitfalls
- Over-detailed long-term planning: Treating distant future as predictable
- Feature factory mentality: Focusing on feature delivery over outcome achievement
- Ignoring dependencies: Planning in isolation without considering constraints
- Stakeholder misalignment: Different stakeholder expectations for roadmap
Success Patterns
- Outcome-oriented planning: Focus on business and customer outcomes rather than features
- Adaptive planning: Plan in detail for near-term, themes for medium-term, vision for long-term
- Constraint-based planning: Acknowledge and plan around resource and technology constraints
- Stakeholder alignment: Regular communication and alignment on roadmap priorities
Relationship Guidelines
Typical Dependencies
- STR (Strategy): Strategic direction drives roadmap priorities and objectives
- OBJ (Objectives): Business objectives inform roadmap goals and success metrics
- PRD (Product Requirements): Product requirements drive roadmap feature planning
Typical Enablements
- FEA (Feature Specification): Roadmap priorities drive specific feature development
- REQ (Requirements Specification): Roadmap initiatives inform technical requirements
- QUA (Quality Specification): Roadmap timeline drives quality planning and standards
Document Relationships
This document type commonly relates to:
- Depends on: STR (Strategy), OBJ (Objectives), PRD (Product Requirements)
- Enables: FEA (Feature Specification), REQ (Requirements Specification), QUA (Quality Specification)
- Informs: Strategic planning, resource allocation, investment decisions
- Guides: Product development, technology evolution, team planning
Validation Checklist
- [ ] Roadmap overview with clear purpose, scope, time horizon, and planning philosophy
- [ ] Strategic context covering objectives, market conditions, and resource constraints
- [ ] Roadmap structure with detailed planning horizons and initiative prioritization
- [ ] Feature and capability evolution with current state and development planning
- [ ] Technology evolution strategy with vision, investments, and risk management
- [ ] Resource planning covering team, budget, and capacity management
- [ ] Risk management addressing schedule, resource, and market risks
- [ ] Success metrics and tracking with business, product, and progress measurements
- [ ] Communication and alignment with stakeholder communication and review processes
- [ ] Validation evidence of roadmap feasibility and strategic alignment