# Roadmap Planning Template

**Framework:** Now / Next / Later (opportunity-based roadmap)  
**Use for:** Building and communicating a product roadmap without false date precision  
**Time required:** 2–4 hours

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## How to use this template

1. Write the strategic context first — if you can't articulate the north star and the themes, you're not ready to build a roadmap.
2. Timebox the themes discussion: 3–4 themes max per planning period. More than that is a sign you don't have a strategy.
3. Fill in the Now/Next/Later grid by theme, not by team. Teams own execution; themes own direction.
4. Document what you're NOT doing explicitly — this is the highest-value section for stakeholder alignment.
5. Set a review cadence and stick to it. A roadmap that doesn't get updated becomes a source of misinformation.

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## Header

| Field | Details |
|-------|---------|
| Product Area | [Product name or area] |
| Owner | [Name] |
| Last Updated | [Date] |
| Planning Horizon | [e.g., H2 2025, Q3–Q4 2025, 12 months] |
| Version | [v1.0] |

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## Strategic Context

*Fill in the blanks. If you can't complete this paragraph clearly, get alignment before building the roadmap.*

We are building [product area or product name] to [strategic goal — what business outcome are we driving toward?].

Our north star metric is [the one metric that, if it moves, confirms we're on the right track].

Our users' most important unmet need right now is [the core problem we're focused on solving].

This roadmap covers [planning horizon] and reflects [any major constraints or context — team size changes, platform migrations, strategic pivots].

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## Key Themes for This Period

*3–4 themes maximum. Each theme should answer: "What area of the product are we improving, and why does it matter now?"*

1. **[Theme 1 name]** — [One sentence rationale: what problem this addresses and why it's the right focus now]
2. **[Theme 2 name]** — [One sentence rationale]
3. **[Theme 3 name]** — [One sentence rationale]
4. **[Theme 4 name, if applicable]** — [One sentence rationale]

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## Now / Next / Later Roadmap

**Now** = committed and actively being built  
**Next** = planned for the near term; design or discovery may be in progress  
**Later** = directionally committed; not yet scoped in detail

### Now

| Theme | Initiative | Why We're Doing This | Expected Outcome |
|-------|-----------|---------------------|-----------------|
| [Theme] | [Initiative name and brief description] | [Problem it solves or opportunity it captures] | [What we expect to be true after it ships] |
| [Theme] | [Initiative name and brief description] | [Why] | [Expected outcome] |
| [Theme] | [Initiative name and brief description] | [Why] | [Expected outcome] |
| [Theme] | [Initiative name and brief description] | [Why] | [Expected outcome] |

### Next

| Theme | Initiative | Why We're Doing This | Expected Outcome |
|-------|-----------|---------------------|-----------------|
| [Theme] | [Initiative name and brief description] | [Why] | [Expected outcome] |
| [Theme] | [Initiative name and brief description] | [Why] | [Expected outcome] |
| [Theme] | [Initiative name and brief description] | [Why] | [Expected outcome] |
| [Theme] | [Initiative name and brief description] | [Why] | [Expected outcome] |

### Later

| Theme | Initiative | Why We're Doing This | Expected Outcome |
|-------|-----------|---------------------|-----------------|
| [Theme] | [Initiative name and brief description] | [Why this is directionally right even if timing is uncertain] | [Expected outcome] |
| [Theme] | [Initiative name and brief description] | [Why] | [Expected outcome] |
| [Theme] | [Initiative name and brief description] | [Why] | [Expected outcome] |

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## Resources and Capacity

*Be honest about constraints. Roadmaps that ignore capacity fail in execution.*

- Team size: [# engineers, # designers, # PMs, other roles]
- Known constraints this period: [Headcount changes, on-call load, planned leave, hiring ramp time]
- Capacity reserved for unplanned work: [X% — e.g., 20% for bugs, incidents, and opportunistic work]
- Effective planning capacity: [Resulting estimate for committed roadmap work]

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## Dependencies

| Initiative | Depends On | Team Responsible | Risk if Delayed |
|-----------|-----------|-----------------|----------------|
| [Roadmap initiative] | [What it depends on] | [Team name] | [What happens if this slips] |
| [Roadmap initiative] | [Dependency] | [Team] | [Risk] |
| [Roadmap initiative] | [Dependency] | [Team] | [Risk] |

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## What We Are NOT Doing (and Why)

*This is one of the most important alignment tools on the roadmap. Share it explicitly.*

| Area or Initiative | Why It's Not on the Roadmap | Revisit Condition |
|-------------------|----------------------------|------------------|
| [Idea or initiative not included] | [Honest reason — not aligned to current strategy, lacks evidence, dependency not ready, deprioritized relative to higher-value work] | [What would change this — e.g., user research that validates demand, team capacity in H2, strategic shift] |
| [Idea or initiative] | [Reason] | [Condition] |
| [Idea or initiative] | [Reason] | [Condition] |

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## Review Cadence

This roadmap will be reviewed [monthly / quarterly / at major milestones].

Owner: [Name]  
Next scheduled review: [Date]  
Distribution: [Who receives updates and how]

*At each review: assess what shipped, what slipped, what changed in the market or strategy, and whether the themes still reflect the right priorities.*

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*A good roadmap communicates direction and priorities, not dates. Covered in depth at biztechprimer.com.*