"I have worked with a number of formats for developing strategic roadmaps. They have all been a little different and fully customized to show the information that was the most valuable to the users of the document. However, in each case, I consider the same bodies of work and milestones for display.
First, I break down my roadmap by workstream. I typically have a mix of technology-driven streams such as infrastructure, cloud, mobile, app, and support. When relevant, I include lanes that represent product activities such as marketing campaigns, launches, live events, or partner events. I visually demonstrate the major bodies of work and the timeframe and progress for each. I also show when major releases are scheduled. This helps to communicate interdependencies between teams.
Finally, I list major milestones. These may be company, competitor, product, or team-related. The goal is to list any significant dates that the various leaders I work with need insight into. It is important for each group to know when major events happen and how their work feeds into the process."
