A product roadmap is a strategic tool that communicates your product vision, goals, and priorities to your stakeholders. But how do you craft a compelling story that resonates with your audience and aligns them with your product direction? In this article, you will learn some tips and techniques to tell a great story about your product roadmap.
Before you start creating your product roadmap story, you need to know who you are talking to and what they care about. Different stakeholders have different perspectives, expectations, and needs from your product. For example, your customers want to know how your product will solve their problems and deliver value, while your executives want to see how your product will support the business objectives and strategy. Therefore, you need to tailor your story to each stakeholder group and address their specific questions and concerns.
Set the Context: Begin by providing context for your product roadmap. Help your audience understand the market trends, user needs, or industry challenges that prompted the development of your product. This sets the stage for why your roadmap is significant. Typical roadmap should be in deep details for the first 2 years, followed by key outcomes in year 3. This also plays into how you want to monetize those expected outcomes; Consumption, Subscription, 1x Payment, etc. Establish a Hero: Cast your product as the hero in the story. Frame it as the solution to a problem or a guide that helps users navigate challenges.
It's imperative to consistently consider the value additions and outcomes for the primary stakeholder group. This involves recognizing that the ultimate goal and overarching purpose of the product roadmap are centered around creating valuable products, introducing new features, and implementing enhancements that directly benefit users and consumers. While addressing vital metrics like customer expansion, decreased support cases, and enhanced engagement holds significance, it's imperative to establish a clear link between these metrics and the overarching strategic direction of the product roadmap.
Not everyone needs or prefers the same level of detail. Some people like a High-Level set of key points while others like to go deeper into the details. Know your audience and what type of communication they prefer, this will help keep the stakeholders engaged and not take the agenda into unexpected/unplanned territory.
Couldn't agree more. I usually adapt the followings: Starting with a Hook: Begin your story with an attention-grabbing hook. This could be a compelling statistic, a relatable anecdote, or a thought-provoking question that highlights the importance of the product roadmap. Setting the Context/background: Provide context by explaining the current state of your product, market trends, and challenges. Clearly articulate the problem your product roadmap aims to address and why it's crucial for the organization. Establishing a Clear Vision: Paint a clear and inspiring vision of the future. Describe what success looks like once the product roadmap is implemented and how it aligns with the company's overall goals and mission.
In product development, storytelling is a potent tool. An effective product roadmap story goes beyond features; it's a catalyst for alignment and success. Understanding stakeholder perspectives is key. Tailor your narrative for customers, showing how your product addresses their challenges. For executives, connect your roadmap to business goals. Visual aids like infographics simplify complex ideas. Choose a narrative style that resonates. Craft a roadmap story that fosters collaboration and resonates deeply. #ProductDevelopment #Storytelling"
A good story has a clear structure that guides the listener through a logical and engaging journey. A common framework for storytelling is the narrative arc, which consists of five elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. When it comes to your product roadmap story, you can apply this framework by setting the context and background of your product in the exposition, showing how you plan to achieve your product vision and goals in the rising action, emphasizing the most important or exciting part of your roadmap in the climax, explaining how you will measure and evaluate your progress and success in the falling action, and summarizing the main takeaways and benefits of your roadmap in the resolution. Calling for action or support from your stakeholders is also important at this step.
Where do you want to start? I would suggest a simple but effective framework: -Where we are coming from? Challenges and problems we are solving. -What we are doing to improve and fix these things? -What is the impact this is having and what was the result? This is a basic but effective starting point for a narrative arc.
I like this narrative arc description. One of the keys to keeping framework interesting is to think of things as a story between good and evil. The exposition sets the tone and outlines the players and introduces the problems to be solved (villains) and the solutions (heroes). Thinking it these terms and getting buy-in for overcoming obstacles creates much more engaging roadmaps.
The best roadmaps are a realization that roadmaps are a tactical tool to talk about your product strategy. Your product strategy should be a reflection of our product vision. So really, your roadmap is a narrative of where you want your product to be in 1-3 years & how it ties into your company's and customer's success. Some of the best tactics I've learnt to use is to think about "Who do you want your customer to be?" (great HBS article by Michael Schrage) and using a 3-horizons strategy (by McKinsey). This way, you are considering all the customer feedback and voice of the customer in your roadmap, but also where you want to go with your product and how you think you can create a category as a Product Leader.
While storytelling frameworks serve useful guides, I’ve found rigid narrative structures can sometimes limit creativity and authenticity. Not every product journey follows a typical arc. For example, our Voice of the Customer Product evolved very organically based on usage, not a pre-defined path. As delivery stations organically shared more needs through the MVP, we responded accordingly rather than sticking to a scripted progression. In these cases, Ive found greater success conveying the raw, real-world twists and turns. Stakeholders appreciate the authenticity and that product roadmaps are living documents. They understand we can't always predict the path precisely.
The narrative arc in Roadmaps is like orchestrating a symphony of empathy, vision, and strategic storytelling. A simple arc would be a) Begin with the 'Challenge' - where you present the key pain points your audience resonates b) Transition into the 'Solution' phase - Likely solutions and their limitations c) Finally, the 'Transformation' phase captures the magic - your product creates a meaningful impact and helps users achieve their goals. It's like witnessing a metamorphosis - a beautiful transformation that can change their world. Remember, each product has its melody, so choose wisely based on your audience's tempo!
When presenting your product roadmap, visual aids can help you illustrate your story and make it more memorable and persuasive. Charts and graphs can be used to demonstrate data and trends, while diagrams and maps can illustrate the relationships and dependencies between different roadmap items and stakeholders. Mockups and prototypes can be used to show what the product will look like when it is built, while timelines and calendars can be used to demonstrate the timeline and scope of the roadmap, as well as the expected outcomes and deliverables.
This is something that a mentor taught me early: It is very important NOT to repeat word by word what the slides say, I know it can feel helpful but it is a quick way to lose your audience. Your presentation must help and complete the picture of what you are saying, put some keywords there, and keep it simple. If you can, get a beautiful set of slides, a good-looking presentation will buy you some time for attention, now it's up to you to keep them engaged and informed. Good luck out there, you got this!
Using imagery rather than bullet points is crucial for keeping people engaged with any presentation. I recall Steve Jobs saying that "bullets kill." A helpful way to remember to stay away from them and use interesting images instead.
Visual aids are invaluable in communicating roadmaps effectively and we use these extensively in our roadmaps. Additionally, due to the 6 pager structure at Amazon, we extensively use Numbers and Data in a tabular format to show top line and bottom line impact of the product.
Crafting a compelling product roadmap story is akin to painting a vivid picture that resonates deeply. Let's venture beyond conventional charts to truly captivate our audience. Imagine A journey map, elegantly tracing the user's experience, adorned with snapshots of real-life interactions. It’s like guiding your team through a virtual adventure, making them feel the user's joys and struggles. By humanizing data, you ignite empathy and highlight the essence of your roadmap. Employ visuals like a traffic light symbolizing progression or crossed fingers signifying hope. Use a 'Day in the Life' narrative, spotlighting key moments where your product creates impact. This approach, fosters a deeper connection with the narrative.
A great story should not only be informative, but also emotional and personal. It should connect with the listener on an emotional level, making them care about your product and your vision. To add emotion and personality to your product roadmap story, you can employ storytelling techniques such as anecdotes, metaphors, analogies, and humor to make it more relatable and engaging. Additionally, positive and confident language can be used to convey your passion and enthusiasm for your product and roadmap. Customer stories and testimonials can be included to demonstrate how your product will positively impact the lives of users and customers. Finally, feedback and recognition should be given to acknowledge the contributions of stakeholders and team members.
Be authentic, if you are shy, be shy (but prepared) get familiar with your content. Be confident in what you are saying, people are here to hear what you have to say, you are halfway there! Now it's your turn to show them what happened and where you are going.
This is such a fine line to walk because you want stakeholders to take you seriously, but you don't want your presentation to be so dry that eyes begin to gloss. Integrating a little humor (sparingly) every 3-5 points/slides can be a great way to break things up and it will help observers know you're more than just a data feed. It also helps them know you see them as people and not just a pitch target. Analogies are also helpful tools to help people understand and buy-in.
The Amazon PRFAQ approach has shaped how I add compelling narrative elements. For example, when proposing our dispatch UI to leadership, I painted a scene of a dispatcher juggling 40 calls during peak times, struggling to rapidly relay updated addresses to each driver. Stakeholders immediately connect with the dispatcher's stress and safety risks. I then demo real-time tracking, allowing dispatchers to update routes in seconds through the intuitive dashboard. The dramatic improvement resonates personally. I reinforce with data showing reduced accidents, and grateful dispatcher testimonials.
Your roadmap narrative can create an emotional crescendo. Using persona sketches with a personality, we make our end users real. Paint your roadmap story with a palette that sparks inspiration and fuels understanding. When it comes to accomplishment, peel back the layers, revealing the sweat, sleepless nights, and exhilaration embedded in the journey.
The final tip to tell a great story about your product roadmap is to practice and refine it. You don't want to be unprepared or uncertain when presenting your roadmap to stakeholders; rather, you should be prepared and confident. To practice and refine your story, begin by writing it down and reviewing it for clarity, coherence, and consistency. Additionally, use a tool or template to create and visualize your product roadmap and story. Ask for feedback from peers, mentors, or coaches, and make sure to incorporate their suggestions. Rehearse your story and presentation, adjusting your tone, pace, and body language as needed. Lastly, anticipate questions or objections from stakeholders and prepare your responses.
Rehearse a few times at home or with a friend or partner (if the info is not confidential). Have someone else do a mockup presentation for you and empathize with your audience, what questions could they ask? What concerns they have? Normally stakeholders want to know when things will be done as they have goals to fulfill and the technical team wants to know how hard it will be to build things, take their thoughts into consideration and include those details, it will save you time and trigger positive conversations.
Stepping away is key when trying to refine any presentation. It's amazing how different things can look after coming back to them after a little time away. Some things might appear overly wordy while others too concise. Then finding a non-participant sounding board to present to is crucial to discovering if there are assumptions that need to be addressed or if there are things that can maybe be moved through more quickly. Make adjustments and try this around 3 times. I find that preparation is great but I have to be careful to keep my enthusiasm high so that my "live" presentation feels natural and exciting!
Writing 6 pagers along with a coherent story is always challenging so I usually share drafts early with trusted colleagues for candid feedback on areas to clarify or expand on. Their suggestions always strengthen the story.
When you refine your narrative keep the below handy: 1) Clarity: Simplify complex concepts into relatable ideas. 2) Connection: Weave your audience's aspirations into the story protagonists -persona play. 3) Conviction: Inject your passion. 4)Visualize the Journey: Like a map guiding explorers, illustrate your roadmap's milestones and evoke excitement for what's next. 5) Objection Anticipation: Similar to a seasoned debater, preempt doubts and show your solution's strength
If you don't prepare you are doing yourself and your audience a disservice, also, the more you prepare the more confident you will feel in the presentation. In the end, it will help everyone to be as ready as you can be. All the best luck, you got this!
In addition to the 5 things listed here, there are 5 more things to consider: 6. Clarify how the roadmap links to the organizations mission and vision. 7. Highlight Innovations and Differentiators 8. Use data and customer testimonials to build credibility. 9. Help people understand how the roadmap future-proofs the business. 10. End with a clear call to action (ask for feedback, invite collaboration etc.)