From Features to Outcomes: The Evolution of Product Roadmaps

The Evolution of the Product Roadmap

In the last 100 years, there has been significant change in product management roles, from the first brand men at Proctor & Gamble to what we now know, as a modern product management role. At the same time, it is also important to reflect on the history and evolution of product roadmaps; a key tool in the product management toolkit. Over time, roadmaps have transformed from rigid, feature-focused timelines into more dynamic and outcome-driven strategic tools. So let's take a walk down memory lane.

The Early Days: Feature-Based and Timed Roadmaps

In the early days, roadmaps were primarily feature-based and timed. These roadmaps resembled Gantt charts, offering a visual timeline of when features were expected to be delivered. The concept of the "Golden Feature" roadmap also emerged shortly after, focusing on a single, high-impact feature that the release would be built on to drive the product’s success.?While these provided a sense of control, they were often fraught with missed deadlines and scope creep. The reliance on estimated timelines made them inflexible, leading to a cycle of constant adjustments and buffer additions.?

The Shift: Themed & Dual-Track?Roadmaps

As the limitations of feature-based and timed roadmaps became evident, product managers began experimenting with alternative formats and themed roadmaps shifted focus from specific features to broader themes or objectives that were important to achieve. These new formats allowed for greater flexibility and alignment with strategic goals, paving the way for more adaptive and meaningful planning.?Meanwhile, dual-track roadmaps introduced the idea of parallel work-streams; one focused on discovery and the other on delivery. This approach recognized the need for continuous learning and adaptation, allowing teams to pivot based on new insights. It also offered visibility into what was happening design, discovery & research.?

The Rise of Outcome-Based Roadmaps

The most significant evolution in roadmapping has been the shift to outcome-based roadmaps around 2007. These roadmaps prioritize the results that a product aims to achieve rather than the specific features to be developed. The focus is on the "why" rather than the "what," aligning product efforts with broader business objectives.

Understanding the Three Types of Outcomes

Outcome-based roadmaps are built around three key types of outcomes: business outcomes, product outcomes, and user outcomes. Each plays a crucial role in guiding product strategy and execution.

1. Business Outcomes: These are the high-level objectives that align with the organization's strategic goals, such as increasing revenue, expanding market share, or reducing costs. Business outcomes provide the overarching direction for the product team and would normally sit in an organisational level strategy. All business units, such as marketing, product, operations, etc, would be delivering on those business outcomes.
2. Product Outcomes: These are the specific results that the product team aims to achieve, and has direct control over. Things like improving product quality, enhancing user engagement, or increasing feature adoption. Product outcomes are directly tied to the product’s success and contribute to the achievement of business outcomes.
3. User Outcomes: These focus on the impact that the product has on its users, such as solving a problem, improving productivity, or delivering a delightful experience. User outcomes are the foundation of a successful product, as they directly influence product and business outcomes.

You want to make sure that you are focusing on all three, not just business outcomes. Remember Wells Fargo??Wells Fargo, one of the largest banks in the United States, became embroiled in a major scandal due to its intense focus on business outcomes, specifically revenue growth and shareholder value. In the early 2000s, the bank implemented aggressive sales goals, pressuring employees to meet unrealistic targets. This relentless pursuit of business outcomes led to widespread unethical practices, including the creation of millions of unauthorized customer accounts to meet sales quotas.?By prioritizing business outcomes above all else, Wells Fargo neglected critical user and product outcomes. The bank failed to consider the impact of its actions on customers, leading to significant harm, loss of trust, and legal repercussions. The scandal exposed the dangers of focusing solely on business outcomes without balancing them with product and user outcomes.?Had Wells Fargo also prioritized user outcomes, such as customer satisfaction and trust, alongside product outcomes like transparency and ethical practices, the bank might have avoided the widespread fraud and its devastating consequences. This case highlights the importance of a balanced approach, where business outcomes are pursued in conjunction with product and user outcomes, ensuring long-term success and sustainability.

The Interrelationship Between Outcomes

These three types of outcomes are interrelated. User outcomes drive product outcomes, which in turn contribute to business outcomes. For example, by delivering a feature that enhances user productivity (user outcome), you can increase user engagement (product outcome), ultimately leading to higher customer retention and revenue growth (business outcome).

A critical first step is defining clear outcomes before deciding on features or solutions and once you do, then the team should continuously test and validate their assumptions, ensuring that every effort is aligned with achieving meaningful outcomes.

The Modern Roadmap: A Strategic Tool

Today’s roadmaps have evolved into strategic tools that align the efforts of cross-functional teams with the overall vision of the organization. They are no longer just lists of features or timelines but are living documents that guide decision-making, prioritize outcomes and contextualize discovery. ?The evolution of product roadmaps reflects the growing complexity and sophistication of the product management field. From feature-based timelines to outcome-driven strategies, roadmaps have become more than just planning tools—they are essential to driving product success. By focusing on business, product, and user outcomes, product managers can ensure that their efforts are aligned with the broader goals of the organization, leading to sustained success and growth.