Today, Adam Wells with GSTVC shares with us how the GST team implements best practices in Product Development.
Improving Product Development: Product Roadmap
What is the critical document that will measure success not only for your product development, but also measure fulfillment timelines for your valued customers? Your product is, after all, the core offering of your company. You need to have oversight to make sure it is developed and maintained properly and that it best meet your customer’s needs.
GST recommends beginning with a codified product roadmap. The product roadmap is a high-level visualization of the vision and direction of your product offering over time. The product roadmap illustrates major features and the associated release schedule. It serves as not only your guiding strategic product development document but also the plan for executing your strategy.
GST has engaged many clients who have roadmaps in their minds but not written out. This prevents transparency and collaboration with your broader team on company goals and objectives. Additionally, if the person with the mental product roadmap leaves, the roadmap leaves with them. Finally, it is only through the process of transferring a mental roadmap to paper that it begins to take shape; the team is forced to ask questions to flesh out the roadmap and to identify small, medium and high priorities that will lead your product to success.
Do you have a codified, up-to-date product roadmap? Is it published company-wide and is there a regular meeting cadence to ensure the roadmap is used to guide decision-making and development? Need assistance? We offer assessments to help put these important plans in place.
As always, we love hearing from you as to what you're experiencing as you drive growth for your company; please reach out below.
We'd love to hear from you!
