Roadmap, from Current to Target Model.

Where does your Roadmap planning start? Or to frame it differently, who are your key stakeholders engaged to deliver a roadmap?

Before exploring stakeholder involvement, let’s start by defining what a roadmap is and why it matters.

What is a Roadmap

In business, technology, product development, and projects, a roadmap is used as a tool for planning and execution.

It outlines the steps to move from your current state to a target state. It is a visual representation of your current position and how to get to your target providing clarity and direction.

Strategic Roadmaps

A strategic roadmap provides a clear path forward enabling teams, departments or entire organisations to remain focused on the direction. It helps prevent disorganization and momentum loss by answering a fundamental question: "Where are we going, and how do we get there".

Rather than being driven by strict due dates, the roadmap should bear no direct correlation to dates but rather be a set of objectives. As well as simplifying the view, this helps prioritize efforts, guide resource allocation, and ensure initiatives are delivered in a meaningful and logical sequence.

Cross functional teams

An especially valuable trait of the roadmap is where multiple teams, departments or external partners and involved. A well communicated roadmap ensures that all stakeholders understand the plan, their roles and how their work contributes to the big picture. This alignment is critical for fostering collaboration, avoiding duplicated effort and cohesion.

Architecture Direction

The roadmap should be a simple visual to communicate high level plans in a simple format, digestible for both technical and non-technical audiences. It should clearly represent the architectural and strategic direction without overwhelming detail.

The Roadmap Journey

A roadmap is not a static document, it should be constantly evolving with demand, organizational challenges, opportunities and prioritisations. If circumstance change then the roadmap should reflect it.

The best roadmaps are always built with input from across the organization. It should not be generated in isolation; it is a collaborative effort involving many subject matter experts who provide insight and guidance into stakeholder requirements.

Clear Strategy & centralized coordination

Returning to the original questions posed in my first paragraph. A roadmap can come from owners, leaders and executives alike, but it is advised a centralised coordinating body to bring it all together and unify these perspectives. This should shape delivery as well as technology, and process.

This centralized approach ensures the roadmap is not just a set of delivery plans, but a strategic blueprint that connects technology, process, and people. It enables the enterprise to evolve in a coordinated way avoiding bottlenecks, minimizing disruptions, and preventing fragmented work streams; or worst still requiring a stop, redesign, and/or segregated modernisation programme.

In Summary

A well-planned roadmap serves as the bridge between vision and execution. It aligns stakeholders, guides prioritization, and adapts as circumstances change. When created collaboratively and managed centrally, it becomes a powerful tool for delivering sustained, strategic progress.