Contents:
Overview
A roadmap is always about visualizing larger chunks of a story map. The release roadmap and portfolio roadmap work great if you use releases to group user stories into tangible pieces, such as 'MVP', ' Feature X', 'Capability Y' etc.
If you have everything you want to visualize on a single story map, you can start with the 'Release roadmap' template. Don't worry - if things get serious and you need to split your backlog into multiple story maps, you can switch the template to 'Portfolio Roadmap' where multiple story maps can be linked.
💡 Tip - Learn more about How to create a release roadmaps from your story maps.
How to pick the right structure for your roadmap
Before jumping into the roadmap you have to choose a column structure that helps you to organize roadmap items. You can't go wrong. Columns can be renamed and reorganized without losing any content, so you can fine-tune the structure to your needs. Here are some ideas:
time-based: one of the most popular use cases for a roadmap is dividing roadmap items into quarters. It gives a useful overview of what will happen in the next quarter, and what was moved into the next period (which can mean, those items are not carved into stone)
priority: this structure is one of the most straightforward solution to emphasize what's on the dev team's table, and what are the top priorities. You can extend the initial Now-Next-Later columns with additional groups such as 'Won't have', 'Low priority' etc.
process: if you don't want to focus on the time frames, but would give a detailed overview to your stakeholders about the development process, then this structure can work for you. Plus, arranging items in the priority order gives more information.
You can also adjust what you want to display in the swimlanes:
Different backlogs
Product components
Separate team activities
Distinguish platforms
etc.
How to create a release roadmap
Visit the "Roadmap" menu
Select the "Add new roadmap" option
Choose "Release roadmap" type
Enter the title of your roadmap
Select your story map(s) you want to work with
Choose the column structure or create your own
Finalize your roadmap settings:
Select "Create" to start with an empty roadmap
Select "Create and add all releases" to include releases details
Create your release roadmap step-by-step
To create a new roadmap visit the "Roadmap" menu and select "Add new roadmap".
Select the "Release roadmap" option to track releases and initiatives on the roadmap.
Enter the name of your roadmap, select your story map(s) you want to link releases or user stories to your roadmap cards. Then choose the columns structure and proceed to create the roadmap.
You can create the roadmap according to your requirements as following:
create roadmap without releases
create roadmap including releases from your backlogs
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