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Software Roadmap is a tool used by engineers and product designers to provide a work plan for the entire software development process. It is meant to visualize what the final product would look like. This is why it consists of the long-term and short-term initiatives and solutions that are required to stay competitive in the market by launching new products. 

A product roadmap is a summary of what the company’s goals and visions are for its products. A software roadmap is a roadmap chart showing how a software product will be developed over some time. 

Upfront Conclusion

The best roadmap software tools right now is Wrike and Hello Focus

Why and When is a Software Roadmap Needed

To develop a software product, there has to be a process just like you have for other product development. There has to be a logical sequence of processes that will take place for the software to be developed. 

The first thing an organization does when designing a software is to decide what the product will achieve, what problem is it going to solve. This means there has to be a vision or goal for the product. Once there is a goal for the product, then the product team will translate the vision and goals into a blueprint that includes a short-term and long-term view of the product’s themes and goals. This stage is the product roadmap stage. 

Finally, the product team consisting of the product developers, project managers, and other relevant groups will work together to convert the roadmap into actionable tasks. Hence, the software product manager is the link between the company’s product goals and the tasks needed to bring the finished product to the market. 

Benefits of a Software Roadmap

1. It helps the team set their priorities right

In as much as it is not always easy to follow a predictable and linear path for product development from start to market launch, there should always be a plan on the ground. When the team is faced with unexpected changes within the organization, the roadmap is what will serve as a guide. This is why it is important to have a well-thought-out road map on the ground. 

The resources available to the team can change at any given time. Budgets can be streamlined for reasons best known to management without adequate notice to such effect. Other needs within the organization can all of a sudden alter the existing work plan. This can change the course of the product development but the job has to be done. 

The roadmap allows the team to take a look at the work plan, carry out reviews, and also make adjustments where necessary. This will enable them to make the right decisions based on available resources. 

2. It Enhances Understanding of the Tasks at Hand

With a roadmap available, members of your team can easily have a grasp of what the task ahead is all about. They know how the daily workflow will go and this can help in getting a lot done on a daily. Your roadmap can serve as a source of motivation for your team of developers. 

With a good knowledge of the coding tasks, and what impact the product will have, your development team can have the drive to contribute immensely to the development of the product. 

3. It helps to persuade stakeholders

With your roadmap, you can easily show what you are doing and this can persuade stakeholders to put in more resources. If you don’t have a roadmap in place, it might be difficult to explain what your goals are to the executives. 

With a carefully laid out roadmap, the confidence level increases. A good road map can kickstart things and speed up the process as it will get approved in no time. Ensure you have a well-thought-out roadmap in place and you can get approvals for your product from stakeholders. 

How to Build a Software Roadmap

Step 1: Define your product’s “Why.”

The first thing you have to do is to define what the product is meant to do. What is the reason for the product coming into existence? You have to answer this question of purpose as it will be the building block upon which you will craft your software roadmap. 

Once you know what your product is to accomplish, ideas will naturally flow. 

Step 2: Define your roadmap’s audiences

You have to also know who your end users are. When you can define who your intended audiences are, then you will be able to develop a product that will give value. 

Your organization will be interested in how your product will bring about an increase in sales and also achieve business goals. So, you have to be definite about your product so that you can have a version of your roadmap to be able to switch levels or views of detail. To achieve this, you need roadmap software. 

Step 3: Determine your product’s Strategic Themes

This is where you start to develop the content of your roadmap. Start developing from the highest, and most strategic level and you can add more details as you progress. 

To prioritize your product theme, you have to first create your product’s most important themes. Then you can add sub-themes as you progress. 

Step 4: Revies your roadmap from time to time

Product development can take unexpected turns, so you have to be to review and update regularly. Reviewing your roadmap will help you to stay on track with your goals. 

Don’t be rigid, allow some levels of flexibility to accommodate the new reality. To update your software product does not mean you have made a mistake or you don’t know what you are doing. It only means that you are being realistic to ensure your strategic goals are met. 

It is the right thing to do so that you can release a product that adds value to the market.

 

The Best Roadmap Software

You need the best software to get an efficient roadmap. Hence, you have to look for the best software that will help your team plan, track progress, and also coordinate activities to get a functional and working product to the market. 

The software you choose should easily integrate with the best project management tools available. We have put together a list of the best roadmap software that can help you get ahead of your competitors; the software here has been carefully selected based on its features and affordability. 

#1 Wrike

Wrike is a roadmap software that is most suitable for Kanban-style roadmaps. Wrike is a tool that allows you to visualize and create roadmaps in Gantt Chart visualizations and Kanban view as well. Just like Asana and Trello, it can adapt to any development and industry team. 

It is a great tool that allows you to collaborate with teams that are spread across different locations. This makes it easy for the team members to have access to the task board from their respective locations at different times. 

Although the Wrike interface may look clumsy at times as a result of the many features that are packed together, it is still a good tool. 

Wrike helps to boost productivity and it enhances overall growth with its innovative toolset. You can customize its features to suit you and your team. With your customized dashboards and workflows, you and your team can achieve a lot together by using Wrike. 

Wrike consists of the following features;

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) based automation. 
  • Scalable software toolset.
  • Roadmap templates.
  • Shared team calendars.
  • Pre-built workflow and prioritization templates. 
  • It allows 360-degree visibility including silo elimination. 
  • Over 400 app integrations. 
  • Advanced analytics with real-time insights. 

#2 Hello Focus

Hello Focus is a roadmap software that is good for those handling scientific project management. It is a task prioritization and project management tool that helps project managers get a lot done in a short time. As its name implies “Focus”, it will help you focus on the most important tasks and you can align well with your team members when you are working in focus. 

Hello Focus helps you use professional roadmap charts to cut down on multitasking through scientific techniques. You can create visual roadmaps that allow you to track the progress of your team members in real-time. 

With the help of this software, you can keep all stakeholders involved in the task in a loop. This means you don’t have to send multiple emails to team members or stakeholders. You can also set up a to-do list for personal tasks and your team members. 

With Hello Focus, you can handle multiple tasks such as task editing and tagging. It is a complete project management roadmap software that will help you achieve more in a short time.  

Features on Hello Focus include Milestone tracking, Gantt charts, and Critical Path analysis among others.

Other features on Hello Focus are as follows;

  • Fully searchable archives
  • Automates recurring tasks
  • Completion tracking functionality
  • “Do Not Disturb” mode
  • Focused product roadmaps
  • It works on all devices and operating systems
  • Seamless communication with team members
  • Easy to use task management tools
  • No need for sending multiple emails. 

#3 Roadmap Planner

Roadmap Planner is the best choice for developers who are into cross-domain planning and collaboration. It is a roadmap software that focuses on collaboration and planning that can help businesses from multiple domains. 

You can create your team member, add or remove team members, and you can assign tasks to each member using Roadmap Planner. It is great for team control. You can easily navigate around the user interface as it offers multiple views like Outline view and Gantt view. 

It has a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to map out ideas and create strategic goals. It makes decision-making very easy. Roadmap Planner is one of the reliable software roadmaps that you will find around. 

You will have good team control, and you can handle multiple projects using Roadmap Planner. It allows you to create unique presentations as well. 

Features embedded in Roadmap Planner include the following; 

  • Predefined roadmap template
  • Task dependency compliance
  • URL based roadmap sharing
  • Multi-language support
  • Dedicated presentation mode for projectors
  • Online and offline workability
  • Flexible and parallel timeline maker
  • Backlog management
  • Simple WYSIWYG interface
  • Fully protected storage
  • Synchronization features and Advanced data export

#4 ProductPlan

ProductPlan is a web-based product roadmap software that can integrate popular project management tools like Asana and Jira. It has several features that you will need to take your time to understand. 

ProductPlan is a roadmap software that is best for visually attractive shareable roadmaps. Hence, if you are a project or product manager that is interested in having an attractive visual layout, then ProductPlan is the right roadmap software for you. 

With this software, you can create a very colorful and attractive roadmap without any stress. The drag-and-drop user interface makes it easy for you to create, manage estimates across projects. You can also add color-coded items and incorporate the right milestones into your product vision. 

You can have a detailed roadmap for your team and then create a high-level roadmap for upper management. These roadmaps can also be grouped into master plans using ProductPlan. 

ProductPlan has the following features;

  • Easy import and export
  • Customizable layouts
  • Custom roadmap views
  • Advanced data encryption with SOC-2 certification
  • Communication and collaboration management
  • Simple drag-and-drop interface
  • It can easily integrate with lots of project and product management software
  • Collaborate on and share unlimited roadmaps.

#5 Roadmunk

Are you looking for customizable roadmap software? If your answer is yes, then Roadmunk is your best bet. It is a fully customizable roadmap software that can cater to any requirements you may have. It has three types of roadmaps which are: Swimlane, Timeline, and Master. 

The Swimlane view offers agile and scrum teams with a streamlined, Kanban Board presentation. The timeline view is a conventional product roadmap and the Master view allows product and project managers to combine different types of product roadmap styles so that they can get an overview of the product’s features. 

The three customization levels in Roadmunk permit different teams to create roadmaps. The roadmaps can then be combined by managers to get a detailed assessment. With this, the process of software development and product creation can be streamlined. 

Roadmunk offers unique features that allow you to create multiple views of roadmaps that can be shared with team members and stakeholders. The features in Roadmunk include the following; 

  • Customer feedback capture
  • Dedicated focus on roadmaps
  • Pre-built roadmap templates
  • Roadmap API for integration with other project management software
  • Inbuilt project management tool for strategic planning

#6 Airfocus

If you need a software that can create fast roadmaps, then Airfocus is the ideal choice for you. This is a roadmap software that is meant for easy and fast roadmaps to enhance quick product development. 

It is capable of integrating other applications such as GitHub, Jira, and Trello among others. In few minutes, you can create a professional roadmap using Airfocus.

Airfocus makes use of a drag-and-drop interface that allows users to switch between multiple views like Gantt Charts and Kanban Board. It will also permit you to create multidimensional charts that will enable you to set priorities right. 

You can share your designed roadmaps with several viewers. Product development is well-streamlined with Airfocus. It includes the following features; 

  • Priority Poker
  • Customizable formulas and frameworks
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Flexible sharing with unlimited viewers
  • Collaboration with stakeholders and team members
  • Kanban and timeline templates
  • Easy integration with other project management apps
  • Fully customizable roadmap templates

#7 Aha

Aha is a roadmap software that is best for creating enhanced roadmaps. Aha Affords you the opportunity of doing more than just road mapping. It is one of the top roadmap software today with over 400,000 users across the globe. 

It has a drag-and -drop feature that allows product developers to create roadmaps using up to six templates. You can customize the tool to add your preferred features, create goals, initiatives, and can share via a web link or as a PDF. 

Aha allows you to get feedback and insights from your customer through its story mapping tool. This allows you to interact and provide support on the go to your customers. Top features on the Aha software roadmap include;

  • Story mapping tool
  • Detailed and custom reports
  • Multiple roadmap types
  • Idea crowdsourcing
  • Strategic roadmap creation
  • PowerPoint-style presentation
  • Drag-and-drop user interface
  • Dedicated certification and training programs
  • Portal for idea management

Summary

A roadmap software gives you direction, makes you coordinated and you can also adjust with the current situation of things. Hence, if you want to get ahead of your schedule, roadmap software is a tool that can help you. 

Make sure you define your product strategy, have a clear idea of your strategic goals, assign tasks to your team members, customize your view, and your roadmap is ready. 

Try to get feedback and insights from your users so that you can make necessary adjustments where needed. A software roadmap is what every product or project manager needs to be in absolute control of their product vision. 

A good software roadmap should have the following

  • Clarity around priorities
  • Friendly user interface
  • Interactive functionality
  • Efficient sharing