Product Roadmaps - a Practical Guide for Product Managers by Barbara Nelson at SVPMA Monthly Event November 2003

1. Pragmatic
Marketing ®
Product Roadmaps
Presented by Barbara Nelson, Pragmatic Marketing
November 12, 2003
Silicon Valley Product Management Association
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(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 1

2. What would you do?
It’s the 11th hour of the quarter. A sales guy calls you
frantically telling you he has to have a roadmap to close a
deal this quarter. The prospect is expecting to see a key
feature she wants (not currently on any plans).
Do you:
a. Quickly put together a PowerPoint slide of exactly what he asked
for and email it to the sales rep. Wish him good luck because you
know the company needs the business.
b. Find out whether the competition in the deal has the feature. If so,
see (a). If not, you tell the sales rep politely that you can’t do it.
c. You don’t know enough to react. And you probably don’t have
enough time to learn what you need to know in order to address the
problem. Don’t cave in to this request, but you have a lot of work to
do to avoid it next quarter…
Product roadmaps
Why build a roadmap?
Who owns the roadmap
Cautions about roadmap use
Before you start
How to design a roadmap
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 2

3. Laurence J. Peter
“If you don’t know where you are
going, you will probably end up
someplace else.”
Why build a roadmap?
The process itself
Gives internal and external audiences
a product vision for the future,
a possible destination
Reduces short-term mistakes
Don’t paint yourself in a corner
Helps customers integrate product plan into
their long-term strategy
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 3

4. Tom Shields, Woodside Fund
A great roadmap walks the fine line between
being too narrow ("a one-trick pony") and too
wide ("all over the map"). Investors will want to
see that you have a focused idea of where you
are going in the short term (and why), and that
you have plenty of other market opportunities to
explore in the longer term.
Who owns the roadmap?
Product manager (CEO of the product)
Responsible for
Market expertise
Working with cross-functional team to formulate what is on the
roadmap
Documenting the roadmap
Defining what can be communicated externally
• Partners
• Customers
• Evaluators
• Analysts
Updating the roadmap as market conditions change *
* Not for each sales opportunity!
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 4

5. Cautions about roadmap use
“Roadmap” covers any future vision
Marketing misuses the term constantly
There aren’t many good examples
There are very few resources
A roadmap is a plan, not a commitment
Reject contracts with roadmaps attached!!
Assume the competition will see it
Learn to say less
Two problem areas
Sales Channel Product Development
Sells futures as features Unpredictable dates
Sells futures to address Unpredictable delivery of
the wrong market release content
segment Driven by technology, not
Uses roadmap in the market
desperate situations Long development cycles
Uses roadmap as a
promise, not a plan
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 5

6. Before you start
Know your market
Identify market segments
Establish a competitive strategy
Know the technology landscape
Validate
Know your market
Learn about the market by observation
Customers
Evaluators
Potentials
Quantify market problems
Understand total solution
Buy, build, partner to flesh out whole solution
Communicate internally with market facts
Product manager should be the messenger for the
market
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 6

7. Identify market segments
Be deliberate about which market segments you
target
Rather than a few features each release for
each segment, focus a whole release around a
segment
Your roadmap can reflect when you will address
different segments
Establish a competitive strategy
Avoid competitive checklists
This is not a competitive strategy
Be where the competition is not
Look for market segments where the competition is
not
Focus on your distinctive competence
The roadmap should reflect your company’s unique
ability to deliver value in the marketplace
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 7

8. Know the technology landscape
Research emerging technologies
Interview technical reviewers to understand
technical compliance and standards they are
adopting
Use technology to solve problems for your
market
Validate
Synthesize possibilities
Review with internal cross-functional team
NDA review with trusted parties
Customers
Potentials
Partners
Avoid oligopsony
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 8

9. Elements of the roadmap
Who Market segments
Why Business problems
What Product requirements
How Technology
When - time
How to design a roadmap
Communicate in BROAD STROKES
Map chronologically (using conservative dates)
Market segments
Projects
Major features (addressing problems)
Client or interfaces
Server or architecture
Platforms (OS and database support)
Be careful with project names
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 9

10. Internal versus external
Internal
Engineering
External *
Marketing
Sales
* “This document contains forward-looking statements based on current
expectations, forecasts and assumptions of the Company that involve risks
and uncertainties. Forward looking statements are subject to risks and
uncertainties associated with the Company's business that could cause
actual results to vary materially from those stated or implied by such forward-
looking statements.”
1q+1 2q+1 3q+1 4q+1 1h+2 2h+2 fy+3 beyond
Project
Market
Feature
Client
Archi-
tecture
Platform
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 10

11. Example: Network Management
1q04 2q04 3q04 4q04 1h05 2h05 fy06 beyond
Project SP2 SP3 Burger SP1 Bangers Lasagna Sushi
US,
Market Canada
UK EU Japan Asia
Major Superset Updated Updated
Correlation library library £ € ¥
Feature
Display
with maps “Thin”
Client (US, Web-only
EU maps Asia maps
Canada)
Revised
Shared DB
Server data
locking
ILS DBCS
structures
Windows Windows
Windows Windows
Platform XP sp3 XP sp4
“Longhorn” “Blackcomb”
support support
Example: Microsoft Office
97 98 2000 2002 2003 beyond
“Embrace
Integrate
Project the
FrontPage
Office XP Office 11 Office 12
internet”
Advanced
Major Office Multiple
“Clippy” Smart Tags Spam
Feature templates clipboards
mgmt
New look,
Add Remove Add
Client Outlook
Auto-
NetFolders InfoPath
recover
Windows
Server terminal Office Web SharePoint XML, IRM
server
Platform End support End support
End support End support
for DOS, Win for
for Win98 for WinME
3.1, Win 95 Win2000Pro
Note: this document is based loosely on published statements by Microsoft and is used only as an example.
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 11

12. Overall Vision
4Q03 1H04
1Q03 1Q04 2H04 FY05
Architecture
shipping functional design
beta future requirement
alpha vision
Web Services
CRM web order
extranet
partner
self-service hosting supply
objects
chain
app server, VBA, COM+ objects, XML, SOAP,
message platform, internet development tools
shipping functional design
beta future requirement
alpha vision
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 12

13. (c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 13

14. Links to sample roadmaps
SynEcology – complete Microsoft roadmap
http://www.synecology.com/roadmap.htm
Microsoft Developer Tools Roadmap
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/productinfo/roadmap.aspx
OEM Roadmaps (pay service with free
samples)
www.oemroadmaps.com
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 14

15. Pragmatic Marketing® Framework
Business Marketing
Positioning
Case Plan
A framework for
Distinctive Market Sales Awareness
Competence Sizing
Pricing
Process Plan managing and
marketing
Market Product Buy, Build Market Customer
Research Performance or Partner Requirements Acquisition
technology products
Market Operational Thought Product Customer
Problems Metrics Leaders Roadmap Retention
Strategic
Tactical
Market Quantitative Product Product Program Sales Channel
Analysis Analysis Strategy Planning Strategy Readiness Support
Technology Win/Loss User Buyer Collateral & Channel
Innovation
Assessment Analysis Personas Personas Sales Tools Training
Competitive Product Market Presentations “Special”
Analysis Contract Messages & Demos Calls
Release Launch White Event
Milestones Plan Papers Support
Lead Competitive Answer
Generation Write-Up Desk
© 1993 2003 Pragmatic Marketing Inc
Resources
Barbara Nelson – bnelson@pragmaticmarketing.com
www.pragmaticmarketing.com - about our courses
www.productmarketing.com - free resource site
(c) 1993-2003 Pragmatic Marketing, Inc. 15