The Bootstrapped Founder 39: Roadmaps and You: Building a Future Together
Jul 10, 2020
A deep dive into why roadmaps matter and how they shape trust and direction. A look at internal versus public roadmaps and what each should include. Practical comparisons of timeline, no-dates, and Kanban formats. Candid warnings about promises that go stale and how to communicate changes. Emphasis on customer conversations, documentation, and keeping the roadmap the single source of truth.
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Roadmaps Guide Plans And Build Trust
- A roadmap both guides your internal plan and signals to customers that you'll remain useful long-term.
- Treat a roadmap as a tool to increase clarity and trust, not as an immutable contract.
Use One Internal And One Redacted Public Roadmap
- Keep an internal roadmap with details and show a redacted public version to customers.
- Use generalized date ranges externally and retain control over visible details.
Pick A Flexible Roadmap Format
- Choose a roadmap format that fits your needs: timeline, date-free (Gantt), or Kanban-style.
- Prefer high-level dates or date-free plans to avoid brittle commitments and show task dependencies.
