Roadmap
Prediction is very difficult, especially if it is about the future.
- Widely attributed to Niels Bohr, Danish physicist
Definition: The Roadmap is a schedule of events and milestones that forecasts and communicates planned solution deliverables over a time horizon.
Summary
Roadmaps are essential tools for strategic planning and agile decision-making. They help to clarify deliverables and milestones. They allow Agile Teams to prioritize work, manage their time, and track business value delivered. They also help teams and ARTs align to broader organizational goals. In SAFe, there are three common types of roadmaps: PI roadmaps, product and solution roadmaps, and portfolio roadmaps, each serving different planning needs. Roadmaps also help organizations prepare for releases, comply with regulations, and align stakeholders across various departments. Overall, they foster transparency and collaboration, keeping everyone focused on achieving the organization's objectives.
What is a roadmap?
Roadmaps allow teams to plan their activities while remaining flexible enough to adapt as needed. Roadmaps are useful for keeping all team members and stakeholders in the loop, providing a clear overview of current initiatives, upcoming tasks, and long-term objectives. Roadmaps help turn ideas into action, making it easier for everyone to stay aligned and focused on what matters most. They are critical for achieving a vision and strategic goals.
Roadmaps make deliverables, milestones, and investments visible. By showing what needs to be accomplished in the applicable time frame, roadmaps help prioritize work and manage capacity. For example, milestones allow teams to track their progress and adjust as needed. Roadmaps also identify needed technical resources, which allows organizations to allocate budgets and funds to infrastructure and tooling.
Additionally, roadmaps connect high-level goals to daily tasks, helping teams understand their role in broader objectives. When circumstances change, they can be easily updated, ensuring that the plans stay relevant. Roadmaps promote transparency and trust by providing stakeholders with a view of current and future work. That fosters collaboration and keeps everyone focused on the organization's goals, leading to more success.
There are three types of roadmaps in SAFe.
- PI roadmaps illustrate commitments for an Agile Release Train(ART) or Solution Train for the planned and upcoming PIs. Typically a PI roadmap covers 3 PIs. The first represents the committed work, and the following two PIs are a forecast.
- Product and solution roadmaps provide a longer-term view of key milestones and deliverables needed to achieve the product or solution vision over time.
- Portfolio roadmaps show an aggregated multiyear view of how portfolio vision will be achieved across all the value streams it governs.
Last Update: 25 February 2025