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Intermediate

What is a product roadmap

Also known as: roadmap

Definition

A product roadmap is a one page plan of the problems a product will solve next and why, clear for now and deliberately fuzzier for later.

Why it matters

A roadmap lets everyone who works on the product see which problem comes first and why, so a new request is weighed against the plan instead of jumping the queue.

Common mistakes

Treating the roadmap as a fixed promise of features and exact delivery dates.

Related terms

Worked exampleIllustration

Booking roadmap sheet

Purpose

A full diary of clients who keep their bookings and come back.

Rules of the sheet

  • Every row starts from the problem, the fix comes second
  • No dates on Next or Later

Now, Next, Later

  1. Now Problem: clients cannot book after hours. Fix: a booking link in the WhatsApp profile.

  2. Next Problem: no shows on Sundays. Fix: an automatic reminder the day before.

  3. Later Problem: regulars forget to rebook. Fix: a rebook prompt after each visit.

Now is a plan. Later is a direction.

Illustration

Now, Next, Later, within the days you have

  1. Now

    1 of 2 days

    Detailed, being done

    • Clients cannot book after hours

      Fix: a booking link in the WhatsApp profile

      RICE 96 · 1 day

  2. Next

    2 of 2 days

    Shaped, not started

    • Sunday no shows

      Possible fix: an automatic reminder the day before

      RICE 24 · 2 days

  3. Later

    A direction only

    • Few new people hear of the clinic

      The fix is not decided yet

      RICE 50 · 5 days

    • Visitors cannot tell what the clinic offers

      The fix is not decided yet

      RICE 20 · 20 days

    • Regulars forget to rebook

      The fix is not decided yet

      RICE 13.3 · 3 days

In score order, Now fills until the days run out (2 days): Clients cannot book after hours, worth 96 points. Next is the month after, and Later has no date. "Few new people hear of the clinic" scores 50, more than a problem already planned, but its fix needs 5 days, more than a month holds. It waits in Later until it is split into smaller steps or the days are found.

RICE: Sean McBride, Intercom. The Now, Next, Later format: Janna Bastow and Simon Cast, ProdPad, 2012. The days and scores are invented for the example.

Illustrative: a fictional clinic's problems, each with a RICE score (reach × impact × confidence ÷ effort). Now holds only what fits the days the clinic can give this month, in score order. Change the days, or pull a problem into Now, and see what it pushes out.

Definition

A product roadmap is a short plan that lists the problems a product will tackle, in order, and why each one matters. The Now, Next, Later format, created in 2012 by Janna Bastow and Simon Cast while building ProdPad as an alternative to timeline roadmaps, sorts those problems into three columns: Now is detailed, Next is shaped, Later is only a direction. Each row starts from the customer's problem, and the feature that might solve it comes second. The roadmap says why and in what order. The backlog under it holds the concrete work, and each top item there can be written as a user story.

Why it matters

In a small business, the people who work on the product are usually the owner, one employee, a freelance developer or the agency that builds the website. In Product Roadmaps Relaunched (O'Reilly, 2017), Lombardo, McCarthy, Ryan and Connors argue for roadmaps built around outcomes and themes rather than a list of features with dates. The further ahead a row sits, the less anyone knows, so a roadmap that leaves Later undated is honest, not lazy.

Directly related: Backlog, User Story, RICE.

Improvement tips

  • Write each row as a customer problem first and the fix second, such as "clients cannot book after hours" before "a booking link".
  • Keep three columns, Now, Next and Later, and put dates only on Now.
  • Review the roadmap once a month and move rows between columns as you learn.

Common mistakes

  • Filling it with small tasks, which turns it into a backlog.
  • Listing features nobody can connect to a customer problem or a business goal.

Related terms

ProductBeginner

Backlog

A backlog is the one ordered list of everything a product might get next, with the top items small and ready and the bottom items still rough ideas.

ProductBeginner

User Story

A user story is one short sentence that says who needs something, what they want to do and why, so the person building it understands the goal.

ProductIntermediate

RICE

RICE is a way to rank ideas by scoring each on Reach, Impact, Confidence and Effort, so you compare several options on one scale before choosing.

Project ManagementBeginner

Milestone

A milestone is a checkpoint in a schedule that takes no time: the moment a stage is done, such as design approved. A Gantt chart draws it as a diamond.

Project ManagementBeginner

Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a schedule in which each task is a horizontal bar on a time scale, so you see what runs together, what waits and when the work ends.

Project ManagementBeginner

Agile

Agile is a way of working in short cycles: deliver a working result, learn from the people using it and adjust the plan. Scrum and Kanban are two ways to do it.

From the blog

The MVP Trap: Build an Experiment, Not a Product

Why founders overbuild MVPs, how to choose the riskiest assumption, and how to test demand before months of product work.

Business Plan Strategy Session: What Actually Happens

What a business plan strategy session should include, from diagnosis and market reality to gaps, roadmap, education, execution, and follow-up.

Quick check

What belongs in the Later column of a Now, Next, Later roadmap?

Choose an answer

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a product roadmap before I start my business?
Not a formal one. A one page Now, Next, Later is enough for most small businesses, and many service businesses never need more. What helps from day one is writing down which customer problem comes first.
When does a roadmap first become useful?
When more than one person works on the product, or when requests start competing: a developer asks what to build, a client asks for something new, and you need an answer better than "whatever came last".
How do I plan a roadmap without a team?
List three to five problems your customers have, pick the one that costs you the most customers today and put it under Now. Put the next one under Next and the rest under Later. It all fits on one page.
Should I share my roadmap with customers?
You can share the problems you are working on, which builds trust. Keep dates off everything beyond Now, so a change of plan does not become a broken promise.
Why does a roadmap matter for a business already running?
It stops the loudest request from setting the agenda. When a new idea arrives, you check it against the problems already in order, and it either moves up for a reason or waits.
What goes wrong without a roadmap?
Work follows whoever asked last. The developer or the agency builds one feature after another, nobody can say which problem each one solves, and the money goes to things that do not change what customers do.
How do I start without stopping daily work?
Take one hour, draw the three columns on a sheet and fill Now with the one problem you will work on this month. Come back to the sheet at the end of the month.
How do I handle changing priorities?
Move rows between columns. A roadmap is meant to change as you learn. Note why a row moved, so the next change is easier to explain.
What does a product roadmap mean in plain words?
It is a one page answer to "what are we fixing next, and why". The near items are clear, the far ones are rough on purpose.
What is the Now, Next, Later format?
A roadmap in three columns instead of a timeline, created in 2012 by Janna Bastow and Simon Cast while building ProdPad. Now is what you are working on, Next is what comes after it, Later is where you expect to go, with no dates.
Do I need a product manager to write a roadmap?
No. The owner, who hears customers every day, usually knows their problems best. A product manager helps once several people build in parallel.
What is the difference between a roadmap, a backlog and a project plan?
The roadmap says which customer problems come first and why. The backlog is the ordered list of concrete work under it. A project plan sets tasks, owners and dates for one piece of work with a finish line.

Sources: ProdPad, "What Is a Now-Next-Later Roadmap?" (prodpad.com), C. Todd Lombardo, Bruce McCarthy, Evan Ryan and Michael Connors, Product Roadmaps Relaunched (O'Reilly, 2017)

Last reviewed: 2026-09-24

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