AoAD2 Practice: Roadmaps

This is an excerpt from The Art of Agile Development, Second Edition. Visit the Second Edition home page for additional excerpts and more!

This excerpt is copyright 2007, 2021 by James Shore and Shane Warden. Although you are welcome to share this link, do not distribute or republish the content without James Shore’s express written permission.

Roadmaps

Audience
Product Managers

Our stakeholders know what to expect from us.

Ultimately, accountability is about providing good value for your organization’s investment. In a perfect world, your business stakeholders will trust your team to do so without close supervision. This is achievable, but it usually takes a year or two of delivering reliably first.

Allies
Stakeholder Trust
Stakeholder Demos

In the meantime, your organization is going to want to oversee your team’s work. Stakeholder demos help, but managers often want to know more about what you’re doing and what to expect. You’ll share this information in your roadmap.

Agile roadmaps don’t have to look like traditional software roadmaps. I’m using the term fairly loosely, to encompass a variety of ways that teams share information about their progress and plans. Some roadmaps are detailed and to the point, for sharing with managers; others are high-level and glossy, for sharing with customers.

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In this Section

  1. Roadmaps
    1. Agile Governance
    2. Option 1: Just the Facts
    3. Option 2: General Direction
    4. Option 3: Date and Approximate Scope
    5. Option 4: Detailed Plans and Predictions
    6. Corporate Tracking Tools
    7. When Your Roadmap Isn’t Good Enough
      1. Cargo Cult: The Deadline
    8. Questions
    9. Prerequisites
    10. Indicators
    11. Alternatives and Experiments
    12. Further Reading

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