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How to Create a Project Roadmap in 6 Steps (+ Example Slide)

Learn to craft a project roadmap slide in 6 steps. Dive into sample templates, pinpoint milestones, and utilize the right framework for seamless alignment.

Hadar Peretz

5 minute read

Project roadmap example
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Short answer

How to Create a Project Roadmap in 6 Steps

  1. Define objectives and scope.

  2. Identify key milestones.

  3. Determine timelines and deadlines.

  4. Allocate resources and budget.

  5. Visualize the roadmap using tools.

  6. Review, share with stakeholders, and adjust.

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What is a Project Roadmap?

A project roadmap is a strategic tool that outlines the vision, direction, and major milestones of a project over time.

It serves as a high-level visual summary, facilitating clear communication among stakeholders and team members regarding key objectives, timelines, and the overall project progression.

Through a roadmap, teams can align on priorities and track progress effectively.

When Should You Use a Project Roadmap?

Project roadmaps ought to be utilized whenever there's a project, program, or project portfolio awaiting management.

A project roadmap ought to be crafted during the project planning stage, yet they’re employed throughout projects as a monitoring tool accessible to all, like key stakeholders, project managers, and team members.

Owing to their straightforwardness, project roadmaps are frequently employed by project managers, program managers, and project management offices (PMOs) as portfolio management instruments.

With project roadmaps, they can monitor their multiple projects with ease

Key Differences: Project Roadmap, Product Roadmap, and Project Plan

While the first outlines key milestones, the second forecasts product evolution, and the third dives into task specifics, ensuring seamless progression from idea to execution in your project management journey.

Project Roadmap vs. Product Roadmap

A project roadmap focuses on the execution of project tasks within specified timelines, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned on the project's goals.

On the other hand, a product roadmap is a strategic document outlining the vision and direction of the product over time.

Project Roadmap:

  • Execution-focused

  • Emphasizes timelines and milestones

  • Concerned with project delivery

Product Roadmap:

  • Strategy-focused

  • Highlights feature development and releases

  • Concerned with product evolution and long-term goals

Project Roadmap vs. Project Plan

A project plan is a detailed document outlining the approach, schedules, and resource allocations necessary for the execution of a project. It's crucial for day-to-day management and tracks the finer details, unlike the high-level overview provided by a project roadmap.

Project Roadmap:

  • High-level overview

  • Visualizes major milestones and timelines

Project Plan:

  • Detailed execution plan

  • Specifies tasks, resources, and schedules

  • Addresses risks and mitigation strategies

What Should Be Included In a Project Roadmap Slide?

A project roadmap extends beyond a mere project timeline, encompassing various project management aspects essential for its formulation.

8 essentials for a project roadmap slide:

  1. The project aims: It mainly outlines high-level aims, detailed further in the project charter.

  2. Project risks: Lists major risks that could affect scope, schedule, or stakeholder expectations.

  3. Project timeline: Highlights key milestones and deliverables, with an option for Gantt charts for more detail.

  4. Task dependencies: Identifies dependencies, ideally through Gantt chart software.

  5. Project resources: Enumerates essential human and physical resources.

  6. Key individuals: Names of main stakeholders, project roles, and contact avenues.

  7. Kickoff meeting: Ensures clear stakeholder expectations, with a prepared agenda.

  8. Roles & responsibilities: Defines participants' tasks and deliverables for tracking.

6 Steps to Create a Project Roadmap

Creating a project roadmap clarifies project objectives, milestones, and resources for stakeholders.

It’s a pivotal communication tool ensuring alignment from project inception to completion. These six steps provide a structured approach for crafting a well-planned, effectively communicated roadmap.

1) Define Objectives and Scope

Before diving into the roadmap creation, it's essential to have a clear understanding of what the project aims to achieve. Defining objectives and scope sets the foundation for the entire project.

  • Establish clear and measurable objectives that the project aims to achieve.

  • Determine the scope of the project, including the specific deliverables and boundaries.

2) Identify Key Milestones

Identifying key milestones is crucial as they serve as significant markers of progress throughout the project.

They help in keeping everyone aligned and aware of major achievements or phases.

  • List the significant milestones that mark the progress toward achieving the project objectives.

  • Define criteria for each milestone to measure its successful completion.

3) Determine Timelines and Deadlines

Timelines and deadlines are fundamental for keeping the project on track and ensuring timely delivery.

They provide a clear schedule for all involved, enabling better planning and resource allocation.

  • Establish a timeline indicating when each milestone should be achieved.

  • Set deadlines for key tasks and activities, ensuring they are realistic and achievable.

For more details and interactive timeline templates, explore our resourceful collection designed to visualize project milestones and plans effortlessly.

4) Allocate Resources and Budget

Resource and budget allocation are at the heart of implementing a project plan, ensuring that the necessary resources are available when needed.

A well-prepared budget keeps the project financially on track and helps in avoiding any unnecessary surprises.

  • Identify the resources required for the project, including human resources, materials, and equipment.

  • Establish a budget that covers all necessary expenses and contingencies.

5) Visualize the Roadmap using Tools:

Visualizing the roadmap makes the project plan easily understandable to all stakeholders, aiding in better communication and alignment.

Utilizing tools can significantly streamline this process, making the roadmap accessible and easy to update.

Use roadmapping tools such as Trello, Jira, or Monday.com to create a visual representation of your project roadmap. If you choose Jira, Jira keyboard shortcuts will be a nice way to speed up your editing, navigation, and overall workflow efficiency.

Expert advice: Utilize advanced features to integrate dynamic dependency visualization for real-time tracking and automatic roadmap adjustments as task statuses change.

Here's an example of an interactive project roadmap slide, crafted using our templates, as part of a multimedia presentation deck by one of our clients:

Create a competition slide like this one

6) Review, Share with Stakeholders, and Adjust:

Sharing the roadmap with stakeholders and gathering their feedback ensures that everyone is on the same page.

It's a dynamic document; thus, reviewing and adjusting based on feedback and changing circumstances is crucial for staying on the right track.

  • Conduct a thorough review of the roadmap to ensure all aspects are covered and realistic.

  • Share the roadmap with key stakeholders to gather feedback and ensure alignment.

  • Adjust the roadmap as necessary, based on feedback received and any changes in project circumstances or objectives.

Templates for Interactive Project Roadmap Slides

Conveying your roadmap in an engaging, clear manner to stakeholders and investors can be daunting.

This is where our interactive roadmap templates come into play, meticulously designed to deliver clarity, consistency, and impact in your presentations.

Eager to Plot Your Path? Venture into our gallery. Regardless of whether you're well-versed in roadmap intricacies or are just embarking, we have a custom template ready to animate your strategy.

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Creative project roadmap slide
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IT project roadmap
IT project roadmap template
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Project management roadmap
Project management roadmap template
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Portfolio roadmap
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General project roadmap
General project roadmap slide
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7 Best Tools to Create Interactive Project Roadmap Slides

  1. Trello: Enables visual project planning with customizable templates.

  2. Jira: Offers detailed road mapping capabilities for agile projects.

  3. Monday.com: Facilitates colorful, visual roadmaps with dependencies.

  4. Storydoc: Provides interactive narratives making roadmaps engaging.

  5. Asana: Provides timeline views for project roadmaps.

  6. Smartsheet: Delivers robust roadmap templates with Gantt charts.

  7. Airtable: Supports interactive, visual roadmap creation with diverse views.

Hadar Peretz

I am a Marketing Specialist at Storydoc, I research, analyze and write on our core topics of business presentations, sales, and fundraising. I love talking to clients about their successes and failures so I can get a rounded understanding of their world.

Table of contents
How to create a project roadmap What is a project roadmap? When should you use a project roadmap? Key differences: project roadmap, product roadmap, and project plan What should be included in a project roadmap slide? Steps to create a project roadmap Example of an interactive project roadmap slide Templates for interactive project roadmap slides Tools to create interactive project roadmap slides
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