Roadmap Update

# Roadmap Update

> If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see [CONNECTORS.md](../../CONNECTORS.md).

Update, create, or reprioritize a product roadmap.

## Usage

``` /roadmap-update $ARGUMENTS ```

## Workflow

### 1. Understand Current State

If **~~project tracker** is connected: - Pull current roadmap items with their statuses, assignees, and dates - Identify items that are overdue, at risk, or recently completed - Surface any items without clear owners or dates

If no project management tool is connected: - Ask the user to describe their current roadmap or paste/upload it - Accept any format: list, table, spreadsheet, screenshot, or prose description

### 2. Determine the Operation

Ask what the user wants to do:

**Add item**: New feature, initiative, or work item to the roadmap - Gather: name, description, priority, estimated effort, target timeframe, owner, dependencies - Suggest where it fits based on current priorities and capacity

**Update status**: Change status of existing items - Options: not started, in progress, at risk, blocked, completed, cut - For "at risk" or "blocked": ask for the blocker and mitigation plan

**Reprioritize**: Change the order or priority of items - Ask what changed (new information, strategy shift, resource change, customer feedback) - Apply a prioritization framework if helpful — see **Prioritization Frameworks** below for RICE, MoSCoW, ICE, and value-vs-effort - Show before/after comparison

**Move timeline**: Shift dates for items - Ask why (scope change, dependency slip, resource constraint) - Identify downstream impacts on dependent items - Flag items that move past hard deadlines

**Create new roadmap**: Build a roadmap from scratch - Ask about timeframe (quarter, half, year) - Ask about format preference (Now/Next/Later, quarterly columns, OKR-aligned) — see **Roadmap Frameworks** below - Gather the list of initiatives to include

### 3. Generate Roadmap Summary

Produce a roadmap view with:

#### Status Overview Quick summary: X items in progress, Y completed this period, Z at risk.

#### Roadmap Items For each item, show: - Name and one-line description - Status indicator (on track / at risk / blocked / completed / not started) - Target timeframe or date - Owner - Key dependencies

Group items by: - Timeframe (Now / Next / Later) or quarter, depending on format - Or by theme/goal if the user prefers

#### Risks and Dependencies - Items that are blocked or at risk, with details - Cross-team dependencies and their status - Items approaching hard deadlines

#### Changes This Update If this is an update to an existing roadmap, summarize what changed: - Items added, removed, or reprioritized - Timeline shifts - Status changes

### 4. Follow Up

After generating the roadmap: - Offer to format for a specific audience (executive summary, engineering detail, customer-facing) - Offer to draft communication about roadmap changes - If project management tool is connected, offer to update ticket statuses

## Roadmap Frameworks

### Now / Next / Later The simplest and often most effective roadmap format:

- **Now** (current sprint/month): Committed work. High confidence in scope and timeline. These are the things the team is actively building. - **Next** (next 1-3 months): Planned work. Good confidence in what, less confidence in exactly when. Scoped and prioritized but not yet started. - **Later** (3-6+ months): Directional. These are strategic bets and opportunities we intend to pursue, but scope and timing are flexible.

When to use: Most teams, most of the time. Especially good for communicating externally or to leadership because it avoids false precision on dates.

### Quarterly Themes Organize the roadmap around 2-3 themes per quarter:

- Each theme represents a strategic area of investment (e.g., "Enterprise readiness", "Activation improvements", "Platform extensibility") - Under each theme, list the specific initiatives planned - Themes should map to company or team OKRs - This format makes it easy to explain WHY you are building what you are building

When to use: When you need to show strategic alignment. Good for planning meetings and executive communication.

### OKR-Aligned Roadmap Map roadmap items directly to Objectives and Key Results:

- Start with the team's OKRs for the period - Under each Key Result, list the initiatives that will move that metric - Include the expected impact of each initiative on the Key Result - This creates clear accountability between what you build and what you measure

When to use: Organizations that run on OKRs. Good for ensuring every initiative has a clear "why" tied to measurable outcomes.

### Timeline / Gantt View Calendar-based view with items on a timeline:

- Shows start dates, end dates, and durations - Visualizes parallelism and sequencing - Good for identifying resource conflicts - Shows dependencies between items

When to use: Execution planning with engineering. Identifying