A key question that often arises when discussing agile is how to develop and maintain a product roadmap in an Agile environment, since both do not seem to co-exist very well together. The constant focus of Agile methodologies on shorter development cycles and repeated prioritization of functionality in the product backlog clashes with a long term product map. Though Agile does not dwell on the Waterfall approach of defining system requirements for months and years to have the development started, it is always mandatory to be well planned and have a clear path ahead for any development effort to succeed.

Hence having a product roadmap even when following an Agile approach is a must. A
product roadmap is a planned approach that helps with strategic project planning and communication of that plan with respect to product releases, functionality listing etc. But it should be formulated by first understanding the target users, the market, and the underlying technologies. Product roadmap forms an integral part of any product strategy and provide the framework for plan changes and the impact they would have on the product. It’s not just about the specific features or functionality of the product, but the long term product vision/goal of how far one would go with it.

The general perception today is that in Agile, unlike the waterfall model, it is difficult to chart out and manage an effective long –term product roadmap. However, Agile reflects the reality better because the planning is done only for the current items and the immediate iterations that may follow. And this necessarily avoids one from making a long-term product goal (say 6-10 months ahead), which may fail because priorities/requirements of the products often change. Moreover, making a long range roadmap has always been a real challenge in general.

In Agile, the roadmap and approximate dates are calculated based on the product backlog and the knowledge of the team velocity. Many a time over-commitment to the customers has been a major issue here. But product managers can certainly employ a centralized system that would ascertain development team velocity, all previously committed requests, and based on that, calculates the next available commit date for a task of importance. This always keeps one in check. A good agile product roadmap should invariably help one deliver the right products with the right features at the right time to the right customers.

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