Creating and Managing a Roadmap

How to get there: Click Boards in the sidebar → select your Roadmap board. Configure roadmap boards in Settings → Boards.

Learn how to create, configure, and manage product roadmaps in ProductLift to communicate your product plans transparently with customers and stakeholders.

What is a Roadmap in ProductLift?

A roadmap in ProductLift is a dedicated board that displays your product plans, showing features organized by status (Planned, In Progress, Testing, Released). Unlike static roadmaps in spreadsheets, ProductLift roadmaps are dynamic, connected to customer feedback, and can be shared publicly to build transparency and trust.

Roadmaps help you communicate what you're building, when you expect to ship, and why you're prioritizing certain features over others.

When to Use a Roadmap

Use a roadmap to:

  • Show customers what features you're planning and building
  • Build trust through transparency about product direction
  • Reduce support inquiries ("When will you add X?")
  • Align team around shared product priorities
  • Track development progress visually
  • Keep stakeholders informed about plans

Roadmap vs. Feedback Board:

  • Feedback Board: All ideas and requests (including ones you won't build)
  • Roadmap: Committed features you're planning or actively building
  • Posts move from Feedback Board to Roadmap when you commit to building them

Creating a Roadmap Board

Step 1: Access Board Settings

  • Navigate to Settings → Boards
  • Click "Create Board" or edit existing roadmap board

[Screenshot: Boards management page showing list of existing boards with + Create Board button]

Step 2: Configure Roadmap Board

Basic Settings:

Board Name:

  • Choose a clear name: "Roadmap", "What We're Building", "Product Plans"
  • Consider your audience (technical vs. non-technical customers)

Board Type:

  • Select "Roadmap" from board type dropdown
  • This enables roadmap-specific features and views

Icon:

  • Choose an icon representing roadmaps (calendar, map, compass)
  • Icons help with quick navigation

Color:

  • Pick a brand color for the board
  • Hex code format: #5469d4
  • Consistent with your brand palette

[Screenshot: Board creation form showing name input "Roadmap", type dropdown set to "Roadmap", icon picker, and color picker]

Visibility Settings:

Control who can access your roadmap:

Public (Recommended):

  • Anyone can view the roadmap, even without logging in
  • Builds trust and transparency with customers
  • Reduces support inquiries

Members Only:

  • Only logged-in users can view
  • Good for B2B products where all users have accounts
  • More controlled sharing

Group-Restricted:

  • Only specific user groups can access
  • Example: Beta testers, enterprise customers, early access program
  • Tiered roadmap access

Admin Only:

  • Internal roadmap for team planning
  • Not visible to customers
  • Use for internal strategic planning before public sharing

[Screenshot: Visibility settings showing radio buttons for Public, Members Only, Group-Restricted (with group selector), and Admin Only]

Permission Settings:

Define what visitors can do on your roadmap:

Voting:

  • Allow voting on roadmap items: Yes/No
  • Enables customers to show continued interest

Commenting:

  • Allow comments: Yes/No
  • Lets customers provide input during development

Following:

  • Allow following posts: Yes/No
  • Customers get updates as features progress

Creating Posts:

  • Who can create posts: Admins only (recommended for roadmaps)
  • Roadmap posts typically come from promoted feedback, not direct creation

Step 3: Configure Roadmap Statuses

Map workflow statuses to your roadmap:

Navigate to Settings → Statuses

Ensure you have statuses appropriate for roadmap workflow:

Recommended Roadmap Statuses:

Planned:

  • Committed features for upcoming quarters
  • Not yet started development
  • Color: Blue or light blue

In Progress:

  • Currently in active development
  • Team is working on it now
  • Color: Yellow or orange

Testing:

  • Development complete, in QA or beta testing
  • Almost ready to ship
  • Color: Purple or violet

Ready to Ship:

  • Testing complete, awaiting deployment
  • Deploy planned for next release
  • Color: Green

Released:

  • Shipped to production
  • Often moves to Changelog board after release
  • Color: Green or gray (archived)

[Screenshot: Status management showing roadmap statuses with colors, board assignments, and drag-to-reorder functionality]

Assign Statuses to Roadmap Board:

For each status:

  • Check the "Roadmap" checkbox in board assignments
  • Posts with these statuses automatically appear on roadmap
  • Posts can appear on multiple boards (Feedback Board + Roadmap)

Example Status-to-Board Mapping:

Status Feedback Board Roadmap Changelog
New ✓
Under Review ✓
Planned ✓ ✓
In Progress ✓
Testing ✓
Released ✓

Managing Roadmap Content

Adding Items to Roadmap

Method 1: Promote from Feedback Board

Most roadmap items start as customer feedback:

  1. Navigate to Feedback Board
  2. Find prioritized post to add to roadmap
  3. Open the post
  4. Change status to "Planned" (or your roadmap status)
  5. Post automatically appears on Roadmap board
  6. Voters receive notification

[Screenshot: Post status change from "Under Review" to "Planned" with notification being sent]

Method 2: Create Post Directly on Roadmap

For internally-driven features:

  1. Navigate to Roadmap board
  2. Click "Create Post" (admin-only)
  3. Fill in post details
  4. Set status to roadmap status ("Planned")
  5. Publish

Method 3: Bulk Promotion

Add multiple features to roadmap at once:

  1. On Feedback Board, select multiple posts (checkboxes)
  2. Bulk Actions → Change Status → "Planned"
  3. Optionally add comment explaining why you're building these
  4. All posts move to roadmap simultaneously
  5. All voters notified

Organizing Roadmap Items

By Status (Default View):

Posts automatically group by status:

  • Planned column: Features you're committed to build
  • In Progress column: Currently in development
  • Testing column: In QA/beta
  • Released column: Recently shipped

By Timeline:

Add target dates to organize by quarters or months:

  • Add "Target Date" or "Expected Quarter" in post description
  • Use custom fields for timeline data
  • Filter roadmap view by timeline

By Priority:

Within each status, prioritize posts:

  • Drag to reorder posts within a status
  • Top posts = highest priority
  • Helps team understand what to work on next

By Category:

Organize by product area:

  • Filter roadmap by category (Mobile, Integrations, Core)
  • Show focused roadmaps for specific areas
  • Useful for multi-product companies

Kanban Board View

Switch to Kanban View:

  • On Roadmap board, click "Board View" or "Kanban"
  • See columns for each status
  • Drag and drop posts between statuses
  • Visual workflow management

[Screenshot: Kanban board with 5 columns (Planned, In Progress, Testing, Ready, Released) showing posts as cards with drag handles]

Drag-and-Drop Status Changes:

  • Grab a post card
  • Drag to different column
  • Drop to change status
  • Status change triggers notifications to followers

Kanban Benefits:

  • Visual representation of progress
  • Quick status updates
  • Team can see workload per status
  • Identify bottlenecks (too many in Testing)

See Kanban Board Management for detailed Kanban features.

Roadmap Visibility and Sharing

Public Roadmap URL

Share your roadmap directly:

  • URL format: https://yourcompany.productlift.com/roadmap
  • Add link to your website footer
  • Include in app navigation
  • Share in onboarding emails
  • Link from support documentation

Embedded Roadmap Widget

Embed roadmap on your website:

  1. Navigate to Settings → Widgets → Roadmap Widget
  2. Customize appearance (colors, layout, statuses to show)
  3. Copy embed code snippet
  4. Add to your website HTML

Example Embed Code:

<div id="productlift-roadmap"></div>
<script>
  window.ProductLiftRoadmap = {
    workspace: 'yourcompany',
    board: 'roadmap',
    view: 'kanban',  // or 'list', 'timeline'
    statuses: ['planned', 'in-progress', 'testing'],  // which to display
    limit: 20  // max posts to show
  };
</script>
<script src="https://app.productlift.com/roadmap-widget.js" async></script>

[Screenshot: Embedded roadmap widget showing Kanban board on company website with branded colors]

See Roadmap Widgets for widget customization.

Roadmap Filters for Visitors

Allow customers to filter your public roadmap:

  • By Category: Show only Mobile features, or Integrations
  • By Status: See only Planned items, or In Progress
  • By Tag: Filter by platform (iOS, Android, Web)

Enable filters in roadmap board settings.

Updating the Roadmap

Regular Roadmap Updates

Weekly Updates:

During sprint planning or standups:

  • Review In Progress items: Any ready to move to Testing?
  • Review Testing items: Any ready to Release?
  • Add new items to Planned from prioritized feedback

Status Update Workflow:

  1. Open post on roadmap
  2. Change status to next stage
  3. Add progress comment for followers
  4. Notifications sent automatically

Example Progress Comment:

We've completed the backend API and are now working on the UI components. Testing expected to begin next week.

Communicating Changes

Status Change Notifications:

Automatic emails sent when:

  • Planned → In Progress: "We've started working on this!"
  • In Progress → Testing: "Almost ready - now testing!"
  • Testing → Released: "We shipped it!"

Customize email templates for each status (Settings → Emails).

Manual Update Comments:

Add comments even without status changes:

  • Weekly progress updates
  • Milestone celebrations
  • Blocker explanations
  • Timeline adjustments

Example Update:

Update (Week 3): Design review complete! Engineering has started on the authentication flow. Mobile UI will follow next week.

Handling Delays and Changes

Delayed Features:

Be transparent when timelines slip:

  1. Add comment explaining delay
  2. Update expected timeline in post
  3. Explain reason (technical complexity, reprioritization, dependencies)
  4. Followers receive update notification

Example Delay Communication:

Timeline Update: We've discovered some technical complexity with cross-platform compatibility that requires additional time. We're now targeting Q3 instead of Q2. Thanks for your patience!

Cancelled Features:

When you decide not to build something:

  1. Change status to "Won't Build" or "On Hold"
  2. Add detailed comment explaining why
  3. Be honest: reprioritized, technical constraints, strategic shift
  4. Offer alternative solutions if available

Example Cancellation Communication:

After deeper analysis, we've decided not to pursue this feature. Instead, we're focusing on the integration approach which solves the same problem more elegantly. See [Integration Post Link] for details.

Roadmap Best Practices

Scope and Commitment:

Do:

  • ✅ Show 10-20 items in Planned (focused roadmap)
  • ✅ Move items to roadmap only when truly committed
  • ✅ Use "Under Review" status for feedback you're considering but not committed to
  • ✅ Be realistic about timelines

Don't:

  • ❌ Put everything on roadmap (roadmap ≠ wishlist)
  • ❌ Add items to roadmap you're not actually planning to build
  • ❌ Make specific date promises unless very confident
  • ❌ Leave roadmap items stale for 6+ months with no updates

Timeline Communication:

Do:

  • ✅ Use quarters (Q2 2026, Q3 2026) rather than specific dates
  • ✅ Say "Planned for Q2" not "Will ship Q2" (builds in flexibility)
  • ✅ Update timelines when they change
  • ✅ Explain delays honestly

Don't:

  • ❌ Promise specific ship dates unless certain
  • ❌ Let timeline expectations drift without communication
  • ❌ Avoid the topic when delays happen

Transparency:

Do:

  • ✅ Make roadmap public (builds trust)
  • ✅ Update roadmap weekly as progress happens
  • ✅ Add comments explaining progress or blockers
  • ✅ Show both what you're building and what you've shipped (Recently Released section)

Don't:

  • ❌ Hide roadmap from customers (unless competitive reasons)
  • ❌ Let roadmap become stale (updates months old)
  • ❌ Over-promise and under-deliver

Customer Engagement:

Do:

  • ✅ Enable voting and comments on roadmap
  • ✅ Respond to roadmap comments
  • ✅ Thank customers for feedback that shaped features
  • ✅ Show customers their input mattered

Don't:

  • ❌ Ignore comments on roadmap posts
  • ❌ Dismiss customer concerns about priorities
  • ❌ Forget to celebrate shipped features with voters

Roadmap Maintenance

Monthly Roadmap Review

Review Checklist:

  • [ ] Move completed features from Roadmap to Changelog
  • [ ] Update status on all In Progress items
  • [ ] Add newly prioritized features to Planned
  • [ ] Remove or explain any long-stale items
  • [ ] Respond to unanswered roadmap comments
  • [ ] Update timelines if needed

Quarterly Roadmap Refresh

Strategic Review:

  1. Archive Shipped Items:

    • Move Released items to Changelog board
    • Clear roadmap of old completed work
    • Keep roadmap focused on future

  2. Re-prioritize:

    • Review Planned items against current strategy
    • Consider removing items no longer aligned
    • Add high-priority feedback from past quarter

  3. Communicate Changes:

    • Announce quarterly roadmap update
    • Send email newsletter with roadmap highlights
    • Blog post explaining priorities and reasoning

  4. Stakeholder Alignment:

    • Share roadmap with team
    • Ensure engineering, product, sales aligned
    • Adjust based on capacity and goals

Analytics and Insights

Monitor Roadmap Engagement:

  • View count: Are customers visiting roadmap?
  • Vote activity: Which planned items getting most votes?
  • Comments: What questions or concerns are customers raising?
  • Follower count: How many care about each item?

Use Data to Inform Planning:

  • High votes on Planned item = validate prioritization
  • Many comments asking "when?" = communicate timeline
  • Low engagement = consider if feature resonates with customers

Common Use Cases

Multi-Product Roadmap

If you have multiple products:

Option 1: Separate Roadmap Boards

  • Create "Product A Roadmap" board
  • Create "Product B Roadmap" board
  • Easier for customers to find relevant features

Option 2: Single Roadmap with Filtering

  • Use categories: "Product A", "Product B"
  • Enable category filtering
  • Customers can filter to their product

Internal vs. External Roadmap

Two Roadmaps:

Public Roadmap (customer-facing):

  • High-level features
  • General timelines (quarters)
  • Sanitized of sensitive information
  • Visibility: Public

Internal Roadmap (team-only):

  • Detailed technical items
  • Specific dates and resource allocation
  • Strategic features not yet public
  • Visibility: Admin Only

Time-Based Roadmap

Organize by Quarters:

Use status names tied to time:

  • "Q2 2026"
  • "Q3 2026"
  • "Q4 2026"
  • "Future"

Posts automatically group by quarter on roadmap.

Benefits:

  • Clear timeline communication
  • Easy to visualize "when"
  • Aligns with business planning cycles

Drawbacks:

  • Requires updating statuses quarterly
  • Less flexible if priorities shift

Troubleshooting

Issue: Posts Not Appearing on Roadmap

Solution:

  • Check post status is assigned to Roadmap board (Settings → Statuses)
  • Verify roadmap board visibility (not Admin Only if customers should see)
  • Ensure post is not archived or deleted

Issue: Too Many Items on Roadmap

Solution:

  • Move older Planned items back to "Under Review" on Feedback Board
  • Be more selective about what gets "Planned" status
  • Archive or move old Released items to Changelog

Issue: Customers Complaining About Roadmap Delays

Solution:

  • Communicate delays proactively with comments
  • Update timelines honestly
  • Explain reasons for delays
  • Show progress even if slower than expected

Issue: Roadmap Becomes Stale

Solution:

  • Set recurring calendar reminder for roadmap review
  • Assign DRI (Directly Responsible Individual) for roadmap updates
  • Make roadmap updates part of sprint ceremonies
  • Use Kanban view in team meetings to update status visually

Use Case Workflows:

Roadmap Features:

Prioritization:

Communication: