Why it’s time to move to an outcome-based roadmap

In my career, I've spent quite a bit of time drawing up and developing roadmaps. Just in the past 3 years my team and I have prepared product roadmaps in 5 different formats. It was like trying on hats – each time hoping for a better fit. It wasn't just playing around with design; Oh no! We aspired to draft a roadmap that worked hard to capture various stakeholders’ needs, clearly communicated a product vision and overarching objectives of the company.

Over the years I have noticed that most roadmaps run into the same challenge. They end up being glorified lists of features, spread on a timeline. Suddenly, these features move stakeholders from the product vision, and the perception of the roadmap gets narrow and myopic. As a result, the teams see the lists as a backlog that must be executed, even though these features may not necessarily address user needs or align with the company’s priorities.

In this blog post, I aim to share insights gained from hycom extensive experience collaborating with various organizations across different projects. Our focus has always been on moving beyond the feature-oriented roadmap and guiding the companies toward outcome-driven planning.

When a team follows the feature-driven roadmap, it's like being on autopilot: finishing one feature, then hopping onto the next, without pausing to check if it still makes sense in the light of the market dynamics. Product managers, time and again, get stuck in an endless cycle of wrong conversations, focusing solely on getting those features out the door. It's a loop that’s hard to break.

On the surface, feature-driven product roadmaps seem like a smart way to work since you always know what’s next in the pipeline. But in reality, they often lead to the “feature bloat” and loss of the product vision. And so, despite faithfully following the roadmap, the features you've launched haven't moved the needle where it matters.

We’ve seen this issue many times before.

Even the best product managers are often wrong about what features will deliver customer delight. For example, at AirBnB (known for its culture of innovation), 92% percent of A/B tests are failures. They understand that producing features is not enough. Solving problems well is what they are after.

So, what's the way out of this feature-focused maze?

It’s time to pivot from features to outcomes. It’s about time to say "no" to just ticking off feature after feature and starting to address actual business needs. Think about the impact: What problem needs to be solved within the next 6 or 12 months? How will your solution transform the experience for the customers?

Transitioning to an outcome-based approach changes product roadmaps (of, for example, eCommerce solutions) from a feature factory to a strategic compass. This change in thinking aligns every listed item with a purpose and metrics, ensuring that the item, no matter how small, contributes towards a larger, strategic goal.

In today's data-driven age, the success of a product is often measured through metrics and KPIs. The outcome-driven roadmap supports aligning metrics with strategic objectives to ensure that every effort moves the product toward its desired state. In the outcome-driven approach, product decisions are based on data because the teams constantly evaluate whether the features moved the business needle as intended. If not, they will know it sooner and can change the approach or iterate again.

In the fast business world, smart teams listen closely to feedback and use data to guide them. This smart move means they don’t waste time or money building things that people don’t want or need.