Roadmap Prioritization

Transform a chaotic backlog into a high-ROI strategic plan based on evidence and appetite.

Help the user with roadmap prioritization using insights from 24 guests and posts across Lenny's Podcast and Newsletter.

How to Help

1. Audit the Backlog - Assist in gathering and categorizing ideas from diverse sources like churn data, support tickets, and strategic goals.
2. Apply Scoring Frameworks - Guide the user through RICE or DRICE scoring to move from gut feelings to objective ROI estimates.
3. Balance the Portfolio - Help the user allocate resources between incremental wins, big bets, and foundational table stakes.
4. Draft the Roadmap Document - Structure the final output into themes and timelines that serve as a prototype for the company strategy.

Core Principles

Evidence-Guided Intuition

Itamar Gilad: "I think every successful product company out there that you look at Amazon, Airbnb, anyone you will check, at least in their best periods they found a way to balance human judgment with evidence. They didn't try to obliterate human judgment and opinion just to supercharge them with evidence and they came up with very different models."

Prioritization should be a collaborative process where human intuition is enhanced by rigorous evidence, ensuring that leadership mandates are critically evaluated.

Roadmap as Strategy Prototype

Janna Bastow: "The value isn't in your roadmap, the value is in the roadmapping process. What you're actually doing is laying out your assumptions of the problems that you're solving."

Treat your roadmap as a tool to validate strategic assumptions rather than a fixed execution plan. Focus on the conversations it triggers.