089: What Makes a Good Roadmap?

Sponsors

• Audible - get a free audiobook from Audible with no strings attached at https://workingcode.dev/audible

Like Michelangelo with a block of marble, we engineers often like to dive right into the code and let the application reveal itself to us. And while this may work on a very small scale, this extreme bias-towards-action isn't prudent for larger teams or companies with a growing client-base. Mature companies have roadmaps. They weigh the benefits of building one feature against the opportunity cost of not building another feature. Mature companies get buy-in both internally and externally. They then evolve their vision based on that feedback when it make sense; or, they apply grit when it is required.

Or, at least that's the hope. Because, in reality, building a roadmap isn't easy. There are so many competing interests and such a limited amount of time. And then, there are Black Swan events like Covid-19, that force us all to stop and completely re-evaluate everything.

This week on the show, the crew talks about what goes into a good roadmap; how we can avoid certain pitfalls; and, we question how far into the future a company should be looking on their roadmap.

Follow the show and be sure to join the discussion on Discord! Our website is workingcode.dev and we're @WorkingCodePod on Twitter and Instagram. New episodes drop weekly on Wednesday.

And, if you're feeling the love, support us on Patreon.

With audio editing and engineering by ZCross Media.

Episode source