Why Companies Should Have a Public Product Roadmap?
Why Companies Should Have a Public Product Roadmap
In today’s fast-paced business landscape, customers expect transparency. As organizations strive to build trust with their customer base, a public product roadmap becomes an invaluable tool for fostering transparency, aligning business objectives with user expectations, and driving customer engagement. A public product roadmap is a blueprint of where your product is heading, what features are being developed, and when customers can expect updates.
For SaaS companies, the adoption of a public product roadmap can revolutionize the way they interact with their users. The idea is simple yet powerful: by showing your customers exactly what you're working on, you demonstrate that you listen to their feedback, that you value their input, and that you're committed to continuously improving the product.
Transparency Builds Trust
A key reason why companies should have a public product roadmap is that it helps build trust. Transparency about the features you're working on, along with realistic timelines, fosters an environment of honesty between you and your users. Customers appreciate when a company openly shares its goals and plans because it makes them feel like active participants in the product’s development. It turns them from passive users into engaged contributors, and when they feel that their opinions are valued, their loyalty to your brand is more likely to increase.
Enhances Customer Engagement and Feedback Loops
One of the greatest benefits of a public roadmap is that it invites feedback. When users can see what’s on the horizon, they’re more likely to share their thoughts on whether the upcoming features meet their needs. They might even suggest new features or modifications, which can be integrated into your planning. Public roadmaps empower customers to vote on features they want most, creating a dynamic feedback loop that directly influences the product development process.
Companies like Front, GitHub, and Buffer are prime examples of this approach. They’ve successfully turned their product roadmaps into an interactive space where customers can leave feedback, vote on features, and even track progress in real-time. This feedback loop ensures that products are developed with the customer’s needs at the forefront, making it easier for businesses to prioritize high-impact changes.
Aligns Internal and External Stakeholders
A public product roadmap is not just a tool for customer engagement; it’s also a critical resource for internal stakeholders. Whether it’s your development team, marketing team, or sales team, having a public product roadmap helps ensure that everyone is on the same page. It aligns your internal teams around the same goals, timelines, and expectations, reducing misunderstandings and increasing efficiency.
Moreover, having a roadmap that’s open to both customers and employees ensures that all parties are aware of what’s coming up and what to expect next. This alignment makes it easier for teams to plan marketing strategies, sales efforts, and customer support actions around upcoming releases, creating a cohesive strategy across the company.
Builds Anticipation and Excitement
By sharing the upcoming features, improvements, and releases, companies can create a buzz about their product. If customers know what’s coming down the pipeline, they’re more likely to anticipate and engage with new releases. This anticipation not only leads to excitement but can also drive early adoption of new features. A public product roadmap effectively turns the development process into a story that customers can follow, adding an element of suspense and engagement.
Helps Prioritize Development Based on Customer Needs
A public roadmap also gives businesses a tool to prioritize development based on customer input. For example, if multiple customers request the same feature or improvement, it can be moved up the priority list, ensuring that the product evolves in line with what the users want. This is where tools like Rapidr come into play, allowing users to upvote features they’d like to see, which helps guide product managers in decision-making. Prioritizing the customer’s needs over internal assumptions ensures that the product development process is more responsive and customer-centric.
Showcases Progress and Accountability
A public product roadmap offers a clear view of what has been accomplished and what remains to be done. This visibility into progress allows customers to track the evolution of a product and see that you’re meeting your promises. As a result, companies are held accountable for their commitments, which can further solidify customer trust. It’s easy to see why this transparency fosters customer loyalty: they can watch your product grow and know that their feedback is helping shape its future.
Public Roadmap Best Practices
Creating a public product roadmap requires more than just listing a bunch of features. For it to be effective, your roadmap should be clear, structured, and easy to follow. A successful roadmap includes:
Simple Design: Keep it visually appealing but not cluttered. Overloading your roadmap with information can overwhelm customers, while under-explaining it may leave them with unanswered questions.
User Experience: Ensure the roadmap is easy to navigate. Features should be categorized, and progress should be indicated with clear milestones and timelines.
Frequent Updates: Regular updates help keep customers informed about the status of ongoing developments and the release of new features. It also demonstrates that the company is actively working to improve the product.
Communication: Make it easy for customers to leave feedback or vote on features. A robust feedback system integrated with the roadmap can provide real-time insights that help refine future product decisions.
Public Product Roadmap Examples
1. Buffer
Buffer created their public product roadmap to give all stakeholders a clear view of what they are working on, what is in progress, and what they're considering working on! A true peek behind the scenes.
There are four lanes here: Exploring, In Progress, Done, and Leaving It, For Now, categorizing each roadmap item for more clarity.
2. Front
Front's Public Roadmap is a freely accessible page where users can find what has been shipped recently, what they are currently working on, and some ideas of what they will be doing next. More importantly, their users can voice their opinions and vote for the features they most urgently want to see implemented - as mentioned by Front's CEO.
3. Github
Github's public product roadmap lets you learn about what features they're working on, what stage they're in, and when they expect to bring them to users.
The roadmap repository is for communicating GitHub's roadmap. Existing issues are read-only, and we are locking conversations as we begin.
The roadmap is arranged on a project board to give how far out each item is on the horizon. Every product or feature is added to a particular project board column according to the quarter expected to ship next.
4. Lasso
Lasso uses Rapidr to create its public product roadmap, supporting transparent product development on its custom domain.
They streamline their feedback process with a visual public roadmap and update all stakeholders on their product decisions and prioritized features via product roadmap and changelog.
Looking for a public product roadmap tool? Check out Rapidr.io. Sign up now.
5. Slack
Slack mentions that this is a platform product roadmap. They think transparency begets a healthy ecosystem, which is precisely what they are trying to grow with a public roadmap.
6. Loom
Loom is a video messaging tool that helps you get your message across through instantly shareable videos. Loom loves to hear its user's voices; thus, they created a Public Roadmap here to help customers see what we're building next. You can also upvote features to bring them to their priority list and add feedback.
7. Neurosity
Neurosity uses Rapidr to create a public product roadmap to keep its users updated when a feedback request moves through the product development process. Rapidr helps them to:
Communicate their product strategy visually. Get everyone on the same page. Work on highest-priority feature requests.
Achieve customer loyalty and support by presenting an easy-to-use product roadmap with the product vision.
Looking for a public product roadmap tool? Check out Rapidr.io. Sign up now.
8. ClickUp
Clickup maintains its public product roadmap in a public document along with its release notes. They include what they are working on, what's coming next, features in beta, and what has already been shipped on their public roadmap.
9. Monzo
Monzo publicly shares the product roadmap to increase transparency for our loyal customer base. A public product roadmap helps support a feedback loop that creates evangelism and authenticity others don't match. They believe that a company does better if we share with our community and gather feedback as we build.
10. Attendify
Attendify exists to make events more engaging, measurable, and meaningful for everyone by unlocking event data's immense, untapped potential. Their public product roadmap is guided by a single focus on unlocking the value of event engagement.
Conclusion
A public product roadmap is more than just a strategic plan—it's a communication tool that helps build transparency, engagement, and trust with customers. It allows businesses to share their product vision, gather feedback, and align internal teams around a common set of goals. Most importantly, it helps create a loyal customer base by showing that their input drives the product’s evolution. Whether you’re a SaaS company or a product-driven startup, having a public roadmap is an essential step toward building better products and stronger relationships with your customers.
For SaaS companies looking to create a public product roadmap, tools like Rapidr offer an easy way to share product development plans, collect feedback, and engage users throughout the process. If you’re ready to turn your roadmap into a tool that drives product success, check out Rapidr today and start building a customer-centric roadmap that works for you.