Relativity Product Backlog and Product Roadmap
A notable tool that will provide you with the information you need to move forward in the coming months is a product backlog. However, the tool isn’t the most effective for long-term productivity growth. Product roadmap enters the picture here. It explains how the product is anticipated to develop over the long run.
Since both are crucial tools for effective product management, product managers need to understand how they differ from one another. Naturally, the strategy from your roadmap determines how the backlog is prioritized. However, you run the risk of forgetting your product strategy in favor of other backlog items if your roadmap and backlog aren’t in sync (and vice versa).
To ensure that you have a better knowledge of both tools, let’s go through how the product roadmap and product backlog differ from one another.
Product Roadmap
The product roadmap is a high-level document created to define and explain the strategic goals, priorities, and plans for your product. It’s a tool made to make it easier for you to describe where and why you’re headed with your product. Your leadership team, product team, development team, and even your customers are the primary recipients of your roadmap.For a detailed study on this, enroll at Certified Scrum Product Owner Training and for the certified scrum product owner certification cost visit Universal Agile website.
Product Backlog
The backlog is a tactical list that keeps track of the tasks at the task level needed to carry out the roadmap’s strategic plan. It’s a tool made to make sure you complete your tasks. The product and development teams make up the primary audience.
Both the roadmap and the backlog should be simply accessible, shareable, current, and quickly adapted to the target audience for successful agile product development.
Product Backlog vs. Product Roadmap
A strategic tool for product planning, a product roadmap explains the vision, direction, priorities, and growth over the long term, let’s say a year. It is an action plan with short- and long-term product goals and strategies for achieving them that simplifies the business. A product roadmap makes it easier to collaborate with stakeholders, secure funding, and coordinate efforts. As a result, it is essential for creating and releasing various products.
A product backlog, on the other hand, organizes the specifics into task-level lists and priorities. It includes process diagrams, user stories, epics, UI design sketches, and mock-ups, among other essential information on producing a product. In contrast to a roadmap, a product backlog serves as a tactical tool that guides the development team. The development of the product can be followed over time.
When thinking about the product development process, a roadmap for the product comes first. It lays out the plan, the goal, and the course. The product backlog, however, follows the roadmap. It discusses the precise tasks required to produce the ideal product and is generated from the roadmap.
How Do Product Roadmaps and Product Backlogs Differ?
In the process of developing a product, both product backlogs and roadmaps are crucial. Each tool also has advantages and disadvantages. The ideal product can be produced with the proper application of both tools.
The overall product development plan is the main emphasis of a product roadmap. While a backlog concentrates on the nuances and minutiae of each activity.
The executive team and other stakeholders are the major users of a roadmap. A product backlog, on the other hand, is mostly for the development teams.
While a backlog communicates the task specifics and steps to carry out the plan, a roadmap aims to communicate the overall strategy to the stakeholders.
How is the product backlog and product roadmap related?
The product backlog’s foundation is established by a product roadmap. A backlog is derived from the roadmap. A backlog contains the specifics required to continue the product’s progress, whereas a roadmap predicts the product’s long-term growth. In other words, a product roadmap acts as the backlog’s roof.
This implies that your product backlog will have the appropriate inputs if you have a realistic product roadmap. Therefore, you must first establish the product roadmap to obtain the plans, priorities, and overall strategy. The development team can then begin to build on a backlog of specific tasks, stories, and action items that represent the wider vision.
To effectively use the product backlog and roadmap, product managers must follow the guidelines listed below.
1. Create a product backlog using the product roadmap
The appropriate roadmap will result in the appropriate backlog, as we have already said. You can develop a roadmap to serve as the foundation for your backlog.
For instance, include the proper product goals in the roadmap; these goals should describe the advantages your product should offer, such as boosting engagement, enhancing technical elements, gaining consumers, etc. The emphasis on your product backlog can then be on these objectives.
With this method, you’ll have a brief and simple-to-update product backlog. So long as your product continues to develop, a backlog like this will be helpful.
2. Keep the backlog and product roadmap separate.
Make sure to keep the overlap between the two tools to a minimum. The distinction between the two may become muddled if a roadmap has too many specifics and the backlogs are overly focused on the future. This could lead to a product roadmap that is intricate, sophisticated, and challenging to maintain. Additionally, such a roadmap cannot serve as the proper foundation for a backlog.
Therefore, keep the two instruments apart and capitalize on each one’s advantages. Let your plan serve as a detailed document that summarizes the route and the backlog.
3. Consistently match the backlog and the plan
Both tools must be kept in parallel maintenance. Keeping them in sync entails doing so. Maintain both tools up to date and make sure they convey the same messages to the stakeholders. To do this, you must frequently consult the roadmap to make sure the prioritized items in the backlog comply with their strategy, objectives, and goals.
Conclusion
You’ll be in a better position to decide on both the strategic and tactical strategies for your products when your roadmap and backlog are properly linked.
