• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

JD Meier

High Performance & Innovation Coach

  • ABOUT
  • ARTICLES
    • Latest Articles
    • High Performance
    • Innovation
    • Strategy
    • Digital Transformation
    • Sustainability
    • All Topics
  • BOOKS
  • COURSES
  • RESOURCES
  • COACHING
  • CONTACT

The Power of Strategic Roadmaps: How To Set Expectations and Communicate What’s Going On

by JD Meier

image

“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” — Earl Nightingale

One of the ways to be awesome at work is to create roadmaps that lay out the big “projects” or “initiatives” for your team.

This helps you easily plan in a visual way, get your team on the same page, and communicate to other teams, both your impact and what’s going on.

No “Black Box” Here

Roadmaps smash the perception that your team is a “black box” or that your team is just a random bunch of activity.

Roadmaps are also a great way to help build high performance teams because you can rally the team around the initiatives, and keep everybody focused on the most important outcomes.

Demonstrate Strategic Thinking and Execution Excellence

Another beauty of a great roadmap is that you also instantly set yourself apart from all the teams that don’t have one.   You instantly demonstrate strategic thinking and execution excellence (assuming you plan for a healthy cadence, deliver on your promises, and demonstrate great impact.)

I’ve talked about the power of Visualizing Roadmaps for Execution Excellence before, and I gave some good examples.   Here I want to share another way to visualize your roadmap.

Example Roadmap at a Glance

Here’s one of my favorite samples of a team roadmap at a glance:

image

Your “Editorial Calendar” for Stuff You Ship

The big deal is that this is your “editorial calendar” for other people to easily see what to expect when.

Here are the key design points:

  1. Keep it simple by focusing on just the big projects that are “above the line”
  2. Include a “below the line” section, where you identify important activities to “Run the Business.”
  3. Be able to tell a simple story of why you sequenced the projects and initiatives the way you did, in a way that builds momentum.

If you have a roadmap in place already, good for you.   Practice telling your story of impact, and see how simply everybody on your team can internalize it, and how well understood it is by your partner teams.

If you don’t have a roadmap in place already, now is a great time to put your plan on paper for how you will do great things for the year.

You Might Also Like

7 Habits of Highly Effective Program Managers
10 Success Patterns for Program Managers
Cuttable Scope
How To Lead High-Performance Teams the Agile Way
Kanban for High-Performance Teams
Lessons Learned in Project Execution
Portfolios, Programs, and Projects
Program Management Books
Your New Technical Skills for High-Performance

Category: Program Management

About JD Meier

I help leaders change the world.

Previous Post:The Power of Portfolios, Programs, and Projects for Better Execution, Business Agility, and Strategic Alignment
Next Post:Visualize Your Workstreams with a Roadmap

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

About Me

JD I am J.D. Meier. Microsoft 25 years. I help leaders change the world. Learn more...

Popular Articles

10 Things Great Managers Do
10 Top Business Trends in 2023
40 Hour Work Week at Microsoft
Best Digital Transformation Books
How To Become an Innovator
How To Drive Digital Transformation
How To Lead High-Performance Teams
Innovation Explained
Satya Nadella Quotes
View More...

Become a better leader, innovate better, and achieve greater impact!

I help leaders change the world! As part of your journey, learn how to realize your potential in business and in life through the power of high performance, innovation, and strategy. 

High Performance. Innovation. Strategy.

At the heart of high performance is a culture of continuous learning and growth, pushing us to be more creative than we thought possible. Innovation is the lifeblood of our digital era, a reflection of our commitment to harness technology to redefine boundaries. And strategy is our compass, a thoughtful alignment of our focus and resources.

Better Innovation, Better Results!

Innovation propels us forward, turning once-impossible dreams into tangible realities. It drives economic growth, fosters new ways of thinking, and solves complex problems that stand in the way of progress. Through innovation, we continuously redefine the boundaries of human potential and create a brighter future.

Topics

  • High Performance
  • Innovation
  • Strategy
  • Leadership
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Digital Transformation
  • Sustainability
  • All Topics

Resources

  • Frameworks
  • Trends
  • All Resources

Copyright © 2023 · JD Meier · All Rights Reserved