Anyone can view your public roadmap and see the progress you have made.
This can be nerve-wracking, but it’s understandable. This is a major step in pulling back the curtain. Outsiders can now see the details of your company’s work.
A public roadmap has many benefits, even if it can feel intimidating.
Let’s start with a common concern.
Will competitors steal my ideas if I have a public roadmap?
It can be difficult to forget the fear of a competitor looking at your public roadmap. They might even build features similar to the ones you are currently working on.
It is possible. Realistically, yes. People can copy what you do if you share the details of your process.
However, the potential cons of having a public road map outweigh them. These benefits will be discussed shortly.
The issue of idea theft boils down to this:
Competitors may be looking at your roadmap as a source of inspiration. This means that they rely on your customer base for guidance, not their own. This will ultimately hurt you, not them.
Here are six reasons why a public roadmap is beneficial to you and will help you build a better product.
Six reasons you should have a public roadmap
1. It OFFERS TRANSPARENCY
A public roadmap allows you to share exactly what you are building with your customers.
Transparency is the best way to show the world your work.
Why Matters:
Loyalty is built on transparency. 94% of consumers surveyed on the ROI of transparency said that they would be loyal to brands that are transparent. 73% of respondents said that they would pay more for a transparent company.
It is important to be honest, and open with customers. Using a roadmap to show your customers how you actually work is important. Your customers will be able to see behind the scenes. Your customers will value that level of trust and transparency.
Also Read – Best Roadmap Tools
2. IT MAKES IT EASY TO VISIT WHAT YOU’RE BUILDING AND NOT BUILDING
Users can view your roadmap and see where your priorities are. You’ll let them see your product direction and help them understand your goals.
You can include a roadmap if you are working to improve a feature of your tool. You can also show that your product does not have a feature.
They’ll also see if you aren’t building anything.
Why Matters:
A public roadmap allows potential users to see what you are building if you have key features in your pipeline. This adds value to your product, which you might not have now but will soon.
It can help prevent customer churn if they see active work being done on an important feature. A public-facing roadmap can also be a selling tool for potential customers. This will allow you to demonstrate that your company is actively working on the features they require.
It also shows if you don’t work on a feature. It is better to hear a clear “no” than not knowing.
“It’s a great way for our customers see that their feature requests are not as popular than they thought.”
Tim
These public roadmaps help to put things in perspective. Establishing expectations for what is and is not going to happen will be possible. This will help you avoid leaving your users feeling disappointed or left out.
This is particularly important if you use a tool such as Saasfe, which allows for feature voting. Users will be able to understand why you haven’t added a feature to your roadmap if a suggestion gets only a few votes.
3. IT CUT DOWN ON QUESTIONS
Your users will be able to see the progress of your work and feel less pressure to contact you with any questions.
Customers will be able to see the status of a feature if you regularly update your roadmap. Customers will be less likely to contact you and ask for information about the progress.
Why Matters:
To begin, you’ll reduce the workload on your Customer Success and Customer Experience teams. You will save time updating features if customers are less likely to ask questions about their status.
Your users won’t need to spend time contacting you to ask questions. They can instead just look at your roadmap. Customers will have a better experience if there are fewer hoops to jump through.
4. It reveals how long it takes to accomplish things
A very understanding customer base might be a good thing. They may be able to understand that it can take time to build, test, and ship updates.
Sometimes, frustration can be a part of life. We often want things immediately when we need them.
You can outline your team’s steps to get from A to Z when you create a public roadmap.
You can follow along to see what’s happening and when. They will also be able to see how long it takes for updates and new features to be released.
Why Matters:
It gives you a perspective by showing how long it takes. This gives the process a solid foundation. Instead of rolling out improvements randomly, users can actually see the steps.
This will allow you to manage your timeline expectations better. You’ll be able to better manage your timeline expectations.
Finally, users (and prospects) will appreciate the fact that you’re continually improving. A company that continues to iterate is more appealing than one that built a feature set and called it good.
A roadmap is more than just a guide to how you work and how long it takes. It shows that you are constantly improving and growing.
5. It’s easy to keep your stakeholder updated
Your roadmap contains high-value work. This could be a feature you need to attract a particular customer. It could be a solution that makes an important user happy.
No matter what, there are likely many stakeholders who care about the work you do.
A public roadmap allows everyone to be connected. Automating the process will save you time and reduce the amount of manual labor.
Why Matters:
This is a simple one: It saves time.
Some roadmaps will automatically notify users when a task or project is moved to the next stage or marked as completed.
You can instantly notify key stakeholders if you use a tool such as Saasfe to create your roadmap. Notifications will be sent to key stakeholders immediately, with any new comments or status updates.
This doesn’t only apply to external stakeholders. It is extremely valuable to be able to update your team.
Your sales team may be holding off on a feature they know customers are interested in. They’ll be able to keep prospects informed about your timeline if they are always in touch. Once the feature is available, prospects will be able to see it immediately and close more deals.
Saasfe can integrate your existing project management tools. This is a great way to loop in other members of your team.
The tool you use will determine what features you have. These features won’t be available in tools like Trello that are not specifically designed for road mapping.
6. IT DEFINES THE PROCESS – FEEDBACK TO FEATURE
Your roadmap can be used with a product review tool to show the next steps you will take in response to feedback.
Why Matters:
Perhaps you are using Saasfe to collect feedback. We recommend it. Perhaps you are just keeping track of feedback and the most requested features. We also discussed what you could do to determine whether you require a feedback tool.
No matter what the situation, users will want to know how you are using their input. Do you actually implement any of their requests or suggestions?
It is important to show that you take feedback seriously and use it to improve new features and fixes. It creates a loop. The user can suggest a feature and watch your team work on it. This gives confidence to both the feedback process and your company.
A public roadmap provides transparency and closes loops
Your roadmap should be the next natural step after you collect customer feedback. It is a system that allows users to provide feedback and create new features and improvements.
You can instill confidence in your users by publicly sharing your progress. Your users’ feedback is not just lost in the ether. It’s something you do with it.
