Cross-functional collaboration in roadmapping
Product roadmaps are powerful tools for alignment across departments. Effective collaboration with different teams improves both the quality of your roadmap and its successful implementation:
- Work with engineering early to understand technical feasibility and potential challenges
- Engage marketing and sales to gain insights on market trends and the competitive landscape
- Include customer success and support to tap into direct user feedback and pain points
- Tailor roadmap discussions to emphasize what matters most to each group
When collaborating cross-functionally, create a shared vocabulary around your roadmap to avoid misunderstandings. Clearly define terms like "committed," "exploring," or "considering" to set appropriate expectations about the certainty of different initiatives.[1]
Pro Tip: As a PM, you’re not expected to be able to identify technical constraints yourself. That’s why it’s essential you build a strong relationship with your engineers, so that you can empower them to give the technical input you need.
References
Top contributors
