LATER are the product versions down the line with even more added benefits. Here's how you can communicate priorities over a broad time frame with Now-Next-Later: Release 1.0 is the NOW, and it represents the minimum viable product, while Release 1.1 is the NEXT version of the product with more added benefits. For example, Marvel will typically broadcast release dates two to three years out, but once films get further out, the exact titles that go with those dates remain to be slotted. Instead of specific dates, Now-Next-Later focuses on periods of time, which allows for more flexibility to easily reorganize strategic points without having to rewrite a whole roadmap from scratch. The Now-Next-Later framework is a great way to get around that. Sometimes, roadmaps can devolve into cluttered release calendars with way too many dates. Some companies do roadmaps really well, like how entertainment companies such as Marvel will broadcast its Marvel Cinematic Universe roadmap years into the future. Without a product roadmap, it's easy for products to get overly complicated and for resources to get wasted. It will also be easier to get buy-in from executives and make sure that everyone works towards a common goal. And sure enough, at its most recent AI day, the company released a live demo of the bot, showing the product evolution from a chip in Tesla cars to a robot that can deliver packages.Įven when developing a new product, it's important to have a vision for how it will change over time. For example, at the beginning of 2022, the automaker Tesla updated its product roadmap to highlight how its full self-driving vehicle AI would be used to develop an AI robot called the Tesla bot. Then, add some images or concept art of what the products look like.Įvery product we know has been re-imagined and updated multiple times as it's evolved. The timeline shows how the appearance of products changes over time. On the right side, there's space to make note of the key takeaways of each product for analysis. A product evolution canvas visualizes the products of different competitors to quickly compare them. Next, the core product adds a few more features, and then the full-scale product has all the bells and whistles that the product should eventually include.

This slide shows a product's journey: starting with the minimum viable product, which is the bare minimum, with just the features the product needs to be usable.

A 'Product Evolution' is the journey any product takes to better serve the customers' needs. A good roadmap will show stakeholders the strategic direction planned for a product.

Google slides roadmap template