Introduction
The development of a project roadmap is a very overlooked part of the project planning process. The assumption is that you can figure out the specifics of a project along the way.
I’m here to tell you that this is possibly the worst thing you can do.
Without defined goals and objectives, milestones and a clear sense of where you want to go, you risk a lot of avoidable mistakes. For example, you risk scrapping your project and starting over again. The reason is simple – you and your team may be unclear as to why you’re doing something. Another example is the risk of losing track. Trust me – it’s really easy to lose track of a project when you don’t have milestones.
In the copywriting world, this looks like:
- Unclear success metrics
- Undefined tone and voice
- Lack of understanding about why something is needed
- Unnecessary brainstorm meetings
- Unrealistic expectations about what copy can do
With a roadmap, you avoid all of that.
What is a roadmap?
A project roadmap is a strategic plan that helps you get from where you are to where you want to be. It helps you define your goals, milestones and anything else you need to position your project for the greatest success.
You’ll find many definitions and examples of roadmaps. But what’s most important is what goes into one. I like the list of items that Wrike’s Project Management Guide provides:
- Project goals and objectives
- A timeline indicating the schedule
- Important milestones and deliverables
- Possible risks
- Dependencies
NOTE: This is a general overview of what goes into a project roadmap. The roadmaps I provide are slightly different. I’ll explain more below.
Types of projects
Roadmaps are great for many kinds of projects, including:
- Copy/Content
- Brand storytelling
- Marketing
- Blogging/Thought Leadership
- Brainstorming
What are the benefits of a project roadmap?
Keep track of your project from a big picture view
A roadmap is a high-level document. So, it can serve as a reference point for your entire project. It will help you be accountable to the project journey and be flexible at the same time. Remember, roadmaps are very visual.
Make priority decisions
You can easily pinpoint where you may have some wiggle room. Roadmaps ensure that you and your team are all on the same page. If any risks or constraints arise, you can refer to your project roadmap to remember goals and objectives, which will help you make priority decisions. You avoid a lot of miscommunication and in-fighting this way.
Communicate goals and plans
Roadmaps help keep everyone on the same page about the project, including your key stakeholders. Let’s say you’re in negotiations to hire a freelance copywriter to help you with your content marketing plan, but not everyone agrees with this decision. A project roadmap allows you to problem solve. Your team members have to justify their decisions in accordance with the project goals. A bonus benefit is that you can manage stakeholder expectations without any fuss.
Why do you need one?
Most of the time, projects start off really messy. Tell me if any of these scenarios sound familiar:
- Your team has a project, but it’s not well-defined
- You know what you want to do, but you can’t justify it
- You don’t have clarity around your goals
- You’re unsure about what problem you’re actually solving
- You can’t figure out why something isn’t working
A roadmap clarifies all of this for you without overwhelming you with tiny details. That’s it. That’s the reason: project roadmaps provide clarity without the stress.
You may think that project roadmaps are too small for copywriting and content marketing projects. But when you’re working on a team and want results, process and long-term effort, project roadmaps are the best way to go.
They don’t have to be super long. Remember, they’re high-level overviews of projects. They are just detailed enough to get things started. The bonus is that project roadmaps are also useful as starting places for the development of more detailed project documents, such as project proposals, project plans and project charters.
Over to you
If you’re still saying to yourself, “Yeah, I’m still not sure I know what I want or if a project roadmap makes sense for my project”, that’s perfectly normal. It’s a big decision in your project planning process. Here’s how I can help:
My communications audit service helps organizations and companies evaluate and analyze their content so that they can gain a clear understanding of what problems they’re facing and how to solve them. Check out the details of my communications audit service and then let’s get in touch!