Organizations outline a high-level view of their path with a strategic roadmap. This technique roadmap is used to point out the place the group is, the place it desires to go and the way it plans to get there. However the strategic targets and the timeline through which to realize them can change, which implies this communication instrument should be continuously reviewed and revised.
Let’s clarify what a strategic plan is in additional element and spotlight the advantages of utilizing one. Then we’ll break down the parts of a profitable technique roadmap and present you how one can make one in addition to provide some free templates to obtain that will help you get began.
What Is a Strategic Roadmap?
A strategic roadmap is a visible instrument used to speak the strategic plan of an organization. Organizations will create a strategic plan to cowl the place they need to be over the following three to 5 years. It exhibits high-level aims, initiatives and a timeline over which to acquire these targets which are set by the administration group, who direct the hassle for the remainder of the group.
The strategic plan additionally highlights dependencies and potential obstacles that may delay or sidetrack these targets. As famous above, this technique roadmap just isn’t etched in stone. It should evolve with the group and as enterprise situations change. Subsequently, a strategic roadmap needs to be straightforward to edit in order that these modifications will be mirrored and communicated to the remainder of the group. This offers transparency and alignment throughout all departments and from management to particular person contributors.
Roadmaps are Gantt charts, however Gantt charts are tough to make in Excel and even tougher to replace with out utilizing mission administration software program. ProjectManager is an award-winning mission administration software program that makes it straightforward to construct and edit roadmaps. Our roadmaps seize a portfolio of initiatives and enable you to hold them aligned with targets within the quick and long run. You may filter the roadmap, view which initiatives are open and spotlight key metrics for stakeholders. Plus, you possibly can hyperlink all 4 kinds of dependencies to keep away from pricey delays. Get began with ProjectManager at the moment without spending a dime.

Advantages of Making a Strategic Roadmap
There are lots of benefits to creating a strategic roadmap to your group. For one factor, as we’ve already talked about, it’s a transparent and easy-to-communicate instrument that may be shared throughout the group so everybody understands the place the group plans to be and the way it plans to get there. Utilizing a visible instrument like a technique roadmap is usually more practical than paperwork and conferences in getting the message throughout. Listed below are another advantages.
Ensures Mission Alignment With the Strategic Plan of the Group
The strategic roadmap aligns all stakeholders on the path and targets of the group and places them on the identical web page. This not solely implies that everyone seems to be conscious of how the group plans to realize these strategic targets, nevertheless it exhibits how everybody can work collectively and obtain them.
Defines a Timeline for the Achievement of Strategic Objectives
Strategic targets will be outlined, however to realize them requires a plan and a sensible schedule. When a company is constructing its strategic roadmap, they’re creating a timeline to point out how varied initiatives will work collectively through the years to make these strategic targets realized. Having a timeline units up when duties needs to be initiated and after they must be accomplished for the bigger image to occur.
Breaks Down Strategic Objectives Into Actionable Steps
The schedule visualized by the strategic roadmap is made actionable by duties. These duties are smaller steps which are executed by groups throughout the group. The extra duties, the nearer that group involves reaching its strategic targets. All lengthy journeys start with a single step, these duties are these steps.
What Ought to Be Included In a Strategic Roadmap?
Now that we perceive the significance of a strategic roadmap let’s take a look at what needs to be included in a single for it to be thorough and workable. These are all important components to constructing a technique roadmap.
- Strategic aims: The entire level of the roadmap is to realize your high-level targets. That is the lodestar you’ll observe and it needs to be clearly outlined.
- Initiatives: These are the initiatives that the group will provoke to realize the strategic targets outlined above.
- Motion steps: Right here you checklist the duties that’ll be taken for every of the initiatives you’ve listed above. These will clarify the way you’ll execute the initiatives and obtain their particular person targets.
- Timeline: That is the schedule for the duties and initiatives, their begin dates, finish dates and length. It’ll assist to watch progress and handle expectations.
- Deliverables: Deliverables are quantifiable items or companies which are offered all through the mission and after the mission.
- Milestones: Milestones are used to measure progress by marking a selected level inside a mission the place a serious deliverable is accomplished, equivalent to transferring from the planning to the execution section, making a mission plan, and so forth.
- Process dependencies: A task dependency is a job that may’t begin or cease till one other job has began or stopped. It’s necessary to know these as they will trigger bottlenecks within the mission schedule.
The best way to Create a Strategic Roadmap in 5 Steps
With these parts in thoughts, let’s undergo the steps that you simply’ll need to take to create a strategic roadmap. They’re as follows.
1. Create a Strategic Plan for the Subsequent Three to 5 Years
First, the leaders of the group have to fulfill and outline their imaginative and prescient for the longer term. This includes figuring out the group’s targets and aims and the sequence through which they’ll be achieved. Whereas that is normally a three-to-five yr plan it might go longer.
2. Establish Duties or Motion Steps to Obtain Your Strategic Objectives
After getting a aim outlined, you subsequent have to determine the way you’ll get there. This implies developing with the duties that’ll ultimately ship your aim all through a selected interval. Utilizing a work breakdown structure (WBS) is a superb instrument for figuring out all of the deliverables in your mission and the duties which are wanted to get there.
3. Create a Strategic Roadmap Utilizing a Gantt Chart
Now you’re able to construct a strategic roadmap. That is carried out by taking the motion objects you’ve recognized within the earlier step and including them to a Gantt chart timeline. You’ll want so as to add a begin date and finish date for every job and hyperlink all dependencies to keep away from inflicting delays.
4. Establish Milestones on the Strategic Roadmap
We’ve already talked about what a milestone is and the way it may be used to watch your progress, but additionally reward the group after they hit a milestone, which is sweet for morale. At this level within the course of, you’ll need to establish and place these milestones in your strategic roadmap.
5. Estimate the Sources to Execute Your Strategic Roadmap
The one factor not addressed till now’s the resources required to execute the duties on the strategic roadmap. These sources are the whole lot from mission group members to the uncooked supplies, tools and anything they should full the work assigned to them. Then estimate the prices for these sources to fund the technique roadmap.
What Templates Can You Use to Create a Strategic Roadmap
Making a strategic plan includes a variety of totally different methods and instruments, from planning to Gantt charts. That will help you pull all these numerous sources collectively we provide dozens of free mission administration templates for Excel and Phrase. There are free templates to obtain for each section of your mission. Listed below are a couple of that handle strategic roadmaps.
Gantt Chart Template
A roadmap is only a Gantt chart that addresses multiple mission on the identical timeline. Our free Gantt chart template for Excel takes away all of the complexities of constructing a Gantt chart from scratch. All it’s a must to do is fill within the spreadsheet on the left along with your job, begin and finish dates after which our visible timeline populates routinely along with your duties.
Action Plan Template
To prepare your duties right into a plan that may ship your strategic targets it’s essential to use our free motion plan template for Excel. It should enable you to checklist all of your motion objects and steps, together with precedence, section and who they’re assigned to. You’ll additionally estimate the length of every job and establish the sources it’s essential to full them.
Strategic Plan Template
After all, earlier than you are able to do any of that it’s a must to have a strategic plan. Our free strategic plan template for Phrase helps you outline your group’s targets. It contains the whole lot from a imaginative and prescient assertion to a SWOT evaluation and advertising plan in addition to monetary projections and the group that may enable you to notice all this.
ProjectManager Helps Create and Monitor Your Strategic Roadmap
Whereas templates are useful, they will solely accomplish that a lot. Finally, you’re going to tire of manually updating these static paperwork that aren’t collaborative. Mission administration software program can accomplish that far more. ProjectManager is award-winning mission administration software program that helps you propose, handle and monitor strategic roadmaps in actual time. Our instrument has options to not solely make sturdy technique roadmaps but additionally handle sources and monitor progress that will help you meet your strategic targets.
Handle Sources to Keep Productive
Resource management features may also help you handle labor prices and hold groups working at capability. In addition they assist when assigning group members to duties as managers can see their availability, whether or not they’re on PTO, trip and even world holidays. As soon as assigned, go to the color-coded workload chart to see who’s overallocated. You may then stability the group’s workload proper from the chart to be sure that everyone seems to be working as productively as attainable.

Monitor Progress With Actual-Time Dashboards
If you want a high-level overview of the strategic roadmap simply toggle over to the real-time dashboard. There’s a portfolio dashboard that routinely captures all of your initiatives’ metrics and shows them on easy-to-read graphs and charts that present you value, time, workload and extra. Not like light-weight options, there’s no sophisticated and prolonged setup required. Our reside dashboard is prepared whenever you want it.
These are solely a few of the options that will help you meet your strategic targets. We even have threat administration options to establish and monitor points, automated workflows to streamline processes and safe timesheets to handle labor prices and monitor how far alongside group members are on their duties.
Associated Strategic Planning Content material
When you nonetheless need to study extra about strategic planning we may also help. Our web site is a web-based hub for all issues mission administration, with weekly blogs, tutorial movies, guides and free templates that you would be able to obtain to assist along with your initiatives. Listed below are a few of the many blogs we’ve revealed which are about strategic planning.
ProjectManager is on-line mission administration software program that connects groups whether or not they’re within the workplace, out within the area or anyplace else. They will share recordsdata, remark on the job stage and keep up to date with electronic mail notifications and in-app alerts so that you by no means have to go away the instrument. Be a part of groups which are utilizing our software program to ship profitable initiatives at corporations equivalent to Avis, Nestle and Siemens. Get started today with ProjectManager for free.