Roadmapping

Abstract

Programs can become very complicated as they evolve. It can be easy for individual projects to lose track of the program goal. A program manager will have to coordinate between multiple projects each focusing on different areas such as stakeholders, technology, material resources, infrastructure etc. A program manager might have all the necessary resources to ensure a successful program but if none of these resources are working together or if projects meant to support further development are not in place when needed the program will fail. As described by the PMI-standard

“Program management is the centralized coordinated management of a program to achieve the program’s strategic objectives and benefits. It involves aligning multiple projects to achieve the program goals and allows for optimized or integrated cost, schedule and, effort.”

Not only does Roadmapping help program managers align projects it also help them plan these projects efficiently. Furthermore Roadmapping helps programs managers handle and coordinate between different factors such as politics, economy, infrastructure, society etc.

This article will examine the following

1. Describe the relevance of Roadmapping in program management.

2. A detailed guide to the use of Roadmapping.

3. A critical reflection of the limitations of Roadmapping.

Roadmapping in Program Management

Roadmapping is the last step in the "Program Strategy Alignment" domain. It visualizes the objectives, opportunities and relations identified by the environmental assessment, business case and program plan. The Roadmap should clarify how the these objectives and opportunities should be implemented through projects and how these projects relate and support each other.

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A roadmap is a illustrative way of creating a representation of how projects in the program interact and depend on each other. It should visualize the mentioned dependencies, key objectives/milestones and identify necessary infrastructure.

The Roadmap has several benefits.

1. Depicts key dependencies between major milestones.

2. Clarifies the link between the business plan and prioritized projects.

3. The illustrative nature of the method helps identify and explain gaps in the program plan.

4. Creates an overview of key milestones.

5. Identifies key factors for the program planning including objectives, risks, end points, key infrastructure etc.

6. Helps program managers plan and develop key infrastructure to support the program.

Limitations and Dangers of Roadmapping

1. Not a magic bullet – initially more questions than answers likely

2. The process and roadmapping typically need to be customised

3. Maintaining the process is a challenge (true value in ongoing process