A technology roadmap (also known as an IT roadmap) is a document which outlines the plan to reach short-term and long-term goals through the use of technology solutions. This type of roadmap typically provides key information which helps organizations make better decisions around technology investments.
There are various categories and approaches to technology roadmapping. However, roadmaps for technology groups generally fall into two different categories.
An IT systems roadmap defines the systems that enable core capabilities across the organization. At a high level these are systems like CRM systems, ERP systems, Data Analytics systems, etc.
A technology roadmap shows the technology currently available today and highlights improvements that are scheduled and even considers when it may be scheduled for end-of-life. For example, a core CRM system that is being replaced by a new one will show when one will end and the other will be brought online.
As companies better understand their options ahead, they can use a technology roadmap to determine which technologies to pursue, as well as the plan and timeline to implement the new systems. The central planning consideration is to ensure that technology and infrastructure investments will meet the short-term and long-term goals of the organization as well as the entire product portfolio.
Companies utilize various technologies to support their employees. And because the collection of technologies are often complex and resource-intensive, the overall infrastructure must be planned and implemented in an organized manner.
The eight key components of a technology roadmap include:
Goals
Goals are both short-term and long-term achievements that the organization is hoping to achieve through the technology solution. Specifically, the goals will focus on the business capabilities that are enabled by the technology system, as well as what will be required to maintain the systems going forward.
New system capabilities
These are what will be provided through the enhanced technology systems. For example, adding customer asset tracking to a CRM system will offer greater insight to several business units.
Release plans
Release plans focus on enhancing the systems and the specific requirements to support the new capabilities that are needed by the business. Releases are generally very predictable and are scheduled months in advance. They are also communicated broadly throughout the organization.
Milestones
These are key accomplishments achieved during the technology development process. Tracking milestones allows the stakeholders using the systems to understand the progress towards the long-term goal, at points throughout the project. Milestones are typically tagged to specific dates and treated as performance targets to ensure the organization is on track.
Resources
Resources detail the manpower needed to implement and most importantly, maintain the systems once they are in place. IT groups must plan to simultaneously roll out new functionality as well as update legacy systems as needed. This creates cross-functional dependencies between multiple groups including the agile development teams needed to build the new functionality.
Training
This will spell out the type of guidance necessary for the internal team to support the system, for the actual users of the system, or both. Training can apply to a new system that is being implemented for the first time, or enhancements to a current system already in widespread use.
Risk factors
Risk factors represent internal and external barriers which may prevent the organization from achieving the goals and milestones noted in the technology plan. These may include limitations of the technology itself, as well as broader market conditions that present a difficulty for the organization.
Status reports
Status reports are an important and necessary part of the technology roadmap to keep everyone informed. Delayed implementation of one key system will affect the plans for business units that were depending on it. For example, a business wanting to introduce a new partner discount plan for their channel cannot proceed until systems are enhanced to handle this new discounting framework.
Ultimately, the purpose of a technology roadmap is to align key stakeholders, such as Engineering, IT, and other business units, by creating a plan of action to implement new technology solutions or maintain existing ones.
This plan helps teams to better grasp the technology requirements needed to reach the end goal, and provides a clear path for the desired use case for the organization.