Business Road Maps: What You Need To Know

Starting a business is an exciting adventure. Seeing how that business grows is incredibly rewarding. However, every business needs an objective, a goal to strive for. Whether it’s growing customers or releasing new projects, a roadmap is what helps these goals come true. 

What Is A Business Roadmap?

Simply put, a roadmap is a step by step process on how to get from point A to point B. Each company has a different type of roadmap dependent on what types of goals are set. For a business with multiple departments, having a roadmap can keep things organized and prevent one area of business from getting stuck in a direction that is not consistent with success. 

Roadmaps keep the departments and the business connected, allowing for each area to create the stepping stones towards the ultimate goal, while also improving each individual area. 

How Do I Start A Business Roadmap?

Before jumping in and creating a step by step process for your business, it is important to understand what takes place before a roadmap creation. 

To start, focus on what constructive goals need to be reached. 

Long Term Goals

What do you want to accomplish in the next three to five years?

Long term goals help provide the foundation for a roadmap. If something doesn’t contribute to this goal then it should not be part of this particular roadmap. 

Long term goals can be revenue, social media, growth, or reputation-based. 

Short Term Goals

Long term goals are goals set for the near future. Short term goals are ideal milestones that are reached on the path to long term goals. 

A rule of thumb to follow is SMART. 

• Specific - Highly detailed and targeted will make these easily understood
• Measurable - Set up a way to track progress and see improvements.
• Action-Orientated - What needs to be done and when
• Realistic - Goals should be challenging, but not impossible. Past performances will give a great idea for what is possible.
• Time Specific - Set a concrete deadline to keep goals on track.

Need a little help determining your SMART Goals? HubSpot offers a free template to help you get started and decided the best path for you and your business. 

Team Connectivity

Involve the team. Each department collaborating together can help make an increasingly effective roadmap. Listen to feedback seriously and consider the proposed ideas. 

This team helped get the business to where it currently is. Utilize their skills to help the company grow even further. 

Key Points

When setting goals, think of the stepping stones needed to get there. What needs to happen and place them in order of importance. Do you have the resources to achieve this? How can you get these resources? Can you defend this process order? 

Once this is achieved, look over your roadmap. Is it realistic? If something unexpected comes along, can the roadmap adapt? Allowing for flexibility and realizing when something is too far out of reach are great ways of understanding the limits that may be faced. 

Prioritize

Understanding what needs to be done first and when can greatly help with roadmaps. In order to achieve these goals, will there need to be larger staff? Will sales need growth first? Does social media need more activity? 

Find out what step will help get the roadmap kick-started. Just like long term and short term goals, find the goals that will help keep them up and running and flowing smoothly. 

Don’t be afraid to create a few roadmaps. Sometimes changes need to be made and new goals set in place. Sometimes it takes understanding to know when a long term goal is too far and to set a short term goal as the endpoint. 

Whatever path is chosen, having a roadmap can make the journey from point A to point B that much smoother. 

Get Started

Need help with some of your set goals? Dual Pixel is just what you need. Check out our services to see just how much closer we can get you to your ultimate goal. Contact us for more information.

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