Legacy Roadmapping (Deprecated)
Deprecated Feature
The legacy Roadmapping feature that does not utilize Portfolio Items is being deprecated. This feature will be accessible through the Fall 2016 release to allow time to switch usage to the new Roadmapping that is based on Portfolio Items. It will be removed entirely beginning with the Winter 2017 release.
Accessing Legacy Roadmaps
Because roadmaps are project-specific, anyone with access to the project can see them in any of the following locations within Lifecycle:
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in the currently selected project (in the Project Navigator)
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in details/card view, hover over the title or ID of a project
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on the Release Scheduling page
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by customizing the project grids to display either the Project Path (for a multi-level view) or the Roadmap columns.
Legacy Roadmap Access/Security
Note that a member's access to a roadmap is driven by their project role, as follows:
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All project members can view the roadmaps for the projects to which they have access.
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Only members with the following project roles can create and manage the roadmap: Admin, Project Lead, and Customer.
To manage a project roadmap, your project role must be set to "Project Admin" or higher.
Step 1. Creating a New Roadmap
By default, new roadmaps have a preset structure that you an easily modify to conform to your organization's planning cycle (how often you plan/release) and the planning horizon (how far out into the future you plan) of the group.
Note that the default roadmap includes four quarters plus on future bucket with lanes for Features, Architecture, and Events. Don't worry if it doesn't work for for you, you can easily customize it later to one better-suited to your organization (e.g,. 5-Year Strategic Plan for a product Suite that includes 5 annual periods with lanes for Products and Markets).
Follow these steps to modify the default roadmap.
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Select a project from the Project Navigator, and then click roadmap.
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Click the New Roadmap button. Now you can begin customizing the roadmap by choosing any of the options below.
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Rename the Roadmap |
To change the default name of the roadmap to one that is more descriptive, highlight and then type over the default name |
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Set Up the Timelime |
The timeline moves forward automatically with the passage of time. When the end of the current period passes, a new period automatically displays at the end of the timeline and the earliest period will drop off the display. Note that buckets remain fixed and do not move or change automatically. Items typically flow through the buckets as time moves on, moving on to the timeline as they move closer to realization. Period Length
Number of Periods Define the number of periods to display. When using the timeline, this will define the planning horizon. Periods displayed can include:
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Set Up Buckets (Columns) |
Buckets are typically used to define longer range timeframes (when used in conjunction with timeline periods). In this case, one or more buckets may be used as a holding pen for items that have been deemed to be valuable enough to keep at the top of mind, but haven't yet made it to the closer-term plans. These items would likely be among the top contenders when performing planning in the future. Buckets can also be used on their own (i.e. without the use of timeline periods) to define planning periods. This is often helpful when the expected delivery dates fluctuate or are unknown.
Buckets will be displayed to the right of any timeline periods on the roadmap.
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Set Up Planning Lanes (Rows) |
Planning lanes can be used to represent any major segmentation of planning items and will create rows on the roadmap. Depending on the level and scope of the roadmap, lanes might be used to segment different products in a suite, components in a product and/or can be used to identify segments such as major Events and Rhythms (e.g. conferences, related product releases, etc.) or Architectural needs. Note that planning lanes are optional.
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While it is typical to define a single roadmap at any one level in the project tree, you can also group a number of roadmaps together at a single level. This allows organization with several cross-cutting programs and projects to define, perhaps, a single high-level strategic roadmap along with more detailed product and/or program roadmaps all at the same organizational level in the product tree. Define roadmaps as appropriate to provide the visibility needed for the user base. Roadmaps are independent of one another, so it is important to coordinate planning efforts if you are using multiple dependent roadmaps.
Roadmap Maintenance
Ongoing maintenance and management of the roadmap is necessary to update it with the advance of time, to add more detail to items as it becomes known, and to update the structure as planning and communication needs change.
To update a roadmap, you must be in Setup mode to perform the following actions:
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Managing roadmap items |
Drag items to move them to a new location on the roadmap. Expand an item to edit it's details or delete the item. |
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Change the layout of a roadmap |
Use Setup mode to manage the timeline periods and buckets, the lanes and the title of the roadmap. |
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Deleting items |
Delete an individual item by first expanding it and then deleting. Undo is available for a short period after a deletion to retrieve an accidentally deleted item. Use Setup mode to delete a lane or bucket. Deleting a lane or bucket will also delete all items contained by it. Undo is available for a short period to retrieve both the container and all of its items. Delete an entire Roadmap if necessary using the roadmap navigation menu next to the title. |
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Advancing Time |
The timeline moves forward automatically with the passage of time. When the end of the current period passes, a new period will automatically appear at the end of the timeline and the earliest period will drop off the display. As time progresses, the roadmap timeline will advance to so that the current date always falls within the current period of the timeline. Buckets remain fixed and do not move or change automatically. Items will typically flow through the buckets as time move on, moving on to the timeline as they move closer to realization. It is also possible to manually manage the list of buckets through creation and deletion if necessary, though this prevent the history from being kept visible within the planning view (historical views will still be available by viewing prior published roadmaps using the Share section). |
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Manually Updating Buckets |
Buckets can be manually updated, added and removed as necessary to reflect the impact of the passage of time. ou can also manually manage the list of buckets through creation and deletion if necessary, though this prevent the history from being kept visible within the planning view (historical views will still be available by viewing prior published roadmaps using the Share section). |
Step 2. Roadmap Planning
Teams typically have a regular planning cycle where they review inputs, develop plans, update the roadmap and communicate the plans using the roadmap. This planning cycle typically matches the periods defined in the roadmap so that regular review/updates can made as the teams progress through the plans.
After setting up the structure of a roadmap (don't worry, you can always change it later), you can begin laying out the high-level plan by adding item details so project members can see the direction of the product, suite, organization or company.
To manage a project roadmap, your project role must be set to "Project Admin" or higher.
Adding New Items
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Select a project from the Project Navigator, and then click roadmap.
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Click the Plan button, and then click anywhere in the grid.
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Type the name of the item, and then click OK.
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To add details to the item, click on the drop-down arrow to the right of the name, and then enter the details as appropriate. Click Done when you are finished.
Field/Option
Description
Color
Choose a background color to highlight/group items on the roadmap.
Description
A brief description that clarifies the intent of the item.
Reference
Establishes a relationship between the roadmap item and other asset(s) in the system.
Select the type of item, and then use the text box to search for the specific item(s) to reference.
If you reference an asset, you can track its progress directly from the roadmap.
Links (URL)
Create links to external items that contain additional detail (e.g., wiki pages, a document on a shared file server, even a more detailed roadmap).
Editing Items
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Select a project from the Project Navigator, and then click roadmap.
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Click the Plan button to enable planning mode.
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Click on the drop-down arrow to the right of an item name.
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Click Edit.
Deleting Items
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Select a project from the Project Navigator, and then click roadmap.
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Click the Plan button to enable planning mode.
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Click on the drop-down arrow to the right of an item name.
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Click Delete.
Moving Items
To move an item to a new column, simply drag and drop it item to the new location in the grid.
Step 3. Publishing and Sharing a Legacy Roadmap
As each new period begins, a new roadmap should be published to communicate the updated plans to all viewers of the roadmap. If updates are made with a period, they too can be published to the viewers to be contained within the current roadmap. In this case, it is advisable to communicate directly with the viewers to alert them to the fact that changes have been made.
After you've finished adding details (or planning) your roadmap, you need to publish it to make it available to all users with access to the project. Any changes made after publishing the roadmap will not be visible to these users until a new version has been published. This allows you to work on revisions for the next update without impacting the public view.
To manage a project roadmap, your project role must be set to "Project Admin" or higher.
After you've populated the roadmap details, follow these steps to share (or publish) it with your colleagues.
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Click the click Publish Roadmap button in the top right corner of the page.
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When prompted, enter a name in the Label field, and then click OK.
Note that the roadmap label displays on the published view of the roadmap and is also listed in the publishing history in the Shared section. It helps viewers understand the status and distribution rules for the roadmap. Here are some examples of possible labels:-
Draft for Review
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Final - Updates from Q1 Review Meeting
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For Internal Use Only
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When you receive the pop-up confirmation message at the bottom of the page, click View. The roadmap (along with all previously published versions) is now visible to project members.
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To share a direct link to the roadmap, copy the URL in the Permalink/URL field.
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To make changes to the roadmap, see Roadmap Planning for additional details.
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To change the structure of the roadmap, see Roadmap Setup and Maintenance.
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Please note that this direct link requires a VersionOne userid to access. The Roadmap lives behind the security in V1 so is not available for public consumption due to the nature of a roadmap, which normally contains proprietary information.
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As each new period begins or if changes are made, it is good practice to publish a new roadmap. In either case, we suggest notifying them directly to alert them of the changes.