What should an IT roadmap actually tell you?
Advice & guides · Planning
A useful roadmap helps management decide what to fund, what to do first and what can wait.
Why each piece of work is needed
Connect each proposed change to a business requirement, a problem or a risk. A list of products and replacement dates leaves too many questions unanswered.
The order of work
Identify dependencies. A reporting project may need changes to data ownership first. An application rollout may depend on staff availability or an infrastructure upgrade.
The likely cost and effort
Include the internal time required as well as external fees and licences. State where an estimate is provisional and what will be needed to firm it up.
Who will act and decide
Give each priority an owner and identify the decisions management will need to make. Review the plan when business priorities or assumptions change.