Building the Perfect SaaS Product Roadmap in 6 Simple Steps

Who needs sleep when you’re too busy losing yourself in major milestones and tedious tasks? You’ve got alerts left, right, and center from every project management tool imaginable, and team members are pushing and shoving, trying to get their two cents in.

Ladies and gentlemen, let us introduce you to the circus that is software-as-a-service (SaaS) product management. Although, if you’re reading this, you’re probably already the ringmaster.

Here’s what we’ll be exploring: 

• We’ll kick things off by distinguishing SaaS product roadmaps from regular product roadmaps.
• Then, we’ll guide you through the steps to creating an elite SaaS product roadmap yourself.

How is a SaaS Product Roadmap Different From a Regular One? 

The act of juggling stakeholder expectations and balancing task priorities can turn into a nerve-wracking scenario. But just when you’re on the brink of exhaustion, the SaaS product roadmap can step up and champion you through software-as-a-service product management.

Saas product roadmaps have many similarities to run-of-the-mill product roadmaps. They essentially serve to tell everyone involved in the development of the product where the product is going and what, when, and why things need to get done. 

Where it rears its ugly head, however, is when it comes to the constantly evolving and mutating nature of SaaS products. Traditional roadmaps usually struggle to keep up with that many iterations and trail far behind.

And with that breakneck speed, customer feedback and input are what gets that product evolving at pace. Unlike other products, consumers don’t just purchase SaaS-specific ones and go about their day. SaaS relationships are ongoing and recurring, where they stick around all the time and constantly utilize the product. 

With the SaaS subscription-based model, retention is key. That means the product needs to grow, change, and adapt according to customer needs. They’re never really “done,” much like an oil painting on canvas – it’s a situation where you’re constantly updating and enhancing rather than striving toward the goal of a one-time launch.

Creating the Best SaaS Product Roadmap

So, let’s create a SaaS product roadmap, shall we?

Step 1: Clarify Short- and Long-Term Goals

Get honest and get talking about what you want your SaaS product to achieve. Is it your dream to see those usage stats skyrocket? Or, instead, disrupt the industry with a brand new technology? Whatever it is, make sure you’re able to say it with your full chest. The clearer and more confident you are about your goals, the better.

Step 2: Sketch Out the Customer Journey

Who exactly is using your product, and what does their journey look like from discovery to purchase and beyond? Keep this piece of advice top of mind: A product is made to solve a problem. So, how will yours do so, and how will they interact with it? This step should get your neurons firing like never before, giving you the chance to ask how, what, when, and where questions until your mind gets tired.

Step 3: Prioritize

Some features are nice to have and others are as important as a functioning coffee machine at the office on a Monday morning. Since you don’t have two brains or multiple arms and your team members aren’t battery-operated, you’re forced to prioritize. Plenty of frameworks exist to help out with that, whether it’s the MoSCoW analysis or the KANO model.

Step 4: Set a Time Frame

Especially with SaaS product roadmaps, the perfect roadmap doesn’t need a strict timeline. Obviously, deadlines need to be a thing, but considering the changing nature of SaaS, they should be flexible enough to accommodate. Deadlines that aren’t too precise would work, for example, by quarter or timelines that are dependent on other tasks.

Step 5: Nurture the Feedback Loop

Both customers and stakeholders want to hear what you’ve got going on but also mix their own thoughts and feelings into the conversation. These insights bring your roadmap back to reality, reframing it as a plan of action grounded in real user needs – not just a product in its own echo chamber.

Step 6: Communicate, Review, and Revisit

Read your roadmap to all applicable people like a story full of surprises, twists and turns, and exciting quests that speak to why everyone’s doing any of this in the first place. 

And we’ll let you in on a little secret: product development, albeit dry and frustrating at times, is much more rewarding when there’s passion and recognition involved. Even once the product is out in the ether, the story isn’t over. New chapters will be written, and storylines will need to be amended – so don’t make it a one-and-done project.

The PM’s Hot Take

I prefer to view SaaS product roadmaps more like an organism that evolves and adapts to its environment. If you’re someone who treats the SaaS roadmap like a static document, you’re setting yourself up for a much crazier circus rather than finding the fix. You’re abandoning the very essence that makes SaaS what it is, which is the ability to change alongside customer desires and market trends. The only way to craft and interact with a SaaS roadmap is to see it as a living entity.

Conclusion

SaaS roadmaps are much more agile, responsive, and tuned into the user experience than regular roadmaps are, which means you’ll have to be, too. Seeking a partner to navigate the SaaS environment with you? Start a free trial with Fibery today and start connecting all your management data in one place. Hungry for more juicy insights? Read our product management blog for regular cuts of wisdom.