Now - Next - Later Roadmap

A streamlined product roadmap template that shifts focus from rigid timelines to value-based prioritization. The Now-Next-Later roadmap is increasingly popular with agile product teams who need flexibility while maintaining strategic direction in their development process.

What Is a Now-Next-Later Roadmap?

The Now-Next-Later roadmap is a lean approach to product planning that organizes initiatives based on priority and certainty rather than specific dates. This three-horizon framework helps teams communicate their strategic direction while embracing the inherent uncertainty of product development.

Unlike traditional roadmaps with fixed deadlines, this format creates a progressive view of work that acknowledges increasing uncertainty as you look further into the future. It's particularly effective for agile and scrum teams who need to balance long-term vision with short-term execution.

Benefits & When to Use

Use a Now-Next-Later roadmap when:

• Your team needs to align on priorities without committing to specific timelines
• You want to communicate product direction to stakeholders while maintaining flexibility
• Traditional timeline-based roadmaps create unrealistic expectations or unnecessary pressure
• You need a collaborative planning tool that can evolve with changing market conditions

This approach helps teams:

• Focus on delivering value rather than meeting arbitrary deadlines
• Adapt more easily to changing requirements and new discoveries
• Create clearer alignment between current work and strategic goals
• Maintain a healthy balance between short-term delivery and long-term vision

How to Run a Now-Next-Later Roadmapping Session

1. Prepare your goals (15 minutes)

   • Before the session, identify key business and product goals that will guide prioritization
   • Add these goals to the top of each column to ensure initiatives align with strategic objectives

2. Explain the framework (5 minutes)

   • Review the meaning of each column with participants:
     • Now: Current focus areas that are well-defined and actively being worked on
     • Next: Upcoming initiatives that will begin once "Now" items are completed
     • Later: Future opportunities with less definition that require further exploration

3. Generate initiatives (20-30 minutes)

   • Have team members create digital sticky notes for all potential product initiatives
   • Include enough detail to understand the opportunity, but avoid over-specification

4. Place initiatives in appropriate columns (20-30 minutes)

   • Working collaboratively, position each initiative in the Now, Next, or Later column
   • For the "Now" column, include only initiatives that are currently in progress or about to start
   • Place initiatives in "Next" that have clear value but depend on current work
   • Move more speculative or distant opportunities to "Later"

5. Review and refine (15 minutes)

   • Assess whether initiatives are correctly positioned based on team capacity and strategic importance
   • Ensure "Now" items don't exceed what the team can reasonably accomplish
   • Check that all columns connect to the stated goals

6. Discuss implementation details (optional, 15 minutes)

   • For "Now" items, add any necessary implementation details
   • For "Next" items, identify dependencies and prerequisites
   • For "Later" items, note what needs to be learned before moving them forward

7. Plan for ongoing maintenance (5 minutes)

   • Determine how frequently the roadmap will be revisited (typically every 2-4 weeks)
   • Decide who will be responsible for keeping it updated

Tips for a Successful Now-Next-Later Roadmapping Session

• Keep "Now" focused: Limit the number of initiatives in the "Now" column to what your team can realistically handle. Overcrowding this column defeats the purpose of prioritization.

• Use the Operations row: The template includes an Operations row for ongoing work that supports product development but isn't tied to specific features or initiatives.

• Embrace uncertainty: Items in the "Later" column should be allowed to remain somewhat undefined—that's by design. Don't force detailed specifications too early.

• Update regularly: Make this a living document by reviewing and adjusting it every few weeks based on progress, learnings, and changing priorities.

• Connect to value: Each initiative should clearly connect to a business or product goal. If you can't articulate the value, reconsider its placement.

• Consider using color-coding: To add another dimension to your roadmap, use different colored sticky notes to indicate initiative types, effort levels, or confidence levels.

• Share widely: Once complete, make this roadmap accessible to all stakeholders to ensure transparency and alignment across the organization.