Everyone wants a roadmap until they realize what’s on it.
Everyone loves the idea of visibility—until visibility reveals limits. A reflection on why roadmaps comfort leadership, unsettle teams, and expose what can’t be done.
Nothing humbles optimism faster than a timeline with dates.
The Moment of Inspiration
A few months ago, a stakeholder asked for a roadmap.
Not unusual.
The request was wrapped in good intentions: “We just want clarity.”
The team gathered their work, estimates, dependencies, and priorities.
They built something beautiful: clean, clear, color-coded certainty.