{"id":1912,"date":"2019-10-09T09:20:24","date_gmt":"2019-10-09T13:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog3.canny.io\/wordpress\/?p=1912"},"modified":"2026-03-10T21:06:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T01:06:00","slug":"communicate-product-roadmap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/communicate-product-roadmap\/","title":{"rendered":"How to successfully deliver your product roadmap presentation to stakeholders"},"content":{"rendered":"

A <\/span>well-made product roadmap<\/span><\/a> is one of the most valuable resources for a SaaS company.<\/span><\/p>\n

It informs and sets expectations for everyone in and around an organization. However, communicating product roadmaps and the information in them can be tricky.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every company has many groups of \u201cstakeholders\u201d. These are people or organizations that care about how you\u2019re doing. There are both internal and external stakeholders<\/span><\/p>\n

\"There<\/a>
An example of stakeholder groups from Corporate Finance Institute<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Different stakeholders have different interests, values, and concerns, depending on their commitment to your business.<\/span><\/p>\n

Presenting the same information to these different groups generalizes it to the point where it\u2019s not useful. That\u2019s why you should pick and choose the main points based on the stakeholder group.<\/span><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t necessarily need several physical versions of your roadmap. However, there are times when you have the power to choose which information to highlight. It could be in meetings, presentations, Q&A rounds, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

In these situations, you should focus on different aspects depending on who you\u2019re talking to. This way, every group gets the most valuable information for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Personalizing roadmap presentations to different groups avoids a lot of miscommunication, confusion and unnecessary back and forth.<\/span><\/p>\n

This post is going to dive into building your roadmap presentation. We’re also going to talk about the most common things different stakeholders care (and don\u2019t care) about.<\/span><\/p>\n

PS: the following points are generalizations to guide<\/em> you in your presentations. There will always be exceptions when it comes to what someone cares about. Make sure to leave room for discussion and questions for these cases.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elements of the presentation<\/b><\/h2>\n

Let’s start by looking at what goes into your presentation.<\/span><\/p>\n

What you include in your presentation depends on a few things: the purpose, which stakeholder you’re presenting to, and how your team works. Your role might also influence how you present. Product managers will likely present very differently than a founder or a CEO.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some common elements that a product manager can include in the presentation:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Introduction \u2014 give a brief overview of your product and the goal of your presentation<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Product vision \u2014 explain the vision product management has and how this roadmap supports it<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Market analysis \u2014 discuss market trends, what your competition is building, and any present opportunities\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Current status \u2014 look at the current status of your product development process<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Priorities \u2014 list your product priorities and highlight important features that you will work on. You might also explore your prioritization formula.<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Roadmap timeline \u2014 include a visual timeline showing when features will be worked on, completed, and how long they’ll take. A Gantt chart can be helpful here.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Budget\/resources \u2014 include a breakdown of the expected costs to fulfill this roadmap. That can include staff time and money.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Risk assessment \u2014 identify any risks that could get in the way of completing the roadmap, and how you’ll prevent them.<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Q&A \u2014 give your stakeholders a chance to learn more, provide feedback, and resolve concerns.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0<\/span>Now that we know what you’ll want to include, let’s look at different stakeholders and how you can tailor your presentation for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Stakeholders<\/b><\/h2>\n

    Let’s take a look at the most common types of stakeholders the product team would present to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Executives\/Investors<\/h3>\n\"\"\n

    Their main objective:<\/strong> to see whether the company is moving in the right direction in general, whether the company is focused on the right things.
    \nWhat they care about:<\/strong> high level goals, plans and progress, validation of plans.
    \nWhat they don\u2019t care about:<\/strong> technical details, complicated data, detailed timelines.<\/p>\n

    How to present:<\/h4>\n