Choosing the right type of product roadmap Merit
Partners
Type of product
Type of product roadmap For whom it is best suited?
roadmap
o A portfolio roadmap shows planned releases o You visualize the entire workflow on a Kanban board to
across multiple products in a single view. continuously process each work itemFor presenting a
Portfolio strategic overview of your plan to executives and advisory
Roadmap [Link] helping internal teams understand how their
projects are related to the work of other departments.
o A strategy roadmap communicates the high- o To showcase your initiatives to [Link] help internal
level efforts a team needs to invest in to teams understand how different releases will contribute to
Strategy achieve your product goals. the business strategy.
Roadmap
o A release roadmap communicates all the o For coordinating release activities with other cross-
activities your team must conduct before a functional teams like marketing, sales, and customer
Release release. support.
Roadmap
o A features roadmap displays a timeline for o For communicating the details of upcoming updates with
when your team will deliver new features. customers and other teams in the organization.
Features
Roadmap
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Winning pitch for our products Merit
Partners
Revenue in $ million
Concern to discuss
259
189 201 197
150 168 146
132
89
Product 1 Product 2 Product 3 Product 1 Product 2 Product 3 Product 1 Product 2 Product 3
Venezuela Chicago Palo Alto
01 Target customers 04 Product/ solution description
02 Main problem 05 Competitive advantage
03 Primary benefit to customer 06 Product/ solution substitute
2
Option
Winning pitch for our products Merit
Partners
Revenue in $ million
Concern to discuss
259
189 201 197
150 168 146
132
89
Product 1 Product 2 Product 3 Product 1 Product 2 Product 3 Product 1 Product 2 Product 3
Venezuela Chicago Palo Alto
01 Target customers 04 Product/ solution description
02 Main problem 05 Competitive advantage
03 Primary benefit to customer 06 Product/ solution substitute
3
5 Random acts of kindness that are great for Merit
business Partners
1. Find the time. At rental-car giant Avis, leaders
have a wonderful practice of sending out a great
customer service message at the start of every
day about how their people “Try Harder.” Not
only is that a great corporate practice but one
manager at Avis takes it further by taking the 2. Watch for assists. A leader I met at a fast-
time to send encouraging texts at the start of driving investment firm decided to add “assisting
every day to his people. These little notes let his team members” as a goal in employee
team know he is cheering for them and thinking performance reviews. He told me, “Universally,
about them. A simple random act of kindness everyone expressed surprise at the notion that
that means a lot to his people. helping each other was worthy of inclusion on an
appraisal. They actually fought it, and that told
3. Random recognition. Invite everyone to come me a lot about the culture I had created. Our
to your next weekly meeting thinking of culture was about looking out for yourself and
someone they appreciate—someone preferably not your teammates. That had to change.”
working behind the scenes who normally doesn’t Assisting others can create a culture of
get a lot of thanks. Then randomly at ask an teamwork.
employee whom they appreciate, and then
present the appreciated person with an award. It
can be a simple as a certificate or a gift card to a 4. Use your own products. When employees
local restaurant. Give your people the chance to truly love the products or services they provide,
highlight some else on the team. You will find it shows. At the Atlantis Resort at Paradise Island
that all week people will be looking for the in the Bahamas, I found employees regularly
chance to make someone else’s day. receive hotel stays and perks like getting to swim
with the dolphins. Besides making them feel
valued, it allows employees to experience resort
5. Serve your community. A bank we visited in
benefits from the customer’s perspective,
Utah has a paint-a-thon, where employees clean,
repair, and paint the exterior of low-income helping them to better serve their clients. What
employee perks could you offer that would
homes in disrepair. The manager’s investment is
minimal (paint, brushes, and food for the allow your people to use your products?
volunteers) but the impact on employee energy-
levels, bank image, and the community is
significant. When we serve together we create
better relationships at work. A more service
oriented culture.
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3 Simple steps to achieving personal success Merit
Partners
The first thing to do when trying to move in a new
direction is to just take those first steps. So many
Get moving people want to wait until all their ducks are in a row
or until just the right moment. The problem is, that
moment simply doesn’t exist.
Once you’ve taken your first steps, you can start to
plan a more direct route to your path to success.
Those first steps can give you an idea of possible
Create a plan
upcoming roadblocks or different paths you may
need to take. Now is the time to put some effort
into an overall plan.
Ever wonder why so many small businesses fail?
For many, it’s because they didn’t plan for success.
Don’t make the mistake of overestimating your
Plan to succeed success or underestimating what needs to be done.
If you do, you’ll find that you’ve just set yourself up
for failure.
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