A project roadmap details your company’s deliverables and goals on a single page according to a planned timeline.
Many companies rely on these roadmaps to keep on schedule when starting a new project and ensure that stakeholders are pleased with the progress of the project so far.
Putting together an appealing and comprehensive project roadmap takes considerable time and effort, which is why templates have become such a popular option.
In today’s article, we’ll explain the basics of project roadmap templates, and also tell you how to get started on making one yourself
Table of Contents
What Is a Project Roadmap Template?
Before a major project gets underway, it’s best to create a project roadmap.
The roadmap showcases all the details of the project that have been decided to this point, including the resources that will be used, the planned deliverables, the milestones that will be achieved, and the project objectives.
Most importantly, a project roadmap includes a timeline.
This way, everyone who’s involved with the project can be held accountable according to this timeline. Those who have invested in your project as well as key stakeholders can also monitor progress.
Project roadmaps have quite a unique look, so putting one together is not exactly the easiest process. Even if you’ve worked in programs like Microsoft Excel before, a project roadmap is a different beast.
That’s why a project roadmap template is such a valuable addition to any company.
Whether this is your first project roadmap or your fifth, a template will make this valuable project documentation a speedy and efficient process.
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Why Your Business Needs a Project Roadmap Template
If your company isn’t already using a project roadmap timeline, then you’re missing out on a myriad of benefits that can make a real impression on how quickly you produce and can distribute these reports.
Let’s take a look at the advantages of roadmap templates now.
Saves valuable time
How long does it take your team to put together a project roadmap? One hour? Two hours? A week?
That’s hard to say, as it depends on the roadmap scope as well as how acquainted your company is with the project roadmap format.
If that’s not very well acquainted, then the time it takes to complete one of these roadmaps can be double and sometimes even triple what it’s supposed to be.
By having a template that you can pull out whenever embarking on another exciting new project, your team can save a lot of valuable time.
You’ll gain back hours yet still produce an appealing, fully detailed report that will please your stakeholders, investors, and other important parties.
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Allows for collaboration
Since a project roadmap template is wholly editable, it’s very easy for more than one person to get involved in putting together the perfect template.
You can collaborate as a team, which will further save you time.
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Lets you get started on the project sooner
When a project is underway at your company, there shouldn’t be any delays. Otherwise, everyone’s excitement begins to wane, which can put a real damper on the project before it ever gets off the ground.
By using a roadmap template, you can host a meeting about your project roadmap within the same day that the project is conceived if not the day after.
Everyone can get a jump on the project as soon as needed!
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How to Create Your Own Project Roadmap Template
Are you ready to assemble a project roadmap template that your company can use now and into the future? Here are some pointers that will help you do it.
Plan your goals and objectives
Although project roadmaps all generally follow the same format, that doesn’t make them identical by far.
Determine what your company’s objectives will be for this project and the steps you must take to achieve your goals.
You might also take this time to assign responsibilities, but these do not have to be detailed in the project roadmap.
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Choose the right tool
Plenty of office tools already at your disposal such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel are useful for creating richly detailed project roadmaps.
You can also make your template in Google Charts or use project roadmap software if your company can invest the money.
Do make sure the tool you’re using has the capability of creating templates and not just making roadmaps.
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Color code
Unlike some charts and graphs, the use of color in a project roadmap is incredibly important.
The various colors can denote parts of the project, certain parties who are responsible for specific duties, or even different deliverables.
The use of color must be strategic and not overwhelming.
If it looks like a mess of color vomit on your project roadmap template, then it’s not going to come very much in handy for either this project as well as any others that might be coming down the pike.
Produce and make changes
You spent some time and hard work templating a project roadmap, and you’re quite happy with how it turned out.
That said, it might not be 100 percent perfect, and you wish it could be better.
Well, there’s no need to wish! Since your project roadmap is merely in the template stages, you can easily go back in, edit it to your liking, and then use that version of the template going forward. It couldn’t be any easier!
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Conclusion
A project roadmap template can be a highly valuable tool the next time you propose a project to a client or investor.
You can rely on a trusty and true template to produce sharp, clean, appealing, and actionable project roadmaps each and every time!
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