Solution roadmaps
On this page 9 topics
Overview
Topics
- Phased implementation
- dependencies
- milestones
Learn first
3 h of practice (estimate)
Learning outcomes
- Break a solution into phases that each deliver business value.
- Map dependencies (technical, organizational, vendor, contractual) between phases.
- Define milestones with measurable exit criteria.
- Keep the roadmap current as delivery and priorities change.
Lessons
Lab and exercises
Lab
ARC-036-LAB1 · Larkspur roadmap
Outcomes: 1–4 · Time: ~3 h
- List Larkspur's capabilities and rate value and risk for each.
- Define phases across 18 months, each with a business value statement and a scope and out-of-scope list.
- Draw the dependency map covering technical, organizational, vendor, and contractual dependencies, each with an owner.
- Write milestones with measurable exit criteria.
- Scope the first release in detail.
- Define how and when the roadmap is reviewed and how changes are recorded.
Acceptance: phase one delivers measurable business value on its own.
Exercises (case-based; five exercises)
| ID | Outcome | Task |
|---|---|---|
| ARC-036-EX01 | 1 | A draft Larkspur roadmap: months 1–6 infrastructure, 7–12 integrations, 13–18 customer features. Explain the risk and propose a value-first alternative. |
| ARC-036-EX02 | 1 | Phase one is "web ordering for the garden range with live stock". Write three measurable business outcomes for it. |
| ARC-036-EX03 | 2 | Rank five capabilities (web ordering, click and collect, returns, loyalty, analytics) using value, risk, and dependency, and justify the order. |
| ARC-036-EX04 | 3 | The old web shop's hosting contract ends in month 14 and the payment vendor needs 10 weeks' notice for a new integration. Add these to a dependency map and state the impact on the sequence. |
| ARC-036-EX05 | 4 | Rewrite the milestone "development complete" as an observable state with three exit criteria, and describe the monthly roadmap review. |
Show solutions
- EX01 Value arrives only at month 13; funding cuts hit the project before any benefit; restructure into vertical slices that each ship a usable capability.
- EX02 Examples (targets are set with the business): share of garden-range orders placed online, stock accuracy at order time, order-to-ship time; each with a baseline and an owner.
- EX03 Web ordering first (value, needed by others), returns and click and collect next (shared stock and order flows), loyalty and analytics later; document which dependencies drive each position.
- EX04 Hosting contract sets a latest date for migration cut-over; payment notice sets a start date at least ten weeks before the phase needing it; add owners and trigger dates; if either is late, name the fallback (extend hosting, use the existing payment integration).
- EX05 "Ten pilot stores take orders for four weeks; error rate below the agreed limit; operations accepted the handover"; review monthly with scope, vendor dates, and funding changes logged.
All four outcomes are also covered by the lab acceptance and the quiz.
Workplace evidence: a solution roadmap you built that delivery followed.
Quiz
Outcomes: O1 phases that deliver value · O2 dependency mapping · O3 milestones and exit criteria · O4 keeping the roadmap current.
A self-check for you: nothing is graded, saved or sent anywhere. Choose an answer, then check it. You can try again as often as you like.
Practical part
Roadmap review on the Larkspur lab: phases with value statements, a four-type dependency map, measurable exit criteria, and a review rhythm. Pass: quiz at least 8/10, at least four of five exercises correct, and a lab whose phase one delivers measurable value on its own.
Common mistakes
Roadmaps where value arrives only at the end; dependencies on vendors left implicit.
Assessment
Roadmap review.
Workplace evidence
A solution roadmap you built that delivery followed.
Career relevance
Roadmaps connect architecture to delivery plans and budgets.