Adaptive roadmapping

Last updated: Tuesday, 02 July 2024

An iterative, responsive approach to strategic planning, creating and maintaining high-level visual plans that allow for continuous updates and adjustments based on new information and changing circumstances. This framework is effective in contexts where uncertainty and change are particularly acute, supporting development and decision-making.

Key features: dynamic visualisation, real-time data integration, and the ability to pivot quickly, responding to emerging opportunities and challenges.

Aspect Traditional static planning Adaptive roadmapping
Flexibility & adaptability Rigid and inflexible; quickly outdated; plans are rarely updated Highly flexible; plans continuously updated based on new information; responsive to changes
Data integration Limited to initial data; no real-time updates Incorporates real-time data to ensure current and accurate information
Visualisation Static documents (e.g., spreadsheets, slide decks) that are not interactive Dynamic and interactive visual tools that are easy to modify and update1
Collaboration & engagement Non-collaborative; lacks real-time feedback; often unengaging and hard to communicate Collaborative platforms allowing real-time contributions; engaging and transparent
Decision-making & development One-time planning event; long intervals between updates; slow and reactive Fast and proactive; continuous, iterative planning cycles, based on the latest inputs
Outcome focus Focuses on delivering pre-set plans rather than achieving outcomes Focuses on achieving outcomes and adapting plans to meet those outcomes
  • [⎈] Reflect on the importance of feedback loops in adaptive roadmapping. How do continuous feedback and iteration contribute to more effective planning and decision-making? The iterative structure of roadmapping processes, as discussed in the foresight methodology paper, emphasizes the need for continuous re-scoping and re-prioritizing
  • [?] A formalised, systematised version of muddling through?
  • [?] What distinguishes a “roadmap” from other kinds of plans? What are its essential elements and levels of abstraction?
  • [?] How much detail and structure is useful in an adaptive roadmap? What is the optimal balance between flexibility and specificity?
  • [?] What tools and infrastructures are needed to enable dynamic visualisation, integrate new data and information, and support distributed collaboration in real-time?

  1. Some examples would be helpful! ⤴︎