Learn product roadmap vocabulary: Now-Next-Later framework, opportunity vs. solution, theme-based roadmaps, quarterly planning, dependency mapping, and RICE score prioritisation.
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A product team's roadmap has three columns: items in active development, items planned for the following quarter, and items under consideration for later. What is this structure called?
The Now-Next-Later roadmap (popularised by Janna Bastow / ProdPad) uses three horizons instead of fixed dates. 'Now' = active work this quarter; 'Next' = planned for the near future; 'Later' = potential items without committed dates. This format avoids the false precision of date-based roadmaps, reduces stakeholder pressure to hit specific dates, and makes it easier to reprioritise without 'breaking' a timeline.
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A product manager is asked to add 'a button that exports data to Excel' to the roadmap. She responds: 'Let me first understand the underlying need — why do users need this?' She is distinguishing between an ___________ and a solution.
An opportunity (from Continuous Discovery Habits by Teresa Torres) represents a customer need, pain point, or desire — the 'why'. A solution is a specific way to address it (the 'what'). Roadmaps built around opportunities (e.g., 'Users need to share financial data with their accountants') are more durable than solution-based roadmaps (e.g., 'Add Excel export button'), because the best solution may change as the team learns more.
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Instead of listing individual features, a product roadmap organises work around strategic areas like 'Improve onboarding experience' and 'Expand enterprise capabilities.' What type of roadmap is this?
A theme-based roadmap groups work into strategic themes (broad areas of investment) rather than individual features. This keeps the roadmap at the right level of abstraction for stakeholders — communicating direction and intent without committing to specific features prematurely. Themes map to company goals or OKRs and typically span multiple quarters, with specific features decided closer to delivery.
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A PM is calculating which features to build next using RICE score. Feature A has Reach=500, Impact=3, Confidence=80%, Effort=2 weeks. What does the RICE formula measure?
RICE = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort. Reach: how many users affected per quarter; Impact: how much it moves the needle (0.25–3× scale); Confidence: how certain you are of estimates (percentage); Effort: total person-months or weeks to deliver. A higher RICE score = more expected impact per effort. Created by Intercom, RICE helps PMs avoid 'pet projects' (high effort, low reach) and gut-feel prioritisation.
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During quarterly planning, the platform team's roadmap item is a prerequisite for the mobile team's top feature. This relationship is called a ___________ on the roadmap.
A dependency on a roadmap is a relationship where one item cannot start (or complete) until another is done. Dependency mapping is a critical quarterly planning activity — especially in scaled organisations. Unmanaged dependencies are a leading cause of missed roadmap commitments. Roadmapping tools (Jira Advanced Roadmaps, Productboard, Aha!) allow visualising dependency chains and identifying the critical path.