Roadmap
A map that breaks a subject into a track of steps, with topics hanging off each step. You never drag the boxes; the map lays itself out after every change. What sets it apart from a work breakdown is that it tracks progress: every box has a status and the strip at the top tells you how much of the map is done.
Register nowWhen to use it?
- To lay a subject out in learning order and keep track of where you left off.
- To plan a new hire’s first months step by step.
- To show on one screen which stages a piece of work goes through.
- To break a training program into topics and attach the material to each.
Step by step
- 1A folder can hold several roadmaps. Open a new one from the menu at the top left and switch between them there.
- 2The main track runs from start to finish. Select a step and press Enter to add the next one after it.
- 3With a step selected, Tab hangs a topic off it. On a topic, Tab adds a sub-topic and Enter adds a sibling.
- 4The circle at the start of a box changes its status: Not started → In progress → Done → Skipped. The box changes color with it.
- 5Right-click a box and choose "Details" to open the side panel: notes, an estimated time and links go there.
- 6To break a long roadmap up, add a section heading from the right-click menu (Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced, say).
- 7Make a topic optional and it is joined with a dashed line and left out of the progress percentage.
- 8The turn button on the progress strip flips the track from vertical to horizontal; that is how a long roadmap stays readable on a wide screen.
Keyboard shortcuts (desktop)
Tips
- Boxes are never dragged; the layout is automatic. To reorder a step, use the move commands in the right-click menu.
- Topics alternate sides from one step to the next, so the map does not pile up on one side.
- Skipped boxes count as finished in the progress bar, so a topic you decided against does not hold the percentage down forever.
- The hours you enter add up; the strip at the top shows the total left on unfinished boxes.
- A link has to start with http or https; anything else is rejected.
Worked example
Example: six-month roadmap for a mobile app
The team changes direction with every new idea and management has no idea what is coming when. Six months are split into three rough stops. The goal is not to promise dates but to fix the order.
Stop 1 — Steady the foundations
- Halve the app start-up time
- Fix the screens that crash
- Simplify sign-up
Stop 2 — Keep people
- Notification settings
- Offline mode
- In-app feedback
Stop 3 — Grow
- Invite a friend
- Second language
- Paid plan infrastructure
Deliberately not doing
- Tablet layout
- Desktop version
- AI features
The most useful box on the roadmap is the last one. Writing down what you will do does not end the argument; writing down what you will not do this period does.
Frequently asked questions
What is a product roadmap?
A high-level plan showing where a product or a piece of work is heading over the coming period, and in what order. It is not a task list — it communicates intent and sequence.
Should a roadmap have dates?
Exact dates usually do damage: miss one and the credibility of the whole roadmap goes with it. Quarters, or a "now / next / later" structure, hold up far better. If you genuinely need an exact date, that item belongs on a Gantt chart, not a roadmap.
How often should a roadmap be updated?
Reviewing it monthly suits most teams. A roadmap that changes every week is not a roadmap; one that never changes has lost touch with reality. What matters is not the change itself but writing down why it changed.
Why do I need a 'not doing' list?
Because most questions a roadmap attracts take the form "but what about X". Listing what you deliberately left out answers them up front and stops the team relitigating the same argument every week.
Is it free?
Yes. Klarsti is free and ad-free right now, and you do not need an account to build a roadmap.