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.

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When 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 programme into topics and attach the material to each.

Step by step

  1. 1A folder can hold several roadmaps. Open a new one from the menu at the top left and switch between them there.
  2. 2The main track runs from start to finish. Select a step and press Enter to add the next one after it.
  3. 3With a step selected, Tab hangs a topic off it. On a topic, Tab adds a sub-topic and Enter adds a sibling.
  4. 4The circle at the start of a box changes its status: Not started → In progress → Done → Skipped. The box changes colour with it.
  5. 5Right-click a box and choose "Details" to open the side panel: notes, an estimated time and links go there.
  6. 6To break a long roadmap up, add a section heading from the right-click menu (Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced, say).
  7. 7Make a topic optional and it is joined with a dashed line and left out of the progress percentage.
  8. 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)

New step on the trackEnter
Topic under the selected boxTab
Rename the selected boxF2
Delete the selected boxDelete
New line while typingShift+Enter
Close the text fieldEsc
UndoCtrl+Z
RedoCtrl+Y

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.

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