What Is the Now-Next-Later Roadmap?

What Is the Now-Next-Later Roadmap?

If you feel overwhelmed at work by feature requests or struggle to communicate priorities, the Now-Next-Later Roadmap solution should be your go-to solution.

It is a powerful tool for product managers that’s simple yet effective. Let’s break this down in an easier manner. 

For example if you’re booking a trip — you would book your flights and hotels now, search for attractions to visit next and leave the additional decisions such as restaurants for later when you actually reach the destination.

In product management, the Now-Next-Later roadmap works in a similar manner. The categories are clear;

• Now – What’s your team actively working on?
• Next – What are the upcoming short term priorities?
• Later – What are the future ideas that do not require immediate action?

Traditional roadmaps have become boring since it depends on cut-to-cut date deadlines; the Now-Next-Later model focuses on flexibility. 

The roadmap emphasizes direction leaving deadlines behind. This makes sure that teams adapt to changing customer needs.

Technical jargons and complex graphs go for a toss because the Now-Next-Later method is a simple communication tool. 

It shows a logical progression of the product’s future and helps set team alignment. Everyone is on the same page when it comes to – what matters now, what’s next and what can wait!

Elements of Now-Next-Later Roadmap Framework

Think of the Now-Next-Later Roadmap as a refined version of your to-Do-List. It helps you break down your tasks into easy-to-digest chunks.

You can go ahead with leading your product vision without having the panic of trying to sort out everything at once!

Let’s look at the key elements of the roadmap;

Now: The Urgent, Must-Have Stuff

This part right here is where your energy’s team should be focused right now! It includes the features, tasks and nitty-gritty stuff that are actively a work-in-progress.

Imagine, your kid, partner or parent decides to host an impromptu dinner party and you’re responsible for executing everything.

Your Now would be deciding and cooking the main course so that your guests don’t starve, the desserts and decorations can wait in this case!

In terms of product development, Now includes all of the high-priority features that need your immediate attention. 

Next: The Near-Future Priorities 

Moving on to the next element, you guessed it right – it’s Next. It focuses on features and upgrades that you’ll be tackling soon. This happens right after you’ve dealt with the Next phase. 

In day-to-day life terms, it refers to the next netflix binge that you’ve planned out while finishing your current one. You aren’t done with it yet, but the excitement has already risen.

This element drives the team to get ready for the upcoming tasks. It’s all about thinking and planning forward but at the same time, not taking things too far ahead.

Later: The Cool-but-Not-Critical Ideas

The tasks and features falling under the Later element is more of a wishlist. It’s a parking lot for you half-baked ideas and ‘it’d be nice if we had this’ features.

It’s like thinking about Skydiving and tagging it under ‘maybe someday’, but not when you’re still figuring out where to go next.

Later is a good way to not lose good ideas but also stay engaged completely on what actually matters now. 

It’s important to not let Later overflow with forgotten stuff though!

Why It Works

Clarity and adaptability – two simple reasons why Now-Next-Later should be followed. It helps the team communicate priorities and take a turn when required.

PM: Does this feature bring instant value?

Team: No.

PM: Great! Move it to the Next or Later pile.

Panning features and priorities should be enjoyable just like the satisfaction you get when you cross things off your to-do list.

It shouldn’t be exhausting as you keep adding more to it.

When Should Product Managers Use Now-Next-Later Roadmap Framework?

When to Use

A simple way to think about Now-Next-Later is to use it when simplicity, flexibility and clear communication are urgently needed.

When Priorities Keep Shifting

Customer feedback and market conditions tend to change rapidly when you’re working on fats-growing products.

A rigid roadmap in such a situation would be similar to dancing in an ice field with concrete shoes. 

So the best method to follow here would be implementing the Now-Next-Later roadmap – this allows you to turn around easily, working on what’s important today while keeping an eye out on what would be next.

The best comparison here would be juggling; you concentrate on the ball above in the air while the others are on standby.

When You Need to Align Stakeholders Immediately

Usually (in many cases) stakeholders do not have the patience to go through Gantt charts.

When your team requires a simple but overall view of all the priorities, Now-Next-Later leads the way without flooding people with details.

Imagine explaining dinner party plans to your friends – Cooking now, desserts next, fancy cheese plates later. 

It’s clear, to-the-point and people know what to expect!

When You Want to Avoid Overcommitting

Underdelivering while Overpromising – this is what happens when you set rigid deadlines for every feature.

Now-Next-Later helps you commit to:

• Action (Now)
• Preparation (Next)
• Possibility (Later)

This makes sure that you’re being realistic and not stuffing too much into too little time. Imagine going to a conference and signing up or everything only to realise you do not have any time left for lunch.

When Not to Use

The Now-Next-Later is not ideal for every situation. Let’s look at some examples:

When Detailed Timelines Are Crucial

You need to think twice before using this roadmap if your project has strict deadlines. For example if you’re launching a compliance-driven feature by a regulatory cutoff.

The now-next-later does not make any sense here. When directional planning is needed, the framework works well but when precision is important, a normal time-driven roadmap becomes crucial.

When Managing Highly Complex Projects

While working on large-scale plans with many tasks depending on each other, the Now-Next-Later roadmap can oversimplify everything making tasks shallow.

Imagine packing for cross-country roadtrips with just three boxes of goodies labeled now, next, later – you’d definitely need a lot more than that if you’re on the road for so long, won’t you?

So, to avoid such chaos, you’ll need a more rocky roadmap with detailed dependencies and success metrics to keep everything in order.

Aligning Now-Next-Later Roadmap With OKRs

Aligning OKRs with the Now-Next-Later roadmap is very important to create a framework that can measure progress effectively.

Start with Clear OKRs

Begin with defining your OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). How to differentiate between objectives and key results/

• Objectives: Qualitative goals
• Key Results: Measurable outcomes that show success

Let’s take a quick example; an objective can be Improve user engagement and it the Key Result be Increase daily active users by 20%.

Hence, the roadmap should work a north star for attaining these OKRs

Map OKRs to Roadmap Timeframes

The next step is to align your ORK with the Now-Next-Later roadmap. Here’s how you do it:

• Now emphasises on features that directly play a part in current Key results. Let’s say your Key Result is to increase sign-ups, your Now can include optimization of the onboarding process.
• Next includes tasks that contribute to near-future outcomes. Integrating advanced analytic tools to oversee user behavior can be done right after improving the onboarding experience.
• Later points out possible projects that can align with long-term business objectives. Nothing is committed as of now, but placing them in sight makes sure a pipeline of ideas exist.

Prioritize with OKRs in Mind

Just like a sailor uses their compass for navigation – your OKRs will help you navigate your product vision.

Everything in the roadmap must answer one thing: How will this drive us closer to our key Results?

Once a feature fails to answer this objective, it’s time to reconsider this piece in your Now-Next-later roadmap.

Create a Feedback Loop

It’s important to check your progress against the set Key results to adjust the roadmap. For instance, if a task under Now is not getting you good results, you need to reassess it.

It’s similar to coming up with a new recipe – you taste, tweak and rebuild it till you make it right!

Communicate Alignment to Stakeholders

Show how your OKR and NNL roadmap is linked so that your team and stakeholders are also aligned.

Some tasks are prioritised over others, and explaining the why part is also important to promote transparency and alignment. 

Think of it this way – if you’re a contractor building a house you need to present the blueprint so that everyone is on the same page.

Follow these steps and your Now-Next-Later roadmap aligned with OKRs will be solid. It makes sure your team is focused, flexible and most importantly result-driven!

Tools For Creating Now-Next-Later Roadmap

The right tools give you the right outcome. You can use multiple tools for creating a well-defined Now-Next-Later roadmap.

Figma is excellent for its designing abilities. It’s a great tool for creating visually engaging roadmaps. 

Custom layouts can even help you color-code, add icons and annotations to your Now, Next, Later tasks.

Notion also gives you an all-in-one workspace. Building NNL roadmaps becomes easier with its drag-and-drop cards, check lists and backlinks as well keeping everything organized in one place.

Imagine an infinite canvas for mapping out ideas and your Now-Next-Later tasks – Miro helps you achieve this. Its interactive features help remote teams to collaborate very easily.

If you’re looking for the best all-purpose product management tool, you can go for Chisel. It’s designed to align roadmaps with product goals while promoting swift team collaboration.

Differentiating itself from general product management tools. It helps:

• Integrate multiple features to prioritize tasks
• Links roadmap to Key Objectives
• Upholds your product strategy in a crystal-clear manner

It’s an excellent option for streamlined and purpose-driven planning!

Limitation of Now-Next-Later Roadmap

The New-Next-Later, like everything, comes along with its own set of cons. It’s straightforward and quite flexible, but understanding its limitations is equally important.

Lacks Precision in Timelines

The most important limitation lies within the fact that the Now-Next-Later framework avoids specific deadlines.

This can be frustrating for stakeholders since direction over delivery dates can confuse their timeframes for expectations and planning.

A perfect example would be a friend inviting you for dinner and telling you they’ll cook dinner later leaving you baffled about when you’d be actually eating.

So if your product needs rigid deadlines, stay away from Now-Next-Later.

Lacks Detailed Resource Allocation

There is a knowledge gap in terms of resources and team members required for each priority or task.

This creates a lot of confusion when different teams work to harmonize their efforts. For instance, planning a wedding and being clear on Now, Next, Later is fine – but having no clue on flowers and cake deliverables leads to a downfall.

Tasks hit pause and delay progress because there is no clear ownership anywhere.

Limited Scope for Long-Term Strategy

By now you realise how simple the Now-Next-Later roadmap really is. It sounds ideal for near-future prioritizations but not so effective for broader and large-scale initiatives.

This roadmap will fail to provide details if the stakeholders are looking for a vision that goes beyond immediate priorities.

Conclusion

The Now-Next-Later framework is not just a roadmap but a mindset alignment tool. 

Product managers can easily stay flexible, prioritize tasks and communicate diligently in a dynamic environment.

Even though it is not convenient for every situation, its superpower lies within its simplicity (adios rigid deadlines)

The next time you feel overburdened with so many tasks lying around, do not forget to call out for the Now-Next-Later roadmap.

Remember it’s all about what you can divide it into what you can tackle right now, what comes next and what can wait for later; be it life, or product management!