Effective Digital Planning

Part 1: Digital Roadmaps.

I first learned about digital roadmaps when I was tasked with developing an ”As Is” / ”Should Be” assessment  on how to modernize our company website.  The Digital Agency we worked with helped us to craft my first one.  Like a traditional roadmap, its used to  map your route.  Just like traditional maps, digital roadmaps  have distances, landmarks, places of interest, rest stops and the route to the ”final” destination. However,  there is no automatic route calculator that plots the most efficient way to get there.  That app just doesn't exist...

Like any group of people (or project team) traveling together,  things happen along the way.  For instance, there may be car trouble, traffic delays,  or even unplanned side trips to places of interest.   If possible, each of those "what-ifs" of  need to be factored into the plan.  They impact your ultimate arrival time and budget. 

Like any cross country  trip, there are direct routes, short cuts and scenic excursions  to your destination. Each of those routes affects the quality of your travel, your arrival time, your budget and the range of things (scope) you will discover along the way.

A good mapping process  prioritizes the business goals to  determine what tools are needed and when.  They know that the destination is not always what it appears to be. After all, it’s only a map, and maps  can change.

A good roadmap is one that is not too granular, but allows you to see at a high level where the places of interest are and the distance and direction  between them.  It allows you to anticipate and plan for the trip.  It tells you where the rest stops are. 

Roadmaps are a  great staffing,  budgeting and resource planning tool.  They allow you and your stakeholders visualize the entire journey;  the milestones, direction and the duration of the trip.  It also opens the journey up for discussion.

The very act of creating a roadmap is a valuable process.  It is a process that  requires a skilled travel planner that knows the right questions to ask and probes for the answers.  The questions focus on your audiences, their preferences and  habits.  Insights into how they behave are also important.  This process will not only define your destination, but  breaks up the journey into achievable segments.  The quality of a roadmap really depends on a thorough understanding of the wants, needs and wishes of the audience and your company’s  commitment to an exceptional digital experience.

Coming up - Part 2:  What does a Digital Roadmap look like.