ProductPlan enables comprehensive strategic alignment across different product areas through platform and roadmap management.
The platform provides multiple mechanisms for connecting and understanding relationships between various strategic elements.
Strategy (Objectives & Key Results)
Discovery (Opportunities & Ideas)
Strategic Portfolio
The strategic portfolio serves as the central hub for cross-product strategic alignment. It allows leadership to visualize initiatives across different product lines and understand the broader organizational strategy. The Strategic Portfolio combines elements from Strategy (objectives), Discovery (opportunities) and the Roadmap (initiatives). By providing a comprehensive view, the strategic portfolio helps leaders make informed decisions about resource allocation and strategic direction.
Strategy
The Strategy feature enables you to set clear objectives to empower your team and stakeholders, guide decision-making and create trackable measures of success. This is the primary module within your platform and where you should begin your ProductPlan journey.
Strategy connects to both the Discovery module and roadmap objects.
Editors can connect Opportunities to Objectives from either direction. This can occur in both the Strategy and Discovery spaces, from individual opportunities or objectives. You will see the opportunity count displayed on objective cards in the objectives overview. Similarly, you'll notice the objective count and list are displayed on opportunity cards in the Opportunities overview.
Similarly, editors are able to connect multiple objectives to a single bar and/or container on roadmaps. To display objectives with the help of the roadmap, we further recommend creating a list view by objectives as one of your custom views.
Roadmaps
Roadmaps are the core functionality of ProductPlan. Each module of the platform has a connection to the roadmap.
Strategic objectives can be directly linked to roadmap bars and containers. Multiple objectives can be associated with a single bar and/or container. This is also where cascading objectives come into play. Utilize the cascading functionality to associate the roadmap objects with company-wide and team-specific objectives. Always link roadmap items to relevant strategic initiatives.
Opportunities can be created as containers or connect to already existing roadmap objects. The recommendation is to have these opportunities created as containers in the parked section and move through the prioritization flow before being added to the live, planned roadmap.
Launches are also connected to bars and containers on the roadmap. You’re able to connect a launch to multiple bars and/or containers. The launch date will then be displayed on the roadmap with a flag at the top of the roadmap.
Roadmap Portfolio Views
The roadmap portfolio view combines multiple roadmaps together into a singular, holistic view. You’re able to combine multiple versions of the same roadmap or multiple roadmaps together with this feature. Product areas can be connected through various shared elements. Standardization will come into play here. You’ll want to utilize features like the shared legend for roadmaps you’re combining together.
Use cases for the roadmap portfolio include common strategic themes that span multiple products and/or aligned timelines that show connections. This is important for resources or technologies that are used across different product lines.
Discovery (Ideas & Opportunities)
The Discovery space is where you capture customer research, market insights and product opportunities. Ideas are collected from viewers, editors and anyone with the idea submission link. These ideas are then connected to Opportunities.
Think of Opportunities as the big bets you’re looking to make in the year ahead, hypotheses statements and/or problem statements you’re looking to solve. Opportunities are linked with relevant strategic initiatives from the Objective module.
Validated opportunities can be converted into roadmap objects. You’re able to create Opportunities as a roadmap object and move it through the prioritization workflow.
Launch
Launch flags are visible directly on your roadmap timelines. You’re able to tie multiple bars and/or containers to a single launch. These are then represented on the roadmap with the launch flag. 
Horizontal Alignment
Horizontal alignment helps identify shared goals and initiatives, creating cross-functional work streams that break down organizational silos. By looking across product areas, teams can discover opportunities for collaboration and efficiency. Horizontal alignment is most easily achieved with the use of standardized fields for the roadmap. This can be at the company-wide or team-specific level.
Teams are a major component of this alignment. Your teams are a connective tissue between every single area of the platform.
Vertical Alignment
Vertical integration links strategic objectives to specific product roadmap bars and containers. This approach ensures that high-level strategic objectives are cascaded down to tactical initiatives. By maintaining clear connections between strategic goals and detailed execution, organizations can ensure that every project supports the broader strategic vision.
Collaboration Tools
The platform includes robust collaboration features to support cross-product communication. Teams can share roadmaps, use commenting features at various levels, see real-time updates and synchronization pushes. These tools ensure that all stakeholders have access to the most current strategic information.
Best Practices
Regularly review cross-product connections to maintain strategic alignment. Use the roadmap hierarchy to maintain clear, strategic views of your organization's initiatives. Foster communication between product teams to ensure that everyone understands how their work contributes to broader organizational goals.
Platform Integration Benefits
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Traceability: Every product decision can be traced from strategy through discovery, roadmap and finally launch
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Alignment: All activities remain connected to strategic objectives
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Visibility: Stakeholders can see connections between different aspects of product development
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Accountability: Clear ownership and dependencies across the PDLC
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Agility: Easy to adjust plans while maintaining connections between components