Why product roadmap creation can be a challenge (and what to do about it)

Creating a product roadmap sounds like a simple task.

List out everything that needs to be built, prioritise the order in which you need them, set some timescales, and you’re on your way!

But in reality, it’s never that straightforward. If you’ve ever been involved in product development, you’ll know roadmaps can be a messy, moving target that requires constant balancing of priorities, expectations, and constraints.

So, why is it so difficult? This article looks at some of the key challenges of creating and managing a roadmap and seeks to give you some actionable strategies to navigate them.

Balancing client vs. customer expectations

One of the trickiest parts of roadmap planning is navigating the gap between what clients want and what actual users need. It’s easy for decision-makers to push for shiny new features that look good, but if they don’t solve a real user problem, they won’t drive adoption or revenue.

Top tips to solve this challenge:

• Bring different stakeholders into roadmap discussions to gather a rounded view of business and user needs. Perspectives will differ amongst teams (e.g. customer support vs UX vs investors) but will all bring valuable insights.
• Base decisions on user research and real data, not just assumptions.
• Keep business goals front and center - every roadmap decision should align with the company’s larger vision.

Short-term vs. long-term thinking

We all love quick wins. They make stakeholders happy, keep momentum going, and give teams a sense of progress. But focusing too much on the short term can create technical debt that slows everything down later.

What to watch out for:

• Legacy tech bottlenecks: Outdated systems can slow down future development.
• AI adoption hype: Implementing AI without a solid data foundation leads to more problems than solutions.
• UX debt from rapid growth: Inconsistencies in the user experience can quietly hurt retention over time.

How to find the right balance:

• Regularly review technical debt and bake improvements into the roadmap.
• Define measurable success criteria so short-term wins don’t come at the cost of long-term stability.
• Use frameworks like RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) to prioritise effectively.

Technical debt vs. feature development

This is a classic tension in product development: Should you fix underlying tech issues, or push forward with new features? Neglecting technical debt can slow development and create major issues down the road, but constantly refactoring without shipping new features isn’t great for business either.

Top tips to solve this challenge:

• Try and assess the time a new feature will take to design and implement vs. the value the new feature might bring. User research can be an invaluable tool here, to help you understand the appetite for features and real-world user needs.
• Treat bug fixing and ‘Quality of Life’ improvements (where you make small user experience updates) as an ongoing effort, not something to “fix later.”
• Recognise that invisible improvements (like refactoring) can have a big impact on user experience and future velocity.

A product vs. service mindset

A common challenge, especially in larger teams, is losing sight of why you’re building something. Features can end up becoming tasks on a to-do list, rather than solutions to real user problems. Roadmaps should focus on delivering value, not just shipping features.

Tips to avoid this trap:

• Shift conversations from “What feature should we build next?” to “What problem should we focus on next?”
• Make sure project goals reflect the wider company vision and strategy. Having overarching goals will help you to focus on the features that are likely to have the biggest impact.
• Take time to zoom out and reflect on how (and where) your product fits into the company’s ecosystem. 

Changing market conditions & stakeholder influence

Market trends, regulatory changes, and internal politics can shake up a roadmap. If your plan is very rigid and doesn’t allow room to grow and adapt, it will quickly become irrelevant. This can lead to delays in development misalignment between teams.

How to mitigate this challenge:

• Treat your roadmap as a living, breathing document. The roadmap should be regularly reviewed and adapted as needed to align with the strategic focus.
• Put procedures, or frameworks in place such as a RACI matrix to clarify who needs to be involved in decision-making.
• Push back when necessary - saying “no” to a misaligned feature is just as important as saying “yes” to the right one.

Final takeaways

1. A roadmap isn’t just a feature list - it should align with business goals and customer needs.
2. Tech debt matters. Invisible improvements can drive long-term success.
3. Balance short-term wins with long-term sustainability.
4. User research should be ongoing and continuously feed into roadmap decisions.
5. Use frameworks like RICE to make data-driven decisions.
6. Push back when needed - a roadmap should be strategic, not just a wishlist from stakeholders.
7. At the end of the day, roadmap planning is as much about alignment and adaptability as it is about strategy. The best roadmaps aren’t set in stone - they evolve with the product, the team, and the market.

If you’d like to read more about planning your app we have some free resources that might help. Badly Drawn Mobile is a short illustrated guide that helps you make the important app decisions. Mobile Strategy Process helps you learn a creative process for building a mobile strategy. Mobile Maturity Checklist will challenge your thinking when planning or executing a mobile app. We also have articles on How to prioritise your app roadmap more effectively with RICE and How to figure out when your app idea is worth pursuing.