PREVIEW This is a preview release. sparQ is in active development. Some features on this page are still being built. We're building in the open, the repo goes public soon.
Learn · Anti-Pattern
Type
All 27 Essay 4 Build Note 5 Field Note 7 Anti-Pattern 3 Architecture 3 Changelog 5

Roadmap theater

8 min read
Anti-Pattern

A roadmap that gets shown to the board is not a roadmap. It's theater.

Real plans are local, fast-changing, and embarrassing. They include the false starts and the things that aren't working. They name names and acknowledge that the team is two weeks behind on the integration that the board thinks shipped.

The roadmap that gets shown is the laundered version. It's the version that looks like progress. It's the version that everyone agrees to pretend is true.

The fix isn't to ban roadmaps. It's to be honest about who they're for. The board needs a stable narrative. The team needs a true one. Don't pretend they're the same artifact.