In many software companies, the software architect is tasked with building a solid foundation that becomes the backbone of the company’s products. Common architectural roadmap components are the Application Programming Interface (API), User Interface (UI), storage, and third-party services integrations. These platform components are often part of other product roadmaps in the organization because features may rely on them. However, many companies also find it helpful to maintain a dedicated IT architecture roadmap to keep track of various improvements in a central location.
Key Features
- Great for mapping out your IT initiatives over time
- Initiatives are grouped together in swimlanes
- High-level 7-month timeframe with milestones
In the example IT architecture roadmap above, the roadmap is color-coded based on the project phase: planning and design, implementation and testing, and optimization. Long-term timeframes are common for architecture roadmaps, and in this particular example, specific dates have been left off entirely.
When using an IT architecture roadmap, it is important that each initiative within the roadmap is discussed only at the strategic level rather than the task level. This enables the initiative owner to communicate the major phases of the project to the relevant constituents and stakeholders as they see fit.