By Glue Team
A product roadmap shows what features you're building. But it doesn't show:
- What gaps exist in the codebase that block features
- How much technical debt you're accumulating
- Which team members are at risk of burnout
- Where single points of failure exist
Your roadmap is operating blind.
A better approach: use the roadmap as a command center that connects:
- Goals: What features are we building?
- Gaps: What's missing in the code?
- Debt: How much technical debt is this creating?
- Risks: Who's at risk? Which systems are fragile?
The Roadmap Problem
Traditional roadmaps show features and timelines. They don't show engineering constraints.
Result:
- Features are promised without understanding technical complexity
- Debt accumulates without being planned for
- Team burns out without warning
- Single points of failure are discovered too late
Roadmap as Command Center
Feature + Code Mapping
Each feature on the roadmap is linked to the code that implements it.
- "New payment methods" → Code in payment service
- "Improved search" → Code in search service
When you look at a feature, you see:
- Current implementation
- Complexity
- Test coverage
- Dependencies
Gap Visibility
Gaps appear on the roadmap:
- "We need to refactor auth to support new auth methods"
- "We need to improve search latency before adding new search features"
Gaps are prioritized and addressed.
Debt Tracking
Technical debt appears on the roadmap:
- "Building feature X creates $100K in debt"
- "Feature Y can't be built until we pay down debt in service Z"
Trade-offs are visible.
Risk Visibility
Team and system risks appear:
- "Alice is the only one who understands the payment system"
- "Search service has 0 test coverage"
- "Database is at 90% capacity"
Risks are managed proactively.
Getting Started
- Connect your roadmap tool to Glue
- Link features to code
- Glue shows gaps, debt, and risks
- Plan roadmap with full visibility
- Execute with confidence
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do we link features to code? A: Glue reads your code and identifies which services implement which features. You verify the mapping.
Q: What if a feature doesn't map to clean code boundaries? A: That's a sign of tight coupling. Glue shows you the cross-service dependencies.
Q: Can this help us improve estimates? A: Yes. By understanding code complexity, dependencies, and gaps, you estimate more accurately.