How we’re planning Q4 at Balsamiq—feel free to copy

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How we build quarterly roadmaps

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Hi there!

So, it’s that time of year. Q4 is basically knocking at the door, and I bet you’re knee-deep in roadmap planning. Same here—I’m writing this in between responding to roadmap feedback.

Since we’re all in the thick of it, I thought it’d be useful to share what’s working for us. Over the past year, we’ve made a few changes to our process that have seriously made our lives easier.

It’s not perfect (yet!), but it’s working well enough that I figured you might find it interesting—or even helpful—as you wrap up your own plans. And it was time to give this post from 2022 an update.

So, here’s a peek into what we’re doing at Balsamiq. Steal anything you like—I won’t tell.

What’s new in our roadmap process?

We’ve been running roadmaps for a while, but in the last two years, we made three big updates:

#1: Strategy-first thinking: We used to dive straight into planning without always knowing if it matched our long-term goals. Oops! So, we introduced strategy charts. They’re essentially a shared, high-level view of what matters most. Each team has their own:

The higher the arrow, the higher the priority. We review these about a month before each quarter starts, and it helps align everyone across departments. Plus, because it’s visual, we’ve ditched those 10-page docs that no one really reads.

#2: Tracking past ideas: Sometimes, a project doesn’t fit the quarter, but it still has value. So we added a “Blasts from the Past” column to our planning template. It’s where we track ideas that didn’t make the cut before but might be perfect later.

It’s become our go-to answer for, “Wait, didn’t we have a good idea last time that we skipped?”

#3: One person owns the process: In the past, everyone was responsible for keeping the roadmap process on track, which meant... no one was. Now, we’ve got Liz, our PM, owning the entire process. She keeps things moving, makes sure deadlines are hit, and facilitates the hard conversations.

Everything about this process runs smoother with Liz at the wheel. We strongly believe every team needs to find their Liz.

Our roadmap process in 3 steps

Here’s how our roadmap planning looks from start to finish:

Step 1: Strategy kickoff

At the end of each quarter, we pull up the strategy charts for every team. For product teams, this happens in our Product Monthly meeting. It’s a high-level, cross-functional meeting where we align on the big ideas before digging into the specifics.

Recently, leadership started doing a more holistic review to include business teams like marketing and support too. It’s evolving as we go, but this step keeps everyone in sync and on target.

Step 2: Collecting input

After the strategy review, each team starts filling out a “Pick what to work on” page. We do this asynchronously—people add their ideas on their own time, which means fewer meetings.

Each team has their own quarterly “pick page,” and we use Slack to keep people on track with reminders.

Then, teams review the list, prioritize, and discuss it in weekly meetings or Slack threads. We’re always asking: Does this serve our customers? Does it help the business? If not, it’s probably a no.

Step 3: Final review

At the end of the quarter, we have a final review in a weekly product meeting. This is when we balance workload, dependencies, and strategic importance. Basically, it’s where we figure out what actually makes it to the roadmap.

Liz keeps notes on why something is chosen (or cut), so there’s no mystery when we revisit it later.

Why this process works for us (and maybe for you)

After we refined this process, it started spreading. Earlier this year, we adopted it for the marketing team, and the admin/HR team jumped on board, too.

Here’s why we love it:

Clarity: Everyone knows what’s happening and why. No one’s left wondering, “Why didn’t we do X?”
Alignment: Starting with strategy means we’re all working towards the same goals, not just what feels urgent.
Collaboration: It’s not just leadership making decisions—everyone has input, which means better outcomes across the board.

Of course, we’re still tweaking and always looking for ways to automate and streamline. But the goal isn’t a perfect process—it’s a process that actually works for your team.

Happy customer of the month

When prototyping a a web or mobile application with @balsamiq, my productivity skyrockets. More focus on the core business idea and less focus on on margins, colors, fonts etc. — Njogu Amos

Product news

We’ve been busy making Balsamiq better! In case you missed it, we’ve rolled out:

New, expanded pricing plans with more flexibility to fit your team’s needs.
A new sketch style to make your wireframes feel a touch more modern.
Better organization and access to new templates (like onboarding flows) so you can start projects even faster.

Wireframing Academy news

Some highlights from this past month:

Company News

We have a few exciting projects in the works, but nothing to share yet. Want to be involved? Join our research program to talk to us about how you use Balsamiq.

Oh, and if you’re headed to MicroConf Europe this October, say hi! Our founder, Peldi, will be there speaking.

That's it for this month!

We’ll see you next month with more reads for product minds. In the meantime, we hope our roadmapping process gives you a few ideas you can take into your own planning.

Good luck, and remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to work!

Here's to plans that survive contact with reality,

Arielle for the Balsamiq Team

Most new customers find Balsamiq via recommendation...

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How we’re planning Q4 at Balsamiq—feel free to copy

What’s new in our roadmap process?

Our roadmap process in 3 steps

Why this process works for us (and maybe for you)

Happy customer of the month

Product news

Wireframing Academy news

Company News

That's it for this month!

Most new customers find Balsamiq via recommendation...

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What’s new in July: our biggest product update this year

Inside Balsamiq: our new approach to internal product training

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