Public Roadmaps: What to Show, What to Hide, and How to Keep One Honest
Short answer: show three columns — Planned, In progress, Completed — with no dates, only include things you are genuinely committed to, and update it every time something moves.
Why publish a roadmap at all?
A public roadmap answers the question every engaged user eventually asks: "Is anyone listening?" When people can see that requests move from a feedback board to Planned to Completed, they post more feedback, vote more, and churn less.
Three columns are enough
- Planned — committed, not started. Be selective; this column is a promise.
- In progress — being built now. Keep it short so it stays believable.
- Completed — shipped. This is your changelog and your proof that the process works.
Everything else ("under review", "considering") belongs on the feedback board, not the roadmap.
Leave out the dates
Dates make a roadmap feel precise, but software estimates slip, and every slipped date on a public page reads as a broken promise. Order within a column communicates priority without that risk.
Keep some things private
Some work should never appear publicly: security fixes, unannounced partnerships, and internal refactors users would not recognise. Use private boards for these so your team still sees the whole picture.
Link the roadmap to feedback
The most credible roadmaps are built from visible user requests. When a roadmap item is a request with 40 votes and a comment thread, users can see why it was chosen — and everyone who voted can be told when it ships.
Frequently asked questions
Should a public roadmap include dates?
Usually not. Dates turn every slip into a broken promise. Order and status (Planned, In progress, Completed) communicate direction without committing to a deadline.
What should stay off a public roadmap?
Anything that is not yet a real commitment, security work, unannounced partnerships and internal refactors that users would not recognise.
Keep reading
How to Prioritize Feature Requests (Without Letting the Loudest User Win)
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