Website Roadmaps and Requirements
A website roadmap is a set of decisions about what gets built, in what order and why. I write the roadmap, the requirements behind each item and the acceptance criteria that tell everyone when the work is done.
Website roadmap and requirements work sits between the business goals and the development backlog. I take the goals, the constraints and the list of requests that has built up, and turn them into a sequenced roadmap with a written rationale for each item. Each roadmap item then gets a requirements document. It covers the problem, the scope, the dependencies and the acceptance criteria that say when the work is finished.
I learned this work by owning it. I ran the website roadmap at UnitedHealth Group and wrote requirements and design briefs for development teams at Polaris. The method I use now is simple: score every request against the same criteria, write the decision down and keep the backlog small enough to finish.
I work inside your delivery process rather than handing over a document and leaving. I write requirements for the people who will build from them. Developers get technical briefs with scope and edge cases spelled out, designers get the constraints and the content model, and content owners get what each page has to say. I have managed delivery across design, content and development teams and coordinated work inside an Agile team, and I stay through user acceptance testing until the work matches the requirement.
What roadmap work includes
Prioritized Website Roadmap
A sequenced roadmap of website initiatives, each scored against impact, effort, resources and business objectives, with the rationale written down so the order holds up when it is questioned.
Scoring Framework
The criteria and weights used to rank requests, documented as a simple scoring model your team can apply to new asks without reopening the whole roadmap.
Requirements Documents
A written specification for each roadmap item: problem statement, scope, user stories, functional and content requirements, dependencies, open questions and acceptance criteria a developer can estimate from.
Technical and Design Briefs
Briefs for development and design teams that spell out templates, components, integrations, tracking and constraints, so estimates are grounded and the first build is close to right.
Prioritized Backlog
The roadmap broken into epics and tickets in whatever tool your team already uses, ordered, sized with the team and ready for sprint planning.
Acceptance Test Plan
Acceptance criteria and a user acceptance testing checklist for each release, so the people who asked for the work can confirm it does what the requirement said.
How I build a roadmap
Gather goals and requests
I interview stakeholders, collect every open website request and read the analytics. Then I write down the business goals the roadmap has to serve and the constraints it has to respect.
Score and sequence
I score each request against the same criteria: impact, effort, resources and business objectives. The scores and the dependencies between items become a sequenced roadmap, and I record the reasoning for each decision alongside it.
Write the requirements
For each item near the top of the roadmap I write the requirements document and the technical brief. I review them with design and development and revise until the team can estimate confidently.
Deliver and verify
I run the backlog through delivery with your teams, answer questions as they build and lead user acceptance testing so what ships matches what was specified.
Where this comes from
At UnitedHealth Group I owned the website roadmap, prioritizing projects by impact, resources and business objectives. I translated those priorities into requirements for development teams and made sure healthcare content met regulatory, risk and security standards. At Polaris I authored requirements and design briefs for development teams and aligned website initiatives with product launches alongside product, creative and marketing teams. As a consultant I translate business goals into technical briefs and prioritized backlogs and manage delivery across design, content and development teams.
See my experienceWorking with Brittany is a pleasure. She's detail-oriented and works well in a collaborative environment. She helped implement our digital strategy and assisted in the creation of a cutting-edge e-commerce and subscription-based system. I look forward to working with her again.
Marketing Leader, Behavior Designer, Neuromarketer
Worked together at different companies
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a website roadmap and a backlog?
A roadmap is the sequence of initiatives and the reasons behind that order, while a backlog is the detailed, estimated work that delivers them. I produce both. The roadmap is what leadership reviews and agrees to, and the backlog is what the development team plans sprints from, so each stays at the right level of detail.
How detailed are the requirements you write?
Detailed enough for a developer to estimate and build from without a second round of discovery. Each document covers the problem statement, scope, user stories, functional and content requirements, dependencies, open questions and acceptance criteria. I review drafts with the people who will build from them and revise until the open questions are closed.
Can you work with our agency or outside development team?
Yes. I write requirements and briefs for whoever is building, whether that is an in-house team, an agency or a contracted development partner. I have managed delivery across design, content and development teams, and I am used to being the person who answers the build team's questions.
Do we need a redesign project to get started?
No. Most roadmap work starts with a site that already exists and a list of requests that has outgrown the team's ability to rank them. A redesign or replatform is one kind of roadmap item, and I can scope it, but the same framework works for ongoing improvements to a live site.
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Send me the goals and the current list of website requests. I will tell you what it would take to turn them into a roadmap your team can commit to and requirements they can build from.