Communications Audits and
Strategic Communication Planning
A Strategy Roadmap, also known as a Strategic Roadmap, is a visual depiction of where the organization currently is and where it would like to go in the future, including a plan to get from the current to the desired state.It can be used for many initiatives, but in general, a Strategy Roadmap serves as a guide toward an organizational vision or goal. A Strategic Roadmap is more than just a pictorial view of the plan; it also communicates the data that supports the approach to provide merit and rationale behind the strategic business decisions. Also, the data shows the source research and insights that were collected based on internal and external information gathering to help substantiate. Strategic Communications Plan Template 193. Put a Human Face on the Work Select an anecdote that puts a ‘‘human face’’ on the work that you do. The product roadmap is the strategic communication tool in a product manager’s arsenal. Product managers work with internal teams and stakeholders to build a crystal-clear roadmap that clearly communicates deliverables and the expectations for where the product is going and why. Here at Roadmunk, we know how important roadmaps are for product managers to create alignment around a plan.
When we talk about our strategic communication planning services, we often get a blank stare. Or if we're lucky, a cocked eyebrow that says 'what in the heck is that?'
Strategic communication planning is a roadmap to take you where you want to go, and it generally starts with a solid Communications Audit.
Let's say you want to take a road trip from New York to Los Angeles with some friends. Lots of roads could take you there. But if you have your trip mapped out, you'll have a much better chance of reaching your destination — together.
Let's say you want to take a road trip from New York to Los Angeles with some friends. Lots of roads could take you there. But if you have your trip mapped out, you'll have a much better chance of reaching your destination — together.
Just like on your road trip, the quality of your strategic planning is directly correlated to your results — the better the planning
(and creative thinking) the better the outcome. Based on our experience, we can guide you toward activities that will enhance your journey and help you steer clear of danger zones.
(and creative thinking) the better the outcome. Based on our experience, we can guide you toward activities that will enhance your journey and help you steer clear of danger zones.
For example, we consistently see three bottlenecks on the road to better communication:
- Internal functions aren't defined and expectations aren't clear.
Is it a marketing, communication, PR, advertising or sales department? Is the purpose to generate leads, sell to current customers, increase overall awareness or some combination of these and other activities? How will you measure success? - Objectives aren't SMART (Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Tangible).
'To increase awareness that we are a leading solutions provider' isn't a good objective. - Positioning/Key Messaging aren't strong enough.
One key element of positioning is giving up a certain element of the audience. No one expects a radio station to cater to all audiences, so why would your communication effort be expected to do so?
Communications Roadmap Template
Our process is based on what we call the 4 D's of Effective Communication. Our plans are created individually, but often include the following marketing activities:
- Advanced research methods
- Product and service introductions
- Trade, business and enthusiast media relations
- Trade show promotions
- Industry expert programs
- Crisis communications
- Online marketing
- International communications
- Spokesperson and media training
Call 904.887.4045 today to discuss how we can help.
Save time with free roadmap templates for Excel and PowerPoint
Roadmaps are excellent visual tools that help you articulate your business vision to your clients and executives. But as useful as they are, creating them is a long and challenging process. With our pre-built templates, you can spend less time creating your roadmap and more time managing your project.
On this page you'll find five of the most common roadmap templates you can use in your next stakeholder meeting, developed in two versions for easy use with your usual MS Office tools: Mindnode pro 1 10 – elegant mindmapping application.
- a roadmap template for Excel, where you can use standard Excel features like shapes and colors to build your roadmap manually
- a roadmap template for PowerPoint, where you can use the Office Timeline Pro add-in to create your roadmap automatically or move the shapes by hand if you don't have Office Timeline Pro yet
Top 5 free roadmap templates
Explore our series of roadmap templates for Excel and PowerPoint especially designed to save you time and get you started quickly:
- 1. Product roadmap template
- 2. Project roadmap template
- 3. Technology roadmap template
- 4. IT roadmap template
- 5. Strategy / Business roadmap template
Choose from these most popular roadmap examples, download and customize them with a few clicks to make them suit your project.
1. Product roadmap template
A product roadmap is a high-level overview of your product strategy and how that fits into your business vision. It can show both the strategic side and the practical side of your product offering, the reasoning and the planning behind your implementation decisions.
Your product roadmap template can include important aspects like product features, iterations, and the releases that are planned in the future, and you can represent them on the roadmap as key milestones, tasks or on different swimlanes.
To help you fast track your next product strategy meeting, here are two pre-populated templates that you can easily customize in Excel and PowerPoint (using the Office Timeline Pro add-in).
Product Roadmap Excel Template
Download Excel TemplateProduct Roadmap Powerpoint Template
Download PowerPoint Template2. Project roadmap template
When managing any kind of project, you'll probably need to create a project roadmap, which is a strategic outline of the project goals and the key deliverables. When you build it, it's best if you present project tasks, milestones, and goals or initiatives grouped on various swimlanes.
The project roadmap is an extremely useful tool for stakeholder buy-in and communication, since it helps create a common understanding on the strategic reasons for sponsoring a project. When all stakeholders are on the same page, you can overcome obstacles easier and deliver your project on time and within budget.
Use these templates below to turn your project roadmap presentation into an effective meeting. Choose between Excel and PowerPoint (with the Office Timeline Pro add-in) to create a project roadmap that would impress your stakeholders.
Project Roadmap Excel Template
Download Excel TemplateProject Roadmap PowerPoint Template
Download PowerPoint Template3. Technology roadmap template
A roadmap can be a useful tool when it comes to a product or project, but it can just as easily help you make strategic decisions regarding your technology investments. And since roadmaps are strategic planning instruments, it's useful to create a technology roadmap to document your infrastructure initiatives too. You can organize the swimlanes to include infrastructure solutions, tools, or processes that are in place today and what's envisioned for the future.
Working with templates can make things a lot easier for you and save you hours or work. Check out these examples of technology roadmap templates we've created for Excel and PowerPoint (and the Office Timeline Pro add-in) to get started faster.
Technology Roadmap Excel Template
Download Excel TemplateTechnology Roadmap PowerPoint Template
Download PowerPoint Template4. IT roadmap template
Another frequent type of roadmap you may be creating is an IT roadmap, which is basically an overview of the way your organization uses IT systems to achieve its business goals. For example, an IT roadmap can show the strategic plan created to migrate your organization's data or adopt a new tool.
You can include various IT initiatives like apps, internal processes, or new technologies and you can use color-coded swimlanes to represent each initiative or goal. Jixipix chromatic edges 1 0 1000. You can use the IT roadmap to show current capabilities or the developments that are planned.
Here's an example of an IT roadmap template that you can download and change the deliverables to make it work for you. There's an Excel version and a PowerPoint one (with the help of the Office Timeline Pro add-in) so you can choose whichever suits you best.
IT Roadmap Excel Template
Download Excel TemplateIT Roadmap PowerPoint Template
Download PowerPoint Template![Strategic planning roadmap Strategic planning roadmap](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9e/da/e7/9edae7d919b05366b1dba896c3c2034f.jpg)
5. Strategy roadmap (or Business roadmap) template
Microsoft Planner Roadmap
A visual representation of the key moments that mark your strategic business initiatives is extremely useful, especially if you need to include different themes and span across a longer time frame. Communication with stakeholders becomes easier if you show them a strategy roadmap, a more general plan that explains the overall vision for growing your business.
The strategy roadmap (or business roadmap, as it's sometimes called) can present your initiatives or themes on different swimlanes and include current state, long-term goals, and future steps needed to implement the business strategy.
Discover the strategy roadmap templates we have built using Excel and PowerPoint (and the Office Timeline Pro add-in). These will help you create a simple but clear strategy roadmap for your next stakeholder meeting and show off your presentation skills.
Strategy Roadmap Excel Template
Download Excel TemplateStrategy Roadmap PowerPoint Template
Download PowerPoint Template If you need any help with choosing a roadmap software, check out our dedicated section on roadmap tools.