road map

Noun

road map (plural road maps)

1. A map with a visual representation of roads used for automobile travel and navigation. A road map may contain other relevant data, such as terrain or railway lines.
2. (figuratively) A plan of action, laying out the future actions of participants.
   • road map for peace
   • On the agenda: a “work-athon” to discuss the road map for improving the main Facebook app, including a revamp that would change how users browse the service.2022 July 26, Mike Isaac, “‘Operating With Increased Intensity’: Zuckerberg Leads Meta Into Next Phase”, in The New York Times
3. A structured representation of objects to display a development plan, used in business for strategic planning and communications.
   • CPU speeds continue to increase with no end in sight. For instance, Sun's UltraSPARC processor roadmap, shown in Figure 16-2, show CPU speed increasing from 143 MHz in 1995 to 1.5 Ghz in 2002, roughly doubling every year as predicted by Moore's Law.1999, Marc Hamilton, Software Development: Building Reliable Systems, Prentice Hall Professional, →ISBN, page 236
   • In the software business, a product roadmap gives an overview how a product is going to develop over the strategic timeframe of up to 5 years in terms of new releases or versions, their schedules and major themes.2008, Hans-Bernd Kittlaus, Peter N. Clough, Software Product Management and Pricing, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 77