Toolkit: Roadmap The Roadmap toolkit is a blank timeline that helps you plan. To use, you’ll need to download and print large-sized versions of the Roadmap. You’ll also need stickies. (You can purchase full, pre-printed versions of this kit with stickies as well.) You’ll want to allocate about an hour.

Using the Roadmap

  • Identify the overall time span. (E.g. six months out, one year out, five years out, etc.)
  • Divide the time span you identified into six periods, and label the columns accordingly. The time periods do not need to be equal, and you should divide them up in the way that best supports your planning. For example, if you wanted to plan for three years, but get into more detail for the first six months, first three periods could represent two months each, the fourth period could represent six months, and the last two periods could represent one year each.
  • Add stickies for things that need to happen in the appropriate columns, starting from the last column and working backwards. If you’re using the Strategy / Culture Bicycle or the Goals / Success Spectrum, feel free to move pertinent stickies from those posters onto the Roadmap.
  • Add names of people responsible for different items to the appropriate stickies.
  • Gut check the Roadmap. Does it feel realistic? Appropriately balanced? Adjust the Roadmap by moving stickies around or by adding or removing them. If you need to revisit assumptions from a previous toolkit (e.g. Strategy / Culture Bicycle), go back to that toolkit, then return to the Roadmap.

The Roadmap is an excellent tool for playing with scenarios and for planning realistically. Don’t assume that you will get it right the first time. Take advantage of the stickies and explore different possibilities until the plan feels right. (Download the instructions for more.)

Related Toolkits

The Goals / Success Spectrum is part of a larger DIY Strategy / Culture toolkit, which also includes:

For more on the design philosophy of these tools, read, “Balance Bikes for Changemakers” (January 16, 2018).

About

Eugene Eric Kim and Amy Wu (Duende) created this toolkit with feedback from Kate Wing.

Unless otherwise stated and to the extent possible under law, we dedicate this toolkit to the public domain.

History

July 16, 2018

  • 2.0 release of DIY Strategy / Culture toolkit! printed versions:
    • Now in color!
    • Redesigned top to encourage use of stickies
    • Removed the column fields

May 4, 2015