alexe-ev Build Portfolio & Roadmap Strategy
Purpose
Help teams translate product strategy and business goals into a structured portfolio view and a prioritized roadmap that reflects strategic trade-offs.
Skill type
Conceptual skill
Use this skill when
- A team needs to prioritize across multiple product areas or bets
- A roadmap exists but lacks strategic coherence
- Leadership needs to make investment trade-off decisions across the portfolio
- The team is planning for a new quarter, half, or year
Do not use this skill when
- A single feature needs prioritization (this skill is portfolio-level, not feature-level)
- The team needs vision definition (use define-product-vision)
- The team needs delivery planning and sprint-level execution (use product-planning skills)
Required inputs
- Current product areas or bets (even rough list)
- Business goals or strategic priorities
- Any constraints (team size, budget, timeline)
Optional inputs
- Existing roadmap or backlog
- Customer segment priorities
- Product-market fit assessment per area
- Competitive context
- OKRs or KPIs
Upstream context
Works best when:
- Product vision is defined
- Key strategic bets are identified
- Business goals or OKRs exist
If upstream context is missing
If no strategic goals or product areas are provided, produce a portfolio structuring framework first. Do not prioritize without knowing what the goals are.
Downstream handoff
Output can feed:
- product-planning domain (translate portfolio decisions into roadmap execution)
- define-success-metrics (assign metrics to each portfolio bet)
Instructions
- Identify all current product areas, bets, or investment themes.
- Map each area to a strategic goal or business outcome.
- Assess relative strategic priority: core / growth / explore.
- Identify resource constraints and trade-offs.
- Produce a portfolio view with rationale.
- Produce a high-level roadmap structure (now / next / later or similar framework).
- List assumptions and decisions that require stakeholder alignment.
Output
Provide:
- Portfolio map: areas and their strategic classification
- Prioritization rationale
- High-level roadmap structure (now / next / later)
- Trade-offs and what is being deprioritized and why
- Key alignment decisions needed
- Confidence level: provisional / context-informed / ready-to-present
Risks / caveats
- Do not build a roadmap without knowing the strategic goals
- Prioritization without trade-off visibility creates false clarity
- A roadmap is a communication tool, not a commitment — label it accordingly