How do I install the Now Next Later Roadmap skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add nandanosql/now-next-later-roadmap in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Now Next Later Roadmap safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Now Next Later Roadmap?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Now Next Later Roadmap free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Now Next Later Roadmap?

nandanosql (@nandanosql) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Now Next Later Roadmap by nandanosql

Name: Now Next Later Roadmap
Author: nandanosql

File contents

Purpose

Build a roadmap organized by confidence level rather than fixed dates — avoiding the false precision that makes traditional roadmaps lie. Communicates strategic direction while being honest about uncertainty.

Key Concepts

Three Horizons

Horizon	Confidence	Detail Level	Commitment
NOW	High (>80%)	Epics with stories	Committed, in progress
NEXT	Medium (50-80%)	Epics with hypotheses	Planned, dependent on NOW
LATER	Low (<50%)	Themes/opportunities	Exploring, not committed

Application

The Template

# Product Roadmap: [Product Name]
**Last Updated:** [Date] | **Owner:** [PM Name]
**Strategy:** [One-line strategy statement]

## 🟢 NOW (Current Quarter)
*High confidence. Committed. In progress.*

### [Initiative 1]
- **Objective:** [What we're trying to achieve]
- **Key Result:** [How we'll measure success]
- **Status:** [On track / At risk / Blocked]
- **Key milestones:** [Dates this quarter]

### [Initiative 2]
...

---

## 🟡 NEXT (Next Quarter)
*Medium confidence. Planned. Dependent on NOW outcomes.*

### [Initiative 3]
- **Hypothesis:** [What we believe will happen if we build this]
- **Depends on:** [What needs to be true from NOW]
- **Open questions:** [What we still need to learn]

---

## 🔴 LATER (Future Quarters)
*Low confidence. Exploring. Not committed.*

### [Theme 1]
- **Opportunity:** [Market trend or user need]
- **Why it matters:** [Strategic alignment]
- **What we'd need to learn first:** [Discovery needed]

Examples

✅ Good NOW Item

### Sandbox Onboarding
- **Objective:** Reduce trial drop-off at data connection step
- **Key Result:** 7-day activation rate from 28% → 55%
- **Status:** On track — beta launching week of March 15
- **Depends on:** Design system component library (done)

❌ Bad Item

### Improve onboarding (Q2)
- Build new onboarding flow

Quality Rubric

Dimension	0	1	2
NOW Detail	Initiative names only	Objectives listed	Objectives + KRs + status
NEXT Framing	Committed items	"Maybe" items	Hypotheses with dependencies
LATER Framing	Backlog dump	Themes	Themes + learning needed
Strategy Link	Items unconnected	Loosely connected	Every item traces to strategy
Communication	Internal only	Shared	Tailored versions per audience

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Everything is NOW

Fix: If NOW has more than 3-5 initiatives, you have a prioritization problem, not a roadmap.

Pitfall 2: LATER Becomes a Graveyard

Fix: Review LATER quarterly. Items that haven't moved in 2 quarters should be explicitly killed or promoted.

References

Related Skills

skills/planning/prioritization-advisor/SKILL.md — Prioritize what goes in each horizon
skills/planning/epic-hypothesis/SKILL.md — NEXT items should be hypothesis-framed
skills/strategy/okr-framework/SKILL.md — NOW aligns with current OKRs

External Frameworks

Janna Bastow (ProdPad), Now-Next-Later framework
Basecamp's Shape Up — Appetite-based planning

Skill type: Component Domain: Planning & Prioritization

---name: now-next-later-roadmapdescription: Build a time-horizon roadmap organized by confidence level — Now (committed), Next (planned), Later (exploratory) — that communicates strategy without false precision.---## PurposeBuild a roadmap organized by **confidence level** rather than fixed dates — avoiding the false precision that makes traditional roadmaps lie. Communicates strategic direction while being honest about uncertainty.---## Key Concepts### Three Horizons| Horizon | Confidence | Detail Level | Commitment ||---------|-----------|--------------|------------|| **NOW** | High (>80%) | Epics with stories | Committed, in progress || **NEXT** | Medium (50-80%) | Epics with hypotheses | Planned, dependent on NOW || **LATER** | Low (<50%) | Themes/opportunities | Exploring, not committed |---## Application### The Template```markdown# Product Roadmap: [Product Name]**Last Updated:** [Date] | **Owner:** [PM Name]**Strategy:** [One-line strategy statement]## 🟢 NOW (Current Quarter)*High confidence. Committed. In progress.*### [Initiative 1]- **Objective:** [What we're trying to achieve]- **Key Result:** [How we'll measure success]- **Status:** [On track / At risk / Blocked]- **Key milestones:** [Dates this quarter]### [Initiative 2]...---## 🟡 NEXT (Next Quarter)*Medium confidence. Planned. Dependent on NOW outcomes.*### [Initiative 3]- **Hypothesis:** [What we believe will happen if we build this]- **Depends on:** [What needs to be true from NOW]- **Open questions:** [What we still need to learn]---## 🔴 LATER (Future Quarters)*Low confidence. Exploring. Not committed.*### [Theme 1]- **Opportunity:** [Market trend or user need]- **Why it matters:** [Strategic alignment]- **What we'd need to learn first:** [Discovery needed]```---## Examples### ✅ Good NOW Item```markdown### Sandbox Onboarding- **Objective:** Reduce trial drop-off at data connection step- **Key Result:** 7-day activation rate from 28% → 55%- **Status:** On track — beta launching week of March 15- **Depends on:** Design system component library (done)```### ❌ Bad Item```markdown### Improve onboarding (Q2)- Build new onboarding flow```---## Quality Rubric| Dimension | 0 | 1 | 2 ||-----------|---|---|---|| **NOW Detail** | Initiative names only | Objectives listed | Objectives + KRs + status || **NEXT Framing** | Committed items | "Maybe" items | Hypotheses with dependencies || **LATER Framing** | Backlog dump | Themes | Themes + learning needed || **Strategy Link** | Items unconnected | Loosely connected | Every item traces to strategy || **Communication** | Internal only | Shared | Tailored versions per audience |---## Common Pitfalls### Pitfall 1: Everything is NOW**Fix:** If NOW has more than 3-5 initiatives, you have a prioritization problem, not a roadmap.### Pitfall 2: LATER Becomes a Graveyard**Fix:** Review LATER quarterly. Items that haven't moved in 2 quarters should be explicitly killed or promoted.---## References### Related Skills- `skills/planning/prioritization-advisor/SKILL.md` — Prioritize what goes in each horizon- `skills/planning/epic-hypothesis/SKILL.md` — NEXT items should be hypothesis-framed- `skills/strategy/okr-framework/SKILL.md` — NOW aligns with current OKRs### External Frameworks- Janna Bastow (ProdPad), Now-Next-Later framework- Basecamp's Shape Up — Appetite-based planning---**Skill type:** Component**Domain:** Planning & Prioritization

Frequently asked questions

Now Next Later Roadmap