Myth: Agile Means We Cannot Have Long-Term Plans

How do you create a long-term roadmap when priorities change every sprint? Many teams struggle to balance strategic direction with Agile flexibility. Some believe Agile means no planning at all—this is a dangerous myth.

This article, the first in a series of Agile myth debunking articles, not only challenges this belief but also provides a practical guide on how to create long-term Agile roadmaps. Ready to go? Let's do it!

Debunking the Myth: The Agile Roadmap as a Strategic Guide

The myth that Agile doesn’t allow for long-term planning stems from a misunderstanding of Agile principles. Traditional project management relies on fixed scope, rigid milestones, and locked timelines, making long-term planning feel predictable—even though it often fails to deliver as planned.

This myth likely originates from the Agile Manifesto’s statement:
"Responding to change over following a plan."

However, as the Manifesto clarifies:
"While there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more."

This does not mean planning is useless—it means we prefer flexibility and adaptability in plans. That’s why we refer to them as roadmaps instead of fixed plans, and why we value the process of planning over the plan itself.

Furthermore, because Agile emphasizes short iterations, feedback loops, and continuous learning, it’s easy to assume that planning must also be short-term and reactive. This is a misinterpretation.
In reality, Agile involves constant planning. We plan often, sometimes daily. The daily stand-up meeting is a planning meeting, helping teams organize their day. And because the entire team participates in planning, the plans become stronger.

Reality: Agile Roadmaps Exist

Agile is not about abandoning long-term planning—it’s about making it more adaptive. A well-crafted Agile roadmap provides both direction and flexibility, aligning teams toward strategic goals while allowing them to respond to change.

Agile roadmaps exist—they just don’t pretend to predict the future with 100% certainty. Instead, they provide a clear path while embracing uncertainty.

Reality: Fixed Deadlines Still Exist

A Christmas marketing campaign must be ready before December, not after. Predictability is key in Agile, and we can meet deadlines with very high certainty using a simple trick:

We do not commit to scope—we commit to outcomes.

This means we prioritize high-impact outcomes and adjust scope as needed while still meeting business deadlines.

Let’s explore how to create a roadmap that supports this approach.

How to Create an Agile Roadmap

A strong Agile roadmap balances long-term vision with short-term adaptability. Follow these steps:

1. Start with the Vision (The Why)

Your roadmap should begin with the why—not just what will be built, but what problem you’re solving and what value you want to deliver.

Ask yourself:

• What is our ultimate goal?
• What customer or business outcomes are we driving toward?
• How will we know we are successful?

Example: Instead of saying,
"We will build a new AI-powered app for chess players",
frame the goal as:
"We will improve the online chess-playing experience, increasing retention and engagement."

A real vision would be longer, but the key is focusing on the outcome—the user experience and business result we want to achieve.
If we mention solutions in the vision, we do so only in broad strokes, avoiding the how and focusing instead on the why—for both customers and our organization.

2. Focus on Outcomes, Not Features

Once we have the vision—our North Star—we can focus on what to build. Instead of a feature-driven roadmap, we create an outcome-driven one.
Rather than committing to specific features, we define the problems to solve and allow teams to determine the best solutions. The more specific we get, the less flexible the plan will be.

Example themes for a chess timer app roadmap:

• Q1: Improve onboarding experience to increase user retention.
• Q2-3: Introduce auto-adjusting game timers to help players manage time pressure.
• Q4: Optimize the app for mobile players to boost engagement.

This keeps teams aligned with strategic goals while allowing flexibility in execution.

3. Embrace a Rolling Planning Horizon

Rather than planning everything upfront, use rolling waves of planning:

• High confidence in the next quarter (detailed execution plan).
• Broad themes for 3+ months (flexible but defined priorities).
• Continuous adjustments based on learning.

Example:
"We commit to detailed deliverables for the next quarter, but beyond that, we define only themes. Every month, we review progress and refine the next three-month roadmap based on what we’ve learned."

Tip: Use quarterly or monthly roadmap reviews to inspect and adapt.

4. Align Across Teams Without Micromanaging

If multiple teams contribute to the same roadmap, alignment is key. However, alignment does not mean control.

Instead of dictating how each team works, we ensure they understand shared priorities, and let them create their own plan.

Ways to improve alignment:

• Run roadmap alignment workshops with stakeholders.
• Use Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to keep teams aligned on outcomes.
• Maintain a roadmap that is visible and accessible to all teams.

Example: Instead of saying,
"Team A will build Feature X in Q2",
say,
"In Q2, we need to improve search accuracy."

5. Build in Flexibility for Change

An Agile roadmap is not a contract—it’s a living document. Build flexibility by:

• Using time horizons instead of fixed dates (e.g., "Next 3-6 months" instead of "June 1st").
• Prioritizing themes over specific features.
• Committing to learning cycles, where adjustments are expected.

Ask yourself: If your roadmap never changes, is it really Agile?

Bringing It All Together: A Simple Agile Roadmap Example

Here’s an example Agile roadmap for the chess timer app:

(Initiatives are flexible and subject to change as new insights emerge.)

Final Thoughts: A Roadmap Is a Compass, Not a GPS

A great Agile roadmap helps teams navigate uncertainty while staying focused on the destination. It provides direction, not a detailed itinerary. When done right, it:

• Aligns stakeholders.
• Empowers teams.
• Adapts to change, leading to faster innovation and better business outcomes.

Key Takeaways

• Agile does not mean no long-term planning—it means adaptive planning.
• Anchor your roadmap in vision and outcomes, not just features.
• Plan in rolling waves, with high confidence in the near term and flexibility in the long term.
• Align teams around shared priorities while letting them decide how to execute.
• Expect and embrace change.

By shifting from rigid planning to adaptive strategy, your roadmap can become a powerful tool for both strategic direction and agility, helping your teams deliver the right value at the right time.

Now, go and build your Agile roadmap! And drop me an email and tell me what happened!

Last updated Feb 19, 2025