Feedback · Comparison

Should a small product have a public roadmap?

A public roadmap shows customers what you plan to build. It can build trust and save you from answering “is this coming?” a dozen times. It can also turn every plan into a promise. Here's how to weigh it.

Why people like public roadmaps

• Customers see the product is moving. That matters a lot when you're small and unknown.
• Fewer repeat questions. “Is a mobile app coming?” gets answered once, on the page.
• Earlier feedback. People react to plans before you build them, not after.
• It keeps you honest. A public list makes you think about what you'll really do next.

Why it can hurt

• Plans become promises. Write “Team accounts: Q2” and someone will email you on July 1st.
• Less room to change your mind. A small product needs to change direction when it learns something.
• An old roadmap looks worse than none. If “In progress” hasn't moved in six months, visitors assume the product is dead.
• Competitors can read it. For most small products this matters less than people think, but it's real.

A lighter version for small teams

You don't need a roadmap tool with timelines and dates. Three short lists are enough:

• Now: what you're working on this month.
• Next: what's likely after that.
• Later: ideas you like but haven't committed to.

No dates. Fewer items than you think; five things in Now is already a lot for a small team. When something ships, move it to a short “Recently done” list. That last list does much of the trust-building on its own.

Roadmap, ideas board or changelog?

The three get mixed up a lot:

If you can keep only one up to date, a changelog is the safest. It's never wrong about the future. An ideas board comes next: it shows demand without you promising anything.

So, should you?

Share one if customers often ask what's coming and you can update it every few weeks. Skip it if your plans change every week, or if you know you won't keep it current. Then a public ideas board plus a short “What's new” article in your help center gives you most of the benefit with fewer promises.

MVPKit doesn't have a roadmap page yet. It has a public ideas board for each project, where people suggest and vote, and a help center where you can keep a “What's new” article. For many small products, that pair is enough.