A Roadmap is your client's IT plan laid out over time. It shows the initiatives you recommend, when they're scheduled, and what they cost, so you and your client can plan the work together. Most initiatives come from needs you find while working with the client, such as aging hardware or gaps from an assessment.

Who uses Roadmaps

• vCIO (virtual chief information officer): Tracks hardware lifecycles and warranty renewals, and plans strategy for quarterly business reviews.
• Account manager: Gives each client a consistent planning process and sets clear expectations about upcoming work.
• Technician: Sees upcoming work, so maintenance and upgrades can be scheduled ahead of time.

Building your first Roadmap

• A new Roadmap starts empty. The first time you open a client's Roadmap, it stays blank until you schedule initiatives. Start with the work you've already discussed with the client.
• Plan short-term and long-term work. Add urgent fixes alongside longer projects, such as infrastructure upgrades or work that supports the client's growth.

What Roadmaps help you do

Plan and budget

• Annual budgeting: See what the client will spend on IT, so their budget matches the planned work.
• Infrastructure changes: Schedule upgrades at the right time, and tie them to the client's business goals.

Discover and align

• Business requirements: Record the IT capabilities the client needs, the gaps to fix, and how to support their current processes.
• Ongoing alignment: Keep your support in step with the client's goals as they change.

Where Roadmaps fit in your workflow

Roadmaps are one step in a larger workflow. For each client, the features in Lifecycle Manager build on each other:

1. Identify problems
   • Check the client's DMI score to see how their environment is trending.
   • Use Insights to find critical issues.
2. Show problems to the client
   • Use Deliverables to show which hardware is under warranty, due for replacement soon, or needs renewal.
   • Use Assessments to review the client's IT environment (Lifecycle Manager X).
3. Explain possible outcomes
   • Use Deliverables to share a visual executive summary.
4. Propose solutions
   • Turn infrastructure problems into recommendations the client can act on.
5. Set the timeline
   • Schedule the recommendations you've discussed on the Roadmap, so the client can see what happens when.
6. Get client approval
   • Agree on the timeline and budget.
   • Finalize the initiatives that address critical hardware issues and risks.

Best practices for building Roadmaps

A good Roadmap shows how your work affects the client and the milestones along the way. It helps you give more accurate estimates of when goals will be met, and gives you and your client a shared plan to deliver on time and on budget.

Not every initiative has to be a big project. Smaller, no-cost initiatives, like rolling out software updates, belong on the Roadmap too.

We recommend these practices:

1. Explain the why. Show the client how each recommendation supports their business, so they can see why it's worth the investment.
2. Tailor it to the client. Focus on the client's goals and standards, and on how the plan affects your team's day-to-day work.
3. Set priorities. A Roadmap that includes everything gets cluttered fast. Use priorities to show what matters most and to make decisions easier.
4. Stay flexible. Plans change. Move initiatives between quarters as needed, and adjust based on client feedback.
5. Keep it clear. The Roadmap's main job is to show the client's IT strategy and the steps to get there.
6. Back it up with evidence. Base the Roadmap on issues you've already discussed with the client, and support each objective with facts and figures. This builds trust in your plan.

A Roadmap built around your client's needs keeps your team focused and makes it easier for stakeholders to support your plan.

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