How Do I Build a Product Roadmap I Can Share With Customers?
Build a public product roadmap with three columns: Under Consideration, In Progress, Released. Canny is the fastest free starting point.
How Do I Build a Simple Product Roadmap I Can Share With Customers?
Your customers ask what is coming next. Right now the answer is either “we have some exciting things in the works” (which says nothing) or you share more than you should and create expectations you cannot meet. A public product roadmap solves this: it shows customers that you are actively developing the product, builds anticipation for upcoming features, and gives them a way to influence what you build by voting. Here is how to build one without complexity.
Why a Public Roadmap Is a Business Asset
A public product roadmap does four things simultaneously. It reduces churn by showing customers the product is improving and their feature requests are being heard. It reduces support volume because customers with a request can see it is on the roadmap rather than submitting it again. It creates anticipation that makes customers more likely to stay through rough patches. And it provides a lightweight community signal: customers who engage with your roadmap are your most invested users, the ones worth listening to most.
Research from product management tool Canny (canny.io) shows that customers who engage with a public roadmap have significantly lower churn rates than those who do not.
The Three-Column Roadmap Format That Works
The standard roadmap format for small businesses has three columns:
Under Consideration: features you are evaluating but have not committed to. Customers can vote on these to signal what matters most.
In Progress: features actively being built. Gives customers visibility into what is coming in the near term.
Released: features that have shipped. Shows momentum and gives you a place to celebrate what the team has accomplished.
This is simpler and more honest than detailed quarterly planning timelines, which almost never reflect reality for a small team.
The Best Tools for Public Roadmaps As of July 2026
| Tool | Free Tier | Best For | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canny | Yes (limited) | Customer feedback + roadmap combined | Voting and commenting on requests |
| Trello (public board) | Yes | Fastest setup, familiar interface | No voting built in |
| Notion (public page) | Yes | Teams already using Notion | Fully customisable |
| ProductBoard | No | Complex product organisations | Detailed prioritisation scoring |
| Linear | Yes | Engineering-led teams | Developer-native, beautiful UI |
For most early-stage products: start with Canny (free for under 100 tracked users) or a public Trello board. Both take under an hour to set up.
Canny documentation is available at canny.io/blog.
Setting Up a Public Roadmap With Canny
- Create a free account at canny.io
- Create a new board called “Feature Requests” or “Roadmap”
- Set it to public
- Create three status categories: Under Consideration, In Progress, Released
- Add your first 5 to 10 features or upcoming items manually
- Share the URL with customers and invite them to submit and vote
When you receive a new feature request, it goes into Canny automatically. Customers vote on each other’s requests. Your most-requested features rise to the top. You use that signal to prioritise what to build next.
What to Put on Your Roadmap (and What to Leave Off)
Put on the roadmap: features you are reasonably confident will be built. “Under Consideration” items can be more speculative. “In Progress” items should be things you are genuinely building now.
Leave off: specific dates unless you are very confident. A date that slips damages trust more than no date at all. Use loose timeframes: “Q3” or “this quarter” rather than specific calendar dates.
Be selective: a roadmap with fifty items signals unclear priorities. Eight to twelve items across your three columns is more credible and more useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I show my full technical backlog publicly?
No. The public roadmap shows customer-facing features and improvements. Your internal engineering backlog includes technical debt, infrastructure work, and bug fixes that customers do not need to see.
What if I build something that was not on the roadmap?
Add it to the Released column when it ships. Showing things that shipped that customers did not know were coming builds positive surprise.
How do I handle requests I am never going to build?
Mark them as “Not Planned” in Canny with a brief explanation. “We have decided not to build X because Y” is much better than silence. Customers respect honest no.
How often should I update the roadmap?
Update it whenever something moves status: when you start building something, when you release it, when you move something out of consideration. A roadmap that is visibly updated regularly signals an active team.
The One Thing to Remember
A public product roadmap reduces churn, reduces repeat feature requests, and shows customers their input matters. Start with Canny or a public Trello board. Use three columns: Under Consideration, In Progress, Released. Avoid specific dates. Keep it to eight to twelve items. Update it whenever something changes status.
Want your product app and roadmap running reliably? → Snapdock
New here? These might help: How do I collect customer feedback without expensive survey tools? → How do I build a simple project management system for my team? →