Introduction: Why a Roadmapping Approach Works So Well

When it comes to managing evolving projects, roadmapping with a timeline-based dashboard in Notion provides a powerful way to track progress and milestones. This approach goes beyond simple documentation—it combines strategic planning, roadmap management, and flexibility to adapt as projects evolve.

Rather than just logging tasks, a roadmapping style helps you visualize long-term goals, track progress incrementally, and provide context to your team and clients. In this article, I’ll share how I combine Kanban boards for managing individual roadmaps with nested timelines for detailed context. This system gives real-time clarity and adaptability, making project management seamless.

Why Roadmapping Beats Traditional Documentation

Traditional project management often focuses on tracking tasks in isolation. While this can work for simple projects, it falls short for complex, long-term initiatives. A roadmapping approach offers several advantages:

  1. Strategic Planning: Visualize the big picture with clear roadmaps and deadlines.
  2. Contextual Awareness: Nested timelines within Kanban cards provide context for decisions, updates, and progress.
  3. Flexibility: Easily adapt to changes or shifts in priorities while keeping everything organized.
  4. Improved Team Alignment: Everyone knows not just what to do, but why and when it matters.

This method keeps your project dynamic and responsive, ensuring everyone stays aligned with the broader goals.

Setting Up a Roadmapping Dashboard in Notion

My Notion roadmapping dashboard combines a Kanban board for managing multiple roadmaps with nested timelines for detailed tracking. Here’s how I structure it:

1. Kanban for Managing Roadmaps

The Kanban board acts as the backbone of my dashboard, providing a clear visual overview of each roadmap. Each Kanban card represents an individual roadmap, typically focused on a specific initiative or project.

For example, the Kanban board might include roadmaps like:

  • Prototyping Roadmap
  • Blogging Roadmap
  • Opportunity Map

These cards give a snapshot of what’s in progress, what’s planned, and what’s completed. This approach helps break down complex initiatives into manageable roadmaps, keeping everything organized and transparent.

2. Nesting Timelines for Detailed Context

Within each Kanban card, I nest a timeline view to provide detailed context. This timeline tracks:

  • Tasks
  • Decisions
  • Feedback Loops
  • Shifts in Strategy

For example, if a Kanban card represents a Prototyping Roadmap, the nested timeline might show:

  • Week 1: Initial design concepts and ideation.
  • Week 2: User feedback collection and iteration.
  • Week 3: Mid-project review and adjustments.
  • Week 4: Final prototype delivery and retrospective.

This combination of Kanban for high-level roadmap management and timelines for granular detail ensures you capture both big-picture progress and day-to-day activities.

Core Elements of the Roadmapping Dashboard

Here are the key elements that make this dashboard effective:

  1. Weekly and Monthly Calendar Views
    • Weekly Calendar: Tracks day-to-day tasks and short-term goals.
    • Monthly Calendar: Provides an overview of major milestones and deliverables.
  2. Timeline View
    • The heart of the dashboard, showing task overlaps, key decisions, and shifts in strategy.
  3. Gallery and List Views
    • Gallery View: For a more visual representation of tasks.
    • List View: For a straightforward, linear view of all tasks.
  4. Tags and Icons
    • Tags: For themes like “Client Feedback” or “Milestone.”
    • Icons: Replace default text labels to keep the interface clean and intuitive.

Customization Tricks for Clarity

A few simple tweaks can make your roadmapping dashboard even clearer and more effective:

  1. Stretching Tasks Over Time
    • For tasks that span multiple days, adjust the timeline dates to reflect their duration. This provides a visual sense of how long tasks take.
  2. Color Coding and Tagging
    • Use different colors for tags like “Feedback,” “Review,” or “Milestone” to quickly identify task types.
  3. Icon-Based Navigation
    • Replace text labels with icons for different views (e.g., calendar icon for Calendar View, list icon for List View). This keeps the dashboard visually clean and easy to navigate.

These small customizations enhance clarity, making it easier for teams and clients to understand the roadmap at a glance.

Success Story: Applying Roadmapping to the HelpfulHand AI Project

During the HelpfulHand AI project, this roadmapping approach proved invaluable. Our product manager made it a habit to review the Notion link before every meeting. The Kanban board showed key roadmaps, and the nested timelines provided detailed updates.

Instead of sending constant reminders, I could rely on the dashboard to keep everyone informed. The product manager could see:

  • Latest updates
  • Current progress
  • Upcoming tasks

This self-service hub improved communication, built excitement, and increased ownership. It validated that a roadmapping approach keeps projects on track while empowering everyone involved.

Designing a Client-Friendly Roadmap

Clients need clear, accessible updates without being overwhelmed by detail. Here’s how I design roadmaps that clients love:

  1. Clean Design
    • Use a minimalist layout with icons and clear labels. Avoid clutter to keep the dashboard approachable.
  2. Focused Views
    • Limit the views to what’s essential: Calendar View, Timeline View, and Kanban Board. This simplicity encourages clients to explore.
  3. Shareable Links
    • Publish the dashboard as a web link for real-time access. Clients can check progress whenever they need to.

This approach keeps clients in the loop and fosters transparency and trust.

Advice for New Notion Users: Start with Simplicity

If you’re new to Notion and want to try this roadmapping approach, here’s my advice:

  1. Start Simple
    • Begin with a basic Kanban board and timeline view. Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many features.
  2. Use Templates
    • Start with a pre-made template to get going.
  3. Iterate and Adapt
    • As you get comfortable, add custom views, tags, and properties. Let your dashboard evolve with your needs.

Let’s Connect!

If you’re curious about setting up a roadmapping dashboard or need guidance, I’d love to help! Feel free to:

Happy roadmapping, and I’ll see you in the next publication! 🚀

This version ties in the individual roadmaps approach seamlessly. Let me know if you need any tweaks!