Writing Roadmaps

A roadmap expresses strategic direction and sequencing, not a promise of delivery dates or an implementation checklist. Creating or revising a roadmap authorizes changes to the roadmap artifact only, not implementation of its initiatives. For a review-only request, report findings without rewriting unless asked.

Ground the Roadmap

Inspect provided material and relevant repository evidence before drafting. Establish the audience, scope, planning horizon, and current baseline. Ask at most one question when a missing answer would materially change the roadmap; otherwise proceed with explicit assumptions or unknowns.

Separate verified current state, approved commitments, and proposed direction. Do not invent capabilities, dates, targets, owners, capacity, dependencies, or certainty.

Save a created or revised roadmap to the repository unless the user requests chat-only output. Default to docs/roadmaps/YYYY-MM-DD_<topic>-roadmap.md; derive a concise lowercase kebab-case topic, create the directory when needed, and update that roadmap in place.

Start with the Lean Template

Use this structure unless the user requests another format. Keep entries brief and expand only where evidence, rationale, or a decision needs explanation.