Effective project management is all about the ability to plan, coordinate, and track the progress of a project. A variety of tools are available for this, but one of the most widely used is Jira Software. Jira offers two types of roadmaps: Project Roadmap (basic roadmap) and Advanced Roadmap. Both tools serve to plan and track project goals but cater to different scales and complexity levels. This blog will delve into the differences between these two types of roadmaps.

I. Understanding Project Roadmaps in Jira

Project Roadmap, the basic roadmap, is a feature available to all Jira Software Cloud customers. It’s a tool designed specifically to assist individual teams in planning and tracking their large-scale goals up to the epic level.

Creating a Project Roadmap involves defining your tasks, allocating timelines, and assigning team members. It’s a straightforward way to provide everyone in the project with an overview of tasks, deadlines, and progress.

The roadmap view is identical for both company-managed and team-managed projects. It serves as a platform where one can create, manage, and visualize work from aboard. This tool is particularly useful for planning large pieces of work weeks or months in advance and orchestrating large groups of stories.

II. Understanding Advanced Roadmaps in Jira

Advanced Roadmaps is a feature exclusive to Jira Software Cloud Premium and Enterprise customers. This tool is designed to facilitate collaboration between multiple teams, track larger-scale goals beyond the epic level, identify dependencies across extensive workpieces, and allow capacity-based planning for teams.

Advanced Roadmaps offer an in-depth perspective into project management. They provide insights into capacity planning, scenario planning, and dependencies, thereby empowering teams to forecast feasibility based on their workload and timelines.

As of now, Advanced Roadmaps doesn’t support team-managed projects, but the functionality is on the horizon. The complex nature of Advanced Roadmaps may lead to a steeper learning curve but also facilitates comprehensive project oversight, especially for large-scale, complex projects.

III. Key Differences between Project Roadmaps and Advanced Roadmaps in Jira

The key differences between Project Roadmaps (basic roadmaps) and Advanced Roadmaps in Jira are as follows:

	Project Roadmap	Advanced Roadmap
Availability	Available to all Jira Software Cloud users	Exclusive to Jira Software Cloud Premium and Enterprise users
Designed For	Individual teams	Both team and cross-team levels
Planning Level	Planning up to epic level	Planning beyond the epic level
Dependencies	Basic dependency tracking	Advanced dependency tracking, identifies dependencies across large pieces of work
Capacity Planning	Basic features	Allows detailed team and cross-team capacity-based planning
Collaboration	Designed for single-team collaboration	Facilitates multi-team collaboration
Visualization	Provides a clear, simple view of the project	Provides a complex, detailed view of project progress, including scenario planning
Compatibility	Works with both company-managed and team-managed projects	Currently, only works with Jira Software company-managed projects
Scope	Suitable for smaller, straightforward projects	Ideal for large-scale, complex projects
Complexity	Easy to use and understand	Requires a learning curve due to complex features
Resource Allocation	Simple resource allocation	Comprehensive resource management tools

Although choosing the right roadmap completely depends on the project’s unique requirements. It is always advisible to enroll for one of the best project management courses to develop an in-depth understanding of crafting the right and perfect roadmap that meets project’s need.

Track the big picture

• Advanced: By consolidating significant initiatives into a single view, Advanced Roadmaps in Jira allow you to plan, monitor, and assess progress towards larger objectives across multiple teams.
• Basic: Project Roadmaps (Basic) in Jira facilitate planning and tracking progress on overarching goals within a single team.

Get ahead of dependencies

• Advanced: Advanced Roadmaps in Jira enable tracking of dependencies across teams, projects, and initiatives, empowering you to pre-empt potential blockers throughout your organization.
• Basic: Project Roadmaps allow you to visualize dependencies within your team, equipping you to consider them during your planning process.

Plan with team capacity in mind

• Advanced only: Maintain your project goals by ensuring that your teams have the necessary bandwidth to complete the scoped work. With Advanced Roadmaps, you can observe multiple teams’ capacity on a sprint-by-sprint basis.

Envision different scenarios

• Advanced only: Advanced Roadmaps offer a comprehensive view of potential alternatives and outcomes. This tool enables you to generate multiple versions of your roadmap to account for various options or best and worst-case scenarios.

IV. Case Study

For instance, a startup with a small, dedicated team planning a software development project would find the Project Roadmap ideal. It would clearly outline tasks, assignees, and deadlines, ensuring everyone has a clear understanding of the project timeline.

However, a multinational company initiating a complex, organization-wide digital transformation project would benefit more from an Advanced Roadmap. This tool, capable of handling multiple teams across different regions and a multitude of interdependent tasks, could offer advanced features such as capacity planning, scenario forecasting, and dependency handling.

Source: Atlassian Document – Roadmap features

Choosing between the Project Roadmap and Advanced Roadmap in Jira depends on the scale, complexity, and needs of your project. While the Project Roadmap is perfect for single teams managing tasks at the team level, the Advanced Roadmap is designed for managing work at both the team and cross-team levels. Understanding your project’s unique requirements will help you select the most suitable tool, enhancing your project management efficiency

About DevSamurai

DevSamurai is a Global IT service company that provides DevOps solutions for Jira, Atlassian and more… using cutting-edge technology for its growing customer base. DevSamurai is customer-centric and helps clients to leverage the power of IT to improve their business. DevSamurai uses cloud computing platforms, DevOps tools, and best practices in global industry standards to guarantee the efficiency of their client’s organization. 

If you want even more apps to manage your project, check out these resources: Atlassian Marketplace