Product + roadmap vs last quarter's commitments
Grade what was promised last quarter against what shipped, then show the next quarter's commitments.
Sequoia's guide stresses tracking commitments quarter over quarter; a roadmap slide only earns trust if last quarter's promises get graded first.
- Last quarter's roadmap items with a shipped / delayed / cut status on each
- A one-line reason for anything delayed or cut
- Next quarter's committed items, kept to 3-5
- A roadmap with no reference to last quarter's promises
- Feature lists with no link to a metric or customer outcome
- Last quarter's commitments are never mentioned again
- Every item shows as 'shipped' with no delays ever, which reads as a padded roadmap
- Reframing a delayed feature as 'in progress' indefinitely across multiple quarters
- Committing to 10 items next quarter to look ambitious, knowing 4 will ship
- · Does this slide grade last quarter's roadmap before presenting a new one?
- · Is at least one item honestly marked delayed or cut, or does that never happen?
Last quarter: [item] , [shipped/delayed/cut], [reason if not shipped]. Next quarter: [3-5 items].
"Product had a great quarter with lots of new features shipping to happy customers."
"Last quarter: Slack-native approvals , shipped, now used by 41% of active users weekly. Multi-currency payouts , delayed to Q3, blocked on a banking partner API. Next quarter: EU VAT handling, contractor self-onboarding, audit log export."
Nimbus reports the Slack feature's actual adoption number and names the specific blocker on the delayed item, instead of a vague 'coming soon.'
Quick quiz
1. What must a roadmap slide do before presenting the next quarter's plan?
- ○ Nothing, just show what's next
- ✓ Grade last quarter's commitments as shipped, delayed, or cut
- ○ List every engineer's individual output
- ○ Compare to a competitor's roadmap
Without grading last quarter, the board can't tell if the roadmap is a reliable planning tool.
2. What's a red flag on this slide?
- ○ One item marked as delayed
- ✓ Every single item shown as shipped, quarter after quarter
- ○ A named blocker on a delayed feature
- ○ Adoption numbers tied to a shipped feature
Real roadmaps have delays. A perfect record usually means the roadmap was padded to guarantee wins.