From Vision to Reality: Product Roadmaps in Embedded Development

The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast · 4 Aug 2026 · 43m

What this episode covers

Hosts Jeff Gable and Luca Ingianni discuss the hierarchy of planning artifacts, moving from product vision to roadmaps and backlogs, emphasizing that roadmaps are alignment and discovery tools rather than static commitments. They identify common mistakes such as the 'progress by PowerPoint' trap, where teams list milestones like 'specification complete' instead of value delivery, and the danger of over-committing to dates before understanding the problem space, particularly in VC-funded startups. The conversation covers tailoring roadmaps for different audiences, the importance of prioritization, and the 'iceberg principle' of granularity, concluding with a discussion on the iron triangle of project management and why varying resources is often the least effective lever when a project is late.

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