Dena Murr - If Product Roadmaps Were Adventure Maps

If Product Roadmaps Were Adventure Maps

Gamifying the PM Process

Imagine if every product roadmap resembled an adventure map, with levels, hidden challenges, plot twists, and the ultimate prize at the end: a successful product launch. Credits roll. Congratulations! You’ve beaten the game, and your achievements will be etched in history…or at least in the team’s memory.

Shipping a successful product might not be the same as completing an epic quest, but it sure feels like an achievement after navigating through a long maze of challenges. Like in games, the journey from ideation to launch isn’t a straight path. It’s filled with obstacles, delays, quests, side missions, boss battles, and unforeseen twists.

Are you interested in playing the PM Adventure Roadmap Game? Then follow along. But first, before any adventure begins, there’s character creation. Our protagonist is the Product Manager.

PM Character Creation:

Class Traits:

Vision (+10 Strategic Planning)
Leadership (+8 Team Coordination)
Adaptability (+12 Problem Solving)
Communication (+15 Stakeholder Management)

Starting Equipment:

Notebook of Infinite Ideas
Stakeholder Alignment Compass
Agile Methodology Handbook
Emergency Coffee Supply (+2 Stamina)

With these traits and tools, the PM character is now ready to begin on the adventure of a lifetime.

Level 1: The Starting Village (Ideation Phase)

Every quest begins somewhere - a safe village where you gather supplies, talk to townsfolk, and learn about the journey ahead. In product management, this is the ideation phase. PMs and their teams explore ideas, connect with stakeholders, and set a broad vision for the product.

Quest Objectives:

Gather user insights from the Village Elder (CEO)
Interview local townspeople (potential users)
Collect market research scrolls
Form your initial party (core team)

Power-Ups Available:

Market Research Spyglass (+5 Vision)
User Empathy Potion (+10 Understanding)
Competitive Analysis Map (+8 Strategy)

Mini-Games:

Idea Sorting: Match user problems with potential solutions
Stakeholder Bingo: Align different perspectives into a coherent vision
Resource Gathering: Collect budget approvals and team commitments

Sorting through ideas and identifying the main objective sets the foundation. It’s tempting to explore every shiny idea, but the goal is to focus on the essentials that will guide you forward.

Level 2: The Strategy Sanctum - Planning Phase

Armed with insights and a vision, the PM lays down the roadmap, deciding on core features, setting milestones, and strategizing for the journey.

Main Quests:

Draft the Sacred Roadmap
Allocate Resources
Set Milestone Markers

Side Quests:

Address Nice To Have features
Reduce Tech debt
Optimize Platform

Inventory Management:

Balance feature scope (weight) against timeline (carrying capacity), prioritize backlog items, and store ideas for future releases in the Feature Vault.

Hidden Challenges: Overconfidence in the plan, underestimating the roadblocks, or missing user needs. Just like a game, where surprises await, PMs face risks and must stay flexible. Side quests (nice-to-have features or market changes) may also appear to try and lure teams off the main path.

Level 3: The Forge of Creation – Design & Prototyping

Every great adventure requires the right gear. For PMs, this means developing prototypes and gathering early feedback to ensure that the product is equipped for real-world challenges. This is when the vision starts to take form, with each prototype iteration similar to trying out different gear and weapons.

Main Quests:

User Testing Tournaments
Design Review Duels
Prototype Feedback Fairs

Side Quests:

Combine user needs with technical constraints
Forge prototypes from raw ideas
Upgrade designs through iteration

Achievement Unlocks:

First Blood: Initial prototype completed
Master Craftsman: 10 successful user tests
Pixel Perfect: Design system established

Seeing ideas come to life is fun but setbacks can arise as user tests reveal weaknesses. Gotta hone the arsenal and ensure the team is ready for what lies ahead.

Level 4: The Quest Begins - Development Phase

With a map in hand and tools ready, the team embarks on the main journey: development. This phase is traversing from location to location, battling bugs, technical debt, and changing requirements, while steadily progressing towards milestones.

Battles:

Technical Debt Trolls (Regular Enemies)
Scope Creep Serpents (Elite Enemies)
Legacy Code Liches (Mini-Bosses)

Team Special Abilities:

Developer Duo Attack: Pair programming boost
Designer's Defensive Shield: UX protection
QA's Critical Strike: Bug detection

Pay Attention To:

Technical Debt (Damage over Time)
Scope Creep (Slow drain)
Meeting Fatigue (Stamina Drain)

Development can feel like a series of increasingly tough battles with minor bugs (minions) and major blockers (bosses) testing the team’s abilities. There’s also the ever-present health bar of timelines and budgets, which must be watched carefully to avoid burnout.

Level 5: The Boss Battles - Testing Phase

It feels like victory is near and this is when the product faces its biggest challenges in QA.This is where the product meets the final bosses - the make or break moments that determine if it’s ready for launch.

Mini Battles:

Speed Run (Performance Testing)
Survival Mode (Load Testing)
Boss Rush (Integration Testing)

Debug Tools:

Bug Tracking
Performance Monitoring Crystal

Achievements:

"Bug Slayer": 100 bugs fixed
"Performance Wizard": All speed tests passed
"Integration Master": System stability achieved

Its so satisfying to finally slay those persistent bugs! If you werent successful, you may need to go back a few levels and start again.

Level 6: The Launch Citadel - Final Boss Battle

After months of preparation, the product is ready for launch! This is the final boss battle - can the product stand up to real-world use? Here the team must confront unexpected user discoveries and resolve them quickly.

Final Boss Phases

The Infrastructure Titan
The User Adoption Dragon
The Performance Hydra

Items:

Rollback Scroll (Emergency Use)
Hotfix Potion
Community Shield (Protection from initial feedback)

Launch isn’t the end; it’s a doorway to the next quest.

After launch, unlock:

Enhanced features
Harder stakeholder expectations
More complex user requirements
Legacy system challenges

Bonus Level: The Secret Dungeon of Iteration

Even after launch, the journey isn’t over. In the post-launch phase, PMs enter the “secret dungeon” of iteration, where user feedback is added to the roadmap for further improvements. Here, PMs now have user data and insights to use to build upon the product’s foundation. This sets the stage for updates and sequels to keep the adventure alive.

Mode Features:

Procedurally generated user feedback
Dynamic feature evolution

Items:

Analytics Crystal Ball
User Feedback Forge
A/B Testing Torch

Achievement System - how well did your PM do?

🏆 Rookie Achievements

First Blood: Complete initial prototype
Team Builder: Assemble core team
Vision Quest: Define product strategy

🏆 Veteran Achievements

Sprint Master: Complete 10 successful sprints
Bug Hunter: Resolve 100 issues
Feature Smith: Ship 5 major features

🏆 Legendary Achievements

Product Whisperer: Achieve product-market fit
Dragon Slayer: Successful major launch
Eternal Iterator: Maintain 95% user satisfaction

Congratulations. You completed the quest and are a skilled Product Manager. You know that like any adventure worth taking, a product roadmap is filled with highs, lows, and unexpected twists and turns.

Gamifying the process was a fun way to think about Product management. It also was a good reminder that the real battle is the journey itself and that teamwork makes it all possible.

Special thanks to Matt and David for their great ideas around level creations and achievements.

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