Product management glossary
Roadmap change log
Also known as: Roadmap changes, roadmap versioning
Definition: A roadmap change log is a record of what moved on a roadmap between two points in time: what was added, removed or rescheduled, who changed it and why.
Roadmaps change constantly. Without a change log, the only way to answer 'what changed since the last review?' is to compare two slide decks by eye, and the reason something slipped usually lives in a chat thread or in someone's head.
A good change log captures a baseline version of the roadmap, compares the current roadmap against it, and keeps the reason for each move. It turns a stakeholder update from a reconstruction exercise into a summary.
Change logs also build trust. A roadmap that moves without explanation looks unreliable, while one that moves with a clear reason looks well managed.