5 Ways to Develop a Roadmap for Your Startup

It's a new decade, new year. There must be new ideas for new ways to do things. As many get convinced and excited about their new ideas, they form their new companies, often without a plan or a roadmap. 
Importance of a Road Map for the Startup
A business should never be started without a destination or exit strategy. A roadmap could lead you to the goal. This roadmap defines company objectives, policies, values, expected direction of growth in the form of chart, strengths, weaknesses, threats, and prospective opportunities. This roadmap can be used as a guideline for investors and customers as well. The road map gives a base for formulating policies and strategies for product marketing and launching. It helps in analyzing and reviewing future threats and the current situation of the market. 
Roadmaps help in setting goals and assist in implementing the rules and policies with efficiency. The roadmap should be timely reviewed by the founders and directors of the startup and can be altered if needed. Roadmaps should also define in detail the role of every department in the startup and expected growth of that department to help human resources in the future manage their expectations. 
The road map of the startup consists of short term and long term goals and timelines set by the founders. Other details such as how the resources are allocated, what are the sources of the capital, contingency plans, how to penetrate the market, and compete with the competitors are also defined in the road map. It could also help you figure out your burn rate to ensure your startup doesn't run out of money anytime soon. 
How to Develop a Roadmap
A step by step guide is discussed below that will help in developing a practical roadmap for the startup.
Identify the Problems
The first most important step while developing a roadmap for the startup is to identify the existing problems prevailing in the market. Because once these problems are identified, it gives you a big picture of the overall market, and it will be easier to formulate strategies to avoid such problems while entering into the market. 
Target the Audience
Formulating effective marketing strategies and targeting a specific group of audience according to the nature of the product is the second important step. It can be done by delivering high-quality content that appeals to the target audience about the product and the startup.
Hiring Professionals
Professionals from different fields such as finance, law, IT, etc. should be hired so that they can take care of the matters related to their fields. Because one single person cannot be an expert in all fields at the same time.  
Define Mission, Vision, and Strategy
Define the startup’s mission vision and business plan in detail in the roadmap. This will serve as a ground for building up future business plans and strategies. These statements can be reviewed and altered from time to time, as and when needed. 
Conclusion
The roadmap provides a line of action for the startups. Therefore, it is always important to create a roadmap before starting the business and entering into the market. It will always help in making better choices and decisions by the founders. It will always guide the audience to understand the aims and objectives of the project. 

References
https://www.inc.com/drew-hendricks/5-steps-for-creating-a-roadmap-to-startup-success.html
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/make-business-roadmap-22538.html
https://maxmyprofit.com.au/blog/why-creating-a-roadmap-is-crucial-to-business-success/
https://www.jibility.com/startup-strategy-roadmap/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryjuetten/2018/07/03/twenty-tips-for-startup-success-part-twelve-develop-a-roadmap/#6e3be17419a3