Use this when helping a client transform their output-focused roadmap into an outcome-focused one.
How it works
- You provide the client name, their current roadmap, strategic objectives, and any context
- The skill rewrites each initiative as an outcome statement -- shifting from "what we're building" to "what changes for customers and the business"
- It returns a transformed, outcome-focused roadmap with measurable success criteria, strategic alignment notes, and a facilitation-ready before/after comparison. Core deliverable for Kate's strategic-comms-roadmapping service.
Prompt
You are transforming a client's roadmap from output-focused to outcome-focused as part of a Kate Makrigiannis strategic-comms-roadmapping engagement. Kate helps clients rewrite feature-list roadmaps into outcome roadmaps that communicate strategic intent to stakeholders, boards, and teams. Before writing, read knowledge/voice-tone-guide.md -- use the client-facing voice.
Inputs I will provide:
- Client: {{CLIENT}} (company name)
- Current roadmap: {{CURRENT_ROADMAP}} (the existing roadmap -- paste the full text, a screenshot description, or a list of planned initiatives by quarter/phase)
- Objectives: {{OBJECTIVES}} (company or product objectives this roadmap should serve)
- Context (optional): {{CONTEXT}} (who the audience is for this roadmap, what triggered the reframe, maturity stage)
Step 1: Analyze the current roadmap
Reference knowledge/pm-execution-templates.md for the outcome roadmap template. Also reference knowledge/services-canon.md for how Kate positions strategic-comms-roadmapping as a service.
Read the current roadmap carefully. For each initiative, identify:
- Is this stated as an output (feature, project, deliverable) or an outcome (customer/business impact)?
- What is the implicit "why" behind each item?
- Which initiatives cluster around the same outcome?
Check knowledge/engagement-history.md for any prior work with this client that provides strategic context.
Step 2: Transform each initiative For every output-focused initiative, rewrite it as an outcome statement using this format:
Enable [customer segment] to [desired customer outcome] so that [business impact]
Think step-by-step for each item:
- What customer problem does this solve?
- What business metric will improve?
- How will we know it worked?
- Is there a different or better way to achieve the same outcome?
Where multiple outputs serve the same outcome, consolidate them under a single outcome statement.
Step 3: Build the reframed roadmap
Roadmap Transformation Summary
One paragraph explaining the shift: what changed and why it matters for how the client communicates strategy.
Before/After Comparison
| Quarter | Original (Output) | Reframed (Outcome) | Success Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Q] | [Feature/project as stated] | [Outcome statement] | [How we measure success] |
Outcome-Focused Roadmap
For each quarter/phase:
[Quarter/Phase]: [Theme]
- Outcome: [Enable statement]
- Success metric: [Measurable indicator]
- Key bets: [The initiatives that might achieve this outcome -- held loosely]
- Strategic alignment: [How this ladders to the stated objectives]
Strategic Context
- How the reframed roadmap aligns with company objectives
- Key assumptions about customer needs
- Dependencies or sequencing notes
- Flexible release windows (quarters, not specific dates)
Facilitator Notes for Kate
- Talking points for presenting the reframe to the client's leadership
- Common pushback and how to address it (e.g., "but stakeholders want to see features")
- Questions to ask the client to sharpen outcome statements further
For prioritizing the backlog that feeds this roadmap, use the prioritize-backlog skill. For setting OKRs aligned to roadmap outcomes, use okr-workshop.
Example Output
Input
- Client: Northgate Health (mid-market employee benefits platform, Series B, ~180 employees)
- Current roadmap:
- Q1: Build SSO integration with Okta and Azure AD
- Q1: Redesign benefits enrollment wizard UI
- Q2: Launch mobile app (iOS + Android)
- Q2: Add dependent management module
- Q3: Build broker portal with commission tracking
- Q3: API documentation overhaul
- Q4: Reporting dashboard v2
- Q4: Automated renewal reminders via email/SMS
- Objectives: Reduce implementation time for new enterprise clients, increase employee activation rates during open enrollment, and expand broker channel revenue by 30% by end of year
- Context: Roadmap is being shared with the board in 6 weeks ahead of a Series C raise. Current version reads like a dev sprint backlog. CFO flagged it as "hard to connect to growth strategy." First engagement with Kate.
Output (abbreviated)
Roadmap Transformation Summary
Northgate's current roadmap is a well-organized feature inventory — but it tells a delivery story, not a growth story. For a Series C audience, the question isn't what are you building; it's what changes in the market because you built it. This reframe consolidates eight discrete outputs into four outcome themes that map directly to Northgate's three strategic objectives: faster enterprise onboarding, higher employee activation, and broker channel expansion. The result is a roadmap leadership can narrate — one where every quarter answers the question, "so what?"
Before/After Comparison
| Quarter | Original (Output) | Reframed (Outcome) | Success Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Build SSO integration with Okta and Azure AD | Enable enterprise IT teams to deploy Northgate in days, not weeks, so new clients reach first value faster | Implementation cycle time ≤ 5 business days for enterprise accounts |
| Q1 | Redesign benefits enrollment wizard UI | Enable employees to complete enrollment confidently without HR support so activation rates increase during open enrollment | Enrollment completion rate ↑ from 61% to 80%; HR support tickets during OE ↓ 40% |
| Q2 | Launch mobile app (iOS + Android) | Enable employees to access and act on benefits from any device so Northgate becomes part of daily work life, not a once-a-year event | Monthly active users ↑ 3x vs. web-only baseline; push notification open rate ≥ 25% |
| Q2 | Add dependent management module | (Consolidated under Q2 mobile outcome — dependents managed in-app as a key bet) | — |
| Q3 | Build broker portal with commission tracking | Enable broker partners to self-serve their book of business so Northgate becomes their preferred platform to recommend | Broker-sourced pipeline ↑ 30% YoY; broker portal WAU ≥ 60% of active partners |
| Q3 | API documentation overhaul | Enable benefits tech partners to integrate with Northgate independently so the ecosystem grows without scaling our solutions team | Partner integration time ↓ 50%; inbound API partnership inquiries ↑ |
| Q4 | Reporting dashboard v2 | Enable HR leaders to demonstrate benefits ROI to their CFOs so Northgate becomes a strategic asset, not a line-item cost | Dashboard used in ≥ 70% of renewal conversations; cited in NPS comments |
| Q4 | Automated renewal reminders via email/SMS | (Consolidated under Q4 reporting outcome — reminders are a delivery mechanism, not a standalone outcome) | — |
Outcome-Focused Roadmap
Q1: Remove friction from enterprise launch
- Outcome: Enable enterprise IT and HR teams to go live with Northgate in under a week so new clients realize value before their first open enrollment cycle
- Success metric: Median implementation time ≤ 5 days; client-reported time-to-first-login < 48 hours post-contract
- Key bets: SSO with Okta/Azure AD; streamlined enrollment wizard reducing required configuration steps by 60%
- Strategic alignment: Directly supports objective to reduce implementation time — faster onboarding shortens sales cycles and improves gross retention
Q2: Make benefits a habit, not an event
- Outcome: Enable employees to engage with their benefits year-round from any device so Northgate drives measurable utilization — not just annual enrollment compliance
- Success metric: Mobile MAU ≥ 35% of enrolled employees within 90 days of launch; OE completion rate ↑ to 80%
- Key bets: Native iOS/Android app; dependent management in-app; push notification campaigns tied to benefits milestones
- Strategic alignment: Higher activation rates are the core retention lever — this outcome is the proof point for Series C unit economics narrative
Q3: Make brokers want to sell Northgate first
- Outcome: Enable broker partners to manage their entire Northgate book independently so selling and retaining clients through the channel becomes low-effort and high-margin
- Success metric: Broker channel ARR ↑ 30% YoY; 60%+ of active broker partners log into portal weekly; partner-led deals close 15% faster than direct
- Key bets: Broker portal with commission tracking and client health visibility; API docs enabling benefits admin integrations without Northgate PS involvement
- Strategic alignment: Broker channel expansion is an explicit board objective — this quarter is the operational foundation that makes the 30% growth target achievable
Q4: Turn Northgate into a CFO-level conversation
- Outcome: Enable HR leaders to quantify and communicate the value of their benefits program so Northgate earns a seat at the strategic table — and renews without a price conversation
- Success metric: Reporting dashboard referenced in ≥ 70% of renewal calls; net revenue retention ↑ 5 points YoY; renewal cycle shortened by 2 weeks on average
- Key bets: HR reporting dashboard v2 with utilization, cost, and benchmarking views; automated renewal engagement sequence triggered 90 days pre-renewal
- Strategic alignment: Retention is the denominator of every Series C growth metric — this outcome protects ARR while creating upsell surface area
Strategic Context
- Objective alignment: All four outcome themes map to at least one of Northgate's three stated objectives. Q1 owns implementation speed. Q2 owns activation. Q3 owns broker revenue. Q4 is the retention flywheel that protects the base while Q3 grows it.
- Key assumptions: This roadmap assumes broker partners are currently underserved by tooling (validate in discovery); that low activation is a UX problem, not an awareness problem (test with HR admin interviews before Q1 closes); and that enterprise prospects are losing to simpler competitors partly on implementation speed (confirm with lost-deal analysis)
- Sequencing rationale: Q1 and Q2 build the product proof — faster onboarding and higher activation become the broker and investor story told in Q3 and Q4. Sequence is load-bearing; compressing Q2 into Q3 weakens the narrative arc
- Dependencies: Broker portal (Q3) depends on API stability work in Q3 running in parallel — needs dedicated track, not a single team context-switching between them
Facilitator Notes for Kate
Talking points for leadership presentation
- Open with the CFO's own framing: "You said this was hard to connect to growth strategy. Here's how we fixed that." Mirror the language back before showing the reframe.
- Position the four outcome themes as the chapters of the Series C story, not a project list. Investors fund outcomes; they audit outputs in due diligence.
- Emphasize that the initiatives (key bets) are still present — nothing was removed, things were elevated. This is important for the engineering leads in the room.
Common pushback and how to address it
- "Our board wants to see features, not fuzzy language." → Show the Before/After table. The features are still there — in the Key Bets column. The outcome layer is additive, not a replacement. Boards want confidence; features are how you justify confidence, not how you build it.
- "We can't commit to those metrics." → Reframe metrics as leading indicators of a bet, not contractual commitments. The roadmap says "we believe X will happen if we do Y" — that's intellectual honesty, not a guarantee.
- "This will confuse our dev team." → The outcome roadmap is the external-facing artifact. The team still works from the Key Bets backlog. These are two views of the same strategy