A roadmap is a plan that shows the steps needed to reach a goal, laid out in order like stops on a journey. The word comes from actual road maps that show drivers which routes to take to reach their destination, but today it's used mostly to describe plans for projects and goals.

When a software company creates a product roadmap, they're outlining what features they'll build and when. A teacher might share a roadmap for the school year, showing which subjects you'll study each month. A student working on a big science fair project might sketch out a roadmap: research in week one, experiment in week two, build the display in week three.

What makes something a roadmap is that it shows how steps connect and build on each other, like a path that leads somewhere specific. A roadmap helps everyone understand not just what needs to happen, but when and why. If your family is planning a cross-country move, a roadmap might show when you'll pack, when the moving truck arrives, and when you'll start at your new school.

When someone says “let's roadmap this,” they mean, “Let's figure out the journey from where we are now to where we want to be.”