Product Roadmap: How to Choose What to Build Next for AI‑Coded Apps
With AI app generation, it’s easy to build more. The hard part is choosing what matters. A roadmap should reflect outcomes users need, not a wishlist of cool ideas. Keep it light, tie it to real feedback, and protect the time you need to stabilize what you ship.
A simple prioritization model
Score potential work on two axes: impact (how much it helps users reach value) and effort (how long it takes). High‑impact, low‑effort items go first. High‑impact, higher‑effort items follow once stability allows. Low‑impact work waits.
Balance features with maintenance
Pair each feature with one small stabilization task: add an error message, consolidate a duplicate, or protect a journey with a test. This keeps quality rising without a separate “cleanup” phase.
Keep the roadmap user‑driven
Talk to users every week. Watch two people try the product and write down what tripped them up. Update the roadmap based on those findings, not guesses. AI helps you move fast; users tell you where to move.
How to write roadmap items
State the outcome in one sentence and how you’ll measure it. “Reduce time to first success from five minutes to two.” “Increase successful sign‑ups by 20%.” Then list the smallest changes that could achieve the goal.
Tools that help
Cursor, Claude Code, and Copilot make changes fast. Vercel previews let you test each step on a live link. Supabase or Firebase keep your focus on product outcomes instead of infrastructure.
If you want an outside partner to align roadmap with stability and help you land small, high‑impact changes weekly, Spin by fryga can guide the cadence while you stay close to users.
A roadmap is a promise to your users: we will fix what hurts and build what helps. Keep it small, outcome‑driven, and alive.
A quarterly rhythm that works
Month 1: Choose two high‑impact goals tied to outcomes (faster onboarding, higher completion). Ship weekly and measure.
Month 2: Add one new capability users requested and pair it with stabilization tasks. Keep incidents low.
Month 3: Consolidate wins. Remove dead ends, polish copy, and prepare a calm announcement.
Founder FAQs
How do we say no to good ideas? Park them in a backlog. Re‑score monthly. If an idea keeps ranking low on impact, that’s your answer.
How do we balance sales requests? Tie them to outcomes: “Will this help more users succeed faster?” If not, negotiate timing. Building trust beats building everything.
Should we estimate with story points? Use time and outcomes instead. “One day to add empty states to onboarding” is easier to discuss than abstract points.
Examples of outcome metrics
- Time to first success (from sign‑up to a meaningful result)
- Completion rate for the main job (create, share, or track something)
- Weekly active users for the target role
Roadmap anti‑patterns
- Lists of features with no connection to outcomes
- Big projects with vague scopes and no intermediate releases
- “Rewrites” that delay learning for weeks without a clear payoff
Case study: roadmap that moved the needle
A team used AI app generation to build fast but kept slipping deadlines. They adopted a simple roadmap: reduce time to value, then add one requested capability. Each release paired a feature with a small stabilization task. Conversion improved, incidents dropped, and the plan became believable to stakeholders.