Understanding Horizons
Horizons provide a time-based view of the product roadmap without committing to specific dates.
What Are Horizons?
Horizons group features by when they're expected to be delivered:
| Horizon | Timeframe | Certainty |
|---|---|---|
| Now | Current cycle | High |
| Next | Upcoming cycle | Medium |
| Later | Future consideration | Low |
Why Horizons Instead of Dates?
Traditional roadmaps with fixed dates create problems:
- Features slip, causing frustration
- Teams feel pressured to hit arbitrary dates
- Scope gets cut to meet deadlines
Horizons communicate intent without over-promising.
The Now Horizon
Features in "Now" are actively being developed. They:
- Have assigned engineering resources
- Are expected to ship this cycle
- Have high certainty of delivery
The Next Horizon
Features in "Next" are planned for upcoming work. They:
- Have been prioritized but not started
- May move to "Now" as current work completes
- Could shift based on changing priorities
The Later Horizon
Features in "Later" are on the radar but not scheduled. They:
- Represent acknowledged user requests
- Will be evaluated for future cycles
- May move up based on votes and business needs
How Features Move Between Horizons
Movement is driven by:
- Votes - High-vote features get attention
- Strategy - Business priorities influence selection
- Capacity - Available engineering resources
- Dependencies - Technical prerequisites
As features complete in "Now," items from "Next" move up, and "Later" items get re-evaluated.