Initiatives

Build your own product roadmap!

We've created a basic template for you to use to create your own roadmap.

Download the product roadmap template

Step 1. Choose your product or service

For your first roadmap we suggest starting with a simple product. To give you a background on product roadmaps before you start the process we recommend you read the document: If this Product Could Talk and look at our established product roadmaps for buildings, garments and fresh produce (potato) which can be found in the right-hand column.

Step 2. Start your research

Begin your 'desk based' research to understand your product or service. Utilising the internet take a look at similar products in the marketplace and begin to identify the core sustainability issues along the supply chain for your product or service. It may be helpful to contact a relevant industry body for your product or service, for example the Food and Grocery Council to help you get started and learn more about the key issues within your sector.

Step 3. Consider the 5 primary stages along the roadmap

Product need - what is the purpose of this product and the business case?

Designing - how do you select your product and what are the steps towards development?

Making - how is your product manufactured or service developed?

Selling - what is the process for marketing and selling your products and services?

Using - how do consumers use, re-use and recycle products?

Now consider the possible environmental and social impacts at each of these stages using the Generic Product Road Map and the TEC Product Road Mapping tools to help.

Remember too to identify the broader issues which may influence sustainability on the product road map. These may include activities related to the five roadmap stages such as investment, raw material extraction, product selection and disposal, and more broadly the societal, political, economic and ethical systems, to build a holistic road map which highlights the complex, interconnected and dynamic nature of supply chains.

Finally, identify the key stakeholders that participate along the complete supply chain of your sector or product or service, including those stakeholders that play an active role to better manage sustainability issues in their sector. Stakeholders might include workers or employees, customers, producers, retailers, suppliers, local community, investors, government, manufacturers and any other groups that are involved in the consumption or production of the product or service.

Step 4. Begin an interview process

Interview a cross-section of stakeholders to identify the range of environmental, social and economic issues that influence responsible business practices for the sector or product. For example a food grower, a manufacturer and a seller. You could even make a short video or podcase of the interviews.

View sample interview questions here

Step 5. Add your sustainability impacts into your own roadmap

Include what you have discovered from your research and interviews in each stage of the roadmap by typing brief points in the orange boxes.

You might also choose to create a more detailed report to go with your roadmap. You could further investigate, validate and analyse the most significant issues identified. Summarise these and list what actions you think they may need, for example develop a sustainable purchasing policy. Think of these in terms of the challenges and opportunities as well as possible recommendations to address them.

Step 6. Share your roadmap with us!

We invite you to share your roadmap and reports with us. Join our international community of product road mappers to build a warehouse of roadmaps on the HUB website. Send your roadmaps through to rbp@ethics.org.au.

More Information
You may wish to refer to the full reports from the completed roadmaps http://thehub.ethics.org.au/sme/sector_product_roadmaps as a guide throughout this process.

Click on the mini-roadmaps below to see examples created by our Project Collaborators

Building Roadmap
Total Environment Centre