Articles on: Product Roadmap

Creating Roadmap Items

Creating Roadmap Items


Time to read: 8 minutes


Learn how to create, edit, and organize roadmap items effectively.


What You'll Learn


  • Creating a roadmap item
  • Understanding all fields
  • Quick editing items
  • Organizing with categories and statuses
  • Setting priorities and progress


Creating a New Item


Start Creating


  1. Go to Roadmap > Add New Item
  2. You'll see the standard WordPress editor


Required Fields


Title (Required)

  • Keep under 60 characters
  • Be specific and clear
  • Use action verbs


Examples:

  • ✅ Good: "Add dark mode support"
  • ✅ Good: "Improve search speed"
  • ❌ Bad: "Dark mode"
  • ❌ Bad: "Search"


Description (Content Editor)

  • Explain why this matters
  • Describe the benefit to users
  • 2-3 paragraphs minimum
  • Use formatting (bold, lists, headings)


Example:

## Why This Feature?

Many users work late at night and find the bright interface
straining on their eyes. Adding a dark mode will:

- Reduce eye strain during night usage
- Save battery on mobile devices
- Match system preferences on modern devices

## What We'll Build

- System-aware dark mode (follows OS setting)
- Manual toggle in user preferences
- Optimized color palette for readability


Taxonomy Fields


Status (Right Sidebar)


Select where this item is in your workflow:

  • Idea - Just a thought, not confirmed
  • Under Review - Team is evaluating
  • Planned - Approved for development
  • In Progress - Currently being built
  • Testing - In quality assurance
  • Completed - Done and deployed
  • Cancelled - Won't be implemented


Default: "Planned"


Category (Right Sidebar)


What type of item is this:

  • Feature - New functionality
  • Enhancement - Improvement to existing
  • Bug Fix - Fixing issues
  • Security - Security updates
  • Performance - Speed/optimization


You can select multiple categories.


Product (Right Sidebar)


Which product this belongs to:

  • Free version: Only "Main" available
  • Pro version: Multiple products


Detail Fields


Priority (Meta Box)


How important is this:

  • Critical - Must have, blocking other work
  • High - Very important to users
  • Medium - Important but not urgent
  • Low - Nice to have


Tip: Don't make everything "Critical"!


Progress (Meta Box)


Completion percentage:

  • Drag slider or type number (0-100%)
  • Updates as work progresses
  • Shows progress bar to users


Guidelines:

  • 0% = Not started
  • 25% = Early stage
  • 50% = Half done
  • 75% = Almost complete
  • 100% = Finished (should be "Completed" status)


Target Date (Meta Box)


When you expect to finish:

  • Click calendar icon
  • Select date
  • Optional but recommended
  • Shows on item cards


Tips:

  • Set realistic dates
  • Add buffer time
  • Update if timeline changes
  • Use quarters (Q1 2024) for flexibility


Start Date (Meta Box)


When work begins:

  • Useful for timeline planning
  • Optional field


End Date (Meta Box)


Actual completion date:

  • Set when item is done
  • Helps track velocity
  • Optional field


Excerpt (Below Content Editor)


Short summary (1-2 sentences):

  • Shows on item cards
  • If empty, auto-generated
  • Write custom for better clarity


Example:

Enable dark color scheme that reduces eye strain and saves
battery life on mobile devices.


Publishing


Save Draft

  • Saves without publishing
  • Useful for incomplete items


Preview

  • See how it looks before publishing
  • Opens in new tab


Publish

  • Makes item visible on roadmap
  • Sends to selected status


Visibility

  • Public (default)
  • Password protected
  • Private (admins only)


Editing Existing Items


Quick Edit


Fast way to update basic fields:


  1. Go to Roadmap > All Items
  2. Hover over item title
  3. Click Quick Edit


You can change:

  • Title
  • Status
  • Category
  • Priority
  • Target date


Changes save immediately.


Full Edit


For detailed changes:


  1. Click item title
  2. Edit any field
  3. Click Update to save


Managing Multiple Items


Bulk Actions


Update many items at once:


  1. Roadmap > All Items
  2. Check boxes next to items
  3. Select action from dropdown:
  • Edit (change status, category)
  • Move to Trash
  1. Click Apply


Example: Move 5 completed items to "Completed" status


Filtering Items


Find specific items:


By Status: Dropdown at top

  • Shows only items in that status
  • Example: See all "In Progress" items


By Category: Dropdown at top

  • Filter by category
  • Example: See all "Features"


By Date: Date filter

  • Items from specific month


Search: Search box

  • Find by keyword in title/content


Sorting Items


Click column headers to sort:

  • Title - Alphabetical
  • Status - By status type
  • Category - By category
  • Date - By publish date
  • Votes - By vote count (if enabled)


Item Meta Information


When editing an item, you'll see statistics:


Roadmap Statistics (Meta Box)

  • Total votes received
  • Total comments
  • View count
  • Last updated date


This is read-only information.


Best Practices


Writing Titles


Do:

  • Use action verbs
  • Be specific
  • Keep it short
  • User-focused


Don't:

  • Use jargon
  • Be vague
  • Make it too long
  • Use internal code names


Writing Descriptions


Do:

  • Explain the "why"
  • List benefits
  • Use formatting
  • Add mockups/screenshots
  • Keep it scannable


Don't:

  • Just describe technical details
  • Write walls of text
  • Assume user knowledge
  • Skip the value proposition


Setting Progress


Update regularly:

  • Weekly for active items
  • At major milestones
  • When status changes


Be honest:

  • Don't inflate progress
  • Update if blocked
  • Explain delays


Managing Status


Keep moving items:

  • Weekly status reviews
  • Left to right progression
  • Update on real changes
  • Communicate status changes


Status workflow:

  1. Idea → Under Review (evaluation)
  2. Under Review → Planned (approved)
  3. Planned → In Progress (started)
  4. In Progress → Testing (in QA)
  5. Testing → Completed (deployed)


Or skip directly to Cancelled if not proceeding.


Common Workflows


New Feature Request


  1. Create item with Status: "Idea"
  2. Gather votes and comments
  3. Review with team
  4. Move to "Under Review"
  5. If approved → "Planned"
  6. Add to sprint → "In Progress"
  7. When done → "Testing"
  8. After QA → "Completed"


Bug Fix


  1. Create item with Category: "Bug Fix"
  2. Set Priority based on severity
  3. Status: "Planned" (if prioritized)
  4. Move to "In Progress" when fixing
  5. Set Progress as you work
  6. "Testing" when ready
  7. "Completed" when verified


User Suggestion


  1. Submitted via suggestion form
  2. Appears as Status: "Under Review"
  3. Team evaluates feasibility
  4. If accepted → edit and move to "Planned"
  5. If rejected → "Cancelled" with explanation


Deleting Items


Move to Trash


  1. Hover over item
  2. Click Trash
  3. Item goes to trash (not deleted)


Restore from Trash


  1. Click Trash tab at top
  2. Hover over item
  3. Click Restore


Permanently Delete


  1. Click Trash tab
  2. Hover over item
  3. Click Delete Permanently
  4. Warning: Cannot be undone!


Custom Fields


Want to add more data?


Using Custom Fields


  1. Edit item
  2. Scroll to Custom Fields meta box
  3. Click Enter new
  4. Add name and value


Examples:

  • estimated_hours: "40"
  • team_member: "John"
  • release_version: "2.5.0"


Note: Custom fields don't show on frontend without custom code.


Keyboard Shortcuts


Speed up your workflow:


  • Ctrl/Cmd + S - Save draft
  • Ctrl/Cmd + Enter - Publish
  • Tab - Move between fields
  • Shift + Alt + D - Delete item


Next Steps



Need Help?


  • Can't publish? Check permissions
  • Missing fields? Check screen options (top right)
  • Item not showing? Check status and visibility
  • Lost changes? Check revisions



← Getting Started | Statuses & Categories →

Updated on: 25/09/2025

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