Your data roadmap is a wishlist - here’s the 3-horizon framework that turns it into strategy.
I’ve reviewed dozens of data roadmaps. Most of them are 40-item backlogs with no time horizon. Everything is “important.” Nothing gets done.
Three horizons fix this.
Horizon 1 - Now. Operational reliability. Fix the critical data quality issues. Serve current user needs. This is 70% of your team’s time. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the work that keeps trust intact.
Horizon 2 - Next 3-6 months. New capabilities. Better self-service. Automation of manual processes. This is 20% of capacity. The stuff that makes next quarter easier than this one.
Horizon 3 - Future 6-12 months. Strategic bets. Platform evolution. New data domains. 10% of capacity. These are the experiments, and most won’t ship as planned. That’s fine.
The ratio matters: 70/20/10. I’ve seen teams flip this - spending 60% on strategic bets while pipelines break daily. That’s how you lose credibility with the business.
Review quarterly. Shift items between horizons based on what the business actually needs, not what your team finds interesting.
What percentage of your data team’s time is spent firefighting vs building new capabilities?