Digital Transformation Roadmap Template
A fillable PDF template for a digital transformation roadmap that begins with the change in how work is done, orders it, and says what stops as well as what starts.
Free to download, with nothing to sign up for. Type into the tables on screen, or print it.
What the template lays out, section by section
- The change you are making, function by function, with an owner who reports on each
- Where you are now across processes, systems, data, people and governance, each with its evidence and the gap to close
- A phase table: the goal, what changes in the work, what stops, the owner, the start and the test that says it is done
- Sequence and dependencies, then the systems you introduce and the ones they retire, with a retirement date
- People and adoption, governance decisions, risks, measures, and who is told what and when
- A review log for every change to the plan, with the reason and who agreed
How to fill it in without it turning into a project list
- 01
Write the change in the work before the projects
For each function say what will work differently. A function with no answer has a project and not yet a change.
- 02
Give every old route a day to stop
A tool left beside the one it replaces gives data one more place to disagree. Put the date in the phase table.
- 03
Keep the review log complete
Record each change to the plan with its reason and who agreed. The log is how a later reader tells slippage from decision.
Limits
A roadmap records decisions you have made. It does not make them, it does not predict how long a change will take, and it is not a resourced project plan.
On this page
A roadmap that cannot say what stops is a list of projects.
A pattern, worked through
What does one phase look like once it is rewritten?
The first draft of the phase reads: deploy the new workflow tool for invoice approval. It names a system and a delivery date and says nothing about what anyone will do differently.
- Name the change in the work. Approvers act on invoices inside the tool, and no longer reply to an email.
- Name what stops. Approval by emailed attachment ends on a date written into the phase table.
- Name the owner. The head of finance operations reports on it, because the change lands on her function.
- Set the test. The finance partner can show that no invoice was approved outside the tool across a full month-end close.
Where it endsThe phase finishes when the work has changed. The date also surfaces the approvers who prefer email, early enough to talk to them, and not after go-live.
What comes before and after the roadmap?
The Digital Transformation Maturity Assessment on this site helps you find the starting point for the where-we-are-now section. The Automation Opportunity Register supplies candidates for the phase table. When the roadmap needs an outside view of what the organization can absorb, that is our digital transformation work.
What do people ask before using the roadmap template?
How is this roadmap different from a list of projects?
It starts from the change in how work is done, function by function, and says what stops as well as what starts. A roadmap that cannot say what stops is a list of projects. Each function also gets an owner who reports on it.
What should I write first in the roadmap?
Write the change in the work before the projects. For each function, say what will work differently. A function with no answer has a project and not yet a change. Those answers then give the phase table something real to order.
Why does the roadmap ask for a date when an old route stops?
Because a tool left beside the one it replaces gives data another place to disagree. Every old route gets a day to stop, written into the phase table. The date also shows early which people prefer the old way, so you can talk to them before go-live.
Can I fill in the roadmap template on screen?
Yes. The tables and the boxes are form fields in any PDF reader that supports forms, so you can type into them and save the file. You can also print the pages and write by hand. If you need more rows, print a page again and attach it.
Can the roadmap tell me how long the transformation will take?
No. It records decisions you have made. It does not make them, it does not predict how long a change will take, and it is not a resourced project plan. If you need an outside view of what the organization can absorb, that is a conversation to have with us.
Planning a real transformation?
Describe what you are weighing in a few lines. A senior practitioner replies with a suggested first conversation.