Public Roadmap Board Widget
Share what you are building next as a simple three-column board - or up to six columns with your own names. Each column shows how many items it holds, columns sit side by side on wide screens and stack neatly on phones, and a footnote reminds readers that plans are not promises.
Live preview
Under the widget on your page: Powered by A2Z Tools
Embed code
<iframe src="https://a2z.tools/embed/w/roadmap-board" title="Public Roadmap Board by A2Z Tools" width="100%" height="870" style="border:0;width:100%" loading="lazy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>
A plain iframe. Works everywhere, including site builders that strip scripts. Adjust height if your content needs more room.
<div data-a2z-widget="roadmap-board" data-height="870"></div> <script async src="https://a2z.tools/embed.js"></script>
Adds a small script (what it does) that sizes the widget to fit its content, loads it lazily and keeps it isolated from your page's CSS.
Works with
How it works
Start each column with a line beginning ## and its name - Planned, In progress and Done by default, but Exploring, Building and Shipped work just as well - then list one item per line as title, optional detail and optional tag separated by vertical bars. Items typed before the first column heading land in Planned. Up to six columns and forty items per column are shown; anything beyond that is counted in a small note rather than silently dropped. Each column is a labelled section whose heading carries its count, such as "In progress, 2 items", for screen readers, with the same number shown in a pill. Column names that read as finished (done, shipped, released, launched) get a green check icon, active ones (in progress, building, beta) a half-filled circle and future ones (planned, next, later, ideas) a dashed ring, but the name always carries the meaning. From a 600-pixel frame width the columns sit side by side; below that they stack, and the board layout option keeps sideways-scrolling columns even on phones. The "Plans can change" footnote is on by default and its wording is editable.
Method
- Line format: ## Column name, then title | detail | tag; items before any column go to "Planned"
- Limits: 6 columns, 40 items per column; extras are counted ("+ 3 items not shown")
- Column status from its name: done/shipped/released/launched -> done; in progress/building/now/beta -> active; planned/next/later/ideas -> future; else neutral
- Layout: auto = side by side at frame width >= 600px, stacked below; board = always side by side (scrolls); stacked = always one column
- Options: v_layout=auto|board|stacked, v_footnote=on|off, v_note = footnote text (default "Plans can change...")
Worked examples
Default three columns
Inputs: ## Planned (3 items), ## In progress (2 items), ## Done (3 items)
Result: Three labelled sections; headings read "Planned, 3 items", "In progress, 2 items", "Done, 3 items"; footnote "Plans can change..."
Columns stack at 480 pixels wide and sit side by side from 600 pixels.
Loose items and an extra pipe
Inputs: "Loose item" then "## Next" and "A | b | c | d"
Result: Column Planned holds Loose item; column Next holds A with detail b and tag "c | d"
Text before the first heading defaults to Planned; extra bars stay in the last cell.
Too many items
Inputs: One column with 250 lines
Result: 40 items shown and "+ 210 items not shown (40 per column)"
Limits are visible rather than silent.
Limitations
- Read-only: no voting, comments, drag-and-drop or links to issue trackers.
- Content is pasted into the embed code; the board does not sync with Trello, Jira, Linear or GitHub Projects.
- Status icons are inferred from English column names; other languages show a neutral icon.
Where publishers use it
- A bootstrapped SaaS founder's public roadmap page under the pricing table
- A game studio's Discord-linked site showing which features are in the next patch
- A city council digital team sharing which online services are being rebuilt this year
- A Shopify app listing's support page answering "is this feature coming?" before tickets arrive
- A community newsletter's site tracking planned, running and finished volunteer projects
Questions
Can visitors vote on or suggest roadmap items?
No - the board is read-only and has no accounts, votes or comments, so nothing about your visitors is collected. If you want ideas, add a line under the board or in the footnote pointing to your own feedback form or community forum; the widget does not process submissions.
Should I put dates on roadmap items?
Usually not. Exact dates turn intentions into promises customers plan around. Many teams use time horizons instead - Now, Next, Later - or quarters like Q1 2027 as tags. If you do add a date, keep the default footnote, which says items and their order are intentions, not release dates.
How is this different from the timeline widget?
A timeline shows milestones in order on one rail - good for company history or the phases of a single project. The roadmap board groups many independent items by status in columns with counts, so readers see at a glance that 3 things are planned, 2 are being built and 4 have shipped.
How many columns and items fit?
Three or four columns sit comfortably side by side in a frame 600-900 pixels wide; five or six make the row scroll sideways. Below 600 pixels the columns stack, so a long Done column makes the frame tall - move old shipped items into a changelog and keep 3-8 per column.
Does the colour of a column mean anything on its own?
No. Colour and icons follow the column name, but every column also has its name as a heading and a count, and tags are written as text. A colour-blind reader or a screen reader gets the same information.
Cite or recommend this tool
If you reference this tool in an article, course or documentation, these formats are ready to copy. They are optional - nothing is added to your site unless you paste it.
A2Z Tools Public Roadmap Board https://a2z.tools/embed/roadmap-board
<a href="https://a2z.tools/embed/roadmap-board">A2Z Tools Public Roadmap Board</a>
[A2Z Tools Public Roadmap Board](https://a2z.tools/embed/roadmap-board)
Public Roadmap Board by A2Z Tools - https://a2z.tools/embed/roadmap-board
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