Lending a hand: BCU boosts product management with Strategic Roadmaps

BCU, a leading Credit Union serving members throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, has significantly streamlined its product management and improved organizational alignment through Tempo’s Strategic Roadmaps. 

Belinda Chu, product owner at BCU, shares how this tool has transformed her team's daily operations and driven better alignment across the organization.

BCU is a not-for-profit, member-owned Credit Union that is dedicated to Empowering People to Discover Financial Freedom. BCU's mission is to help members achieve financial freedom by providing a secure, fast, and easy banking experience.

Row-no! Trapped in spreadsheet misery

Before adopting Strategic Roadmaps, Belinda Chu's team relied on Excel to manage their product roadmaps – a process that was both time-consuming and inefficient. 

“We were spending hours updating rows and dates, with no real way to make that information presentable to the rest of the business,” says Chu.

Managing multiple roadmaps across different teams using spreadsheets was a nightmare, leading to misalignment and a lack of visibility for leadership. Chu needed a solution that was integrated with the primary tools her teams were already using, easy to navigate, and always up-to-date.

Credit where it’s due: Strategic Roadmaps

BCU's IT team introduced Strategic Roadmaps to Chu's team, and it was an instant success. "I could immediately see it would improve my day-to-day working," Chu recalls.

Since implementing Strategic Roadmaps, Chu has experienced significant time savings and improved efficiency. “I live in Roadmaps; it’s the first thing I pull up every day,” she says. The tool has saved her over two hours a day, or 10 hours a week, by streamlining tasks like changing dates or adjusting priorities.

Roadmaps integrated with Azure DevOps and SharePoint

The tool's seamless integration with Azure DevOps (ADO) was a game changer, allowing Chu to tag incoming requests, pull them into the roadmap, and add essential details like dates – all in one place.

By seamlessly connecting these platforms, Strategic Roadmaps enables real-time synchronization between project management and development workflows.

When change requests or updates are submitted through SharePoint, they flow directly into ADO, where Chu’s team can tag and track them effortlessly. From there, these items are automatically pulled into the roadmap, allowing Chu to add crucial details like timelines, priorities, and OKRs without any manual duplication of work.

This deep integration ensures that all teams have consistent, up-to-date information, and the ability to generate tailored views for leadership, streamlining the entire project management process across BCU’s global teams.

“I live in Roadmaps; it’s the first thing I pull up every day”

Belinda Chu, Product Owner, BCU

Better visibility for all

With Strategic Roadmaps, BCU has seen enhanced communication across teams and improved visibility for leadership. "Our VP of consumer lending, Davi Allen, also uses Roadmaps, so my roadmaps are part of her purview," Chu explains.

This widespread adoption of the tool has greatly improved alignment across product teams and leadership, allowing for quick creation of new views based on OKRs, team, and dates – tasks that would have taken hours in Excel.

“With the entire product leadership team using Roadmaps, alignment is a lot easier, and so is adjusting and communicating change” Chu notes. The tool's integration with ADO and SharePoint provides visibility into the roadmap for all teams, regardless of location. 

The tool's real-time updates are particularly valuable – roadmaps are shared via SharePoint at the end of every two-week sprint, ensuring the entire team has visibility, even if they don’t have a license.

“With the entire product leadership team using Roadmaps, alignment is a lot easier, and so is adjusting and communicating change”

Belinda Chu, Product Owner, BCU

Collaboration across value streams

At BCU, each product owner manages multiple value streams with Strategic Roadmaps. All product owners have access to each other's roadmaps, fostering collaboration and ensuring alignment across the business.

“The visibility that Roadmaps affords makes collaborating with my peers a breeze,” Chu says. “It means I can be mindful of their capacity before asking for support, we can avoid duplicate work, and spot new opportunities that align with shared OKRs.” She adds.

By having all roadmaps in one place, product owners can coordinate on cross-functional projects, monitor dependencies, and adjust plans in real time.

The tool’s flexibility allows teams to create custom views tailored to specific value streams, enabling more focused collaboration and decision-making.

This level of transparency and coordination has significantly improved how BCU's teams work together, driving more cohesive and efficient outcomes across the business.

Looking ahead

As BCU continues to grow, the use of Strategic Roadmaps is poised to play an even more critical role in aligning teams and driving business success.

Davi Allen, VP of consumer lending, envisions widespread adoption among all team leads, ensuring that the entire organization benefits from the tool's powerful capabilities.

Wrapping up

Tempo’s Strategic Roadmaps has become an indispensable tool at BCU, transforming the way product management is handled across the organization. The significant time savings, improved collaboration, and enhanced visibility have not only streamlined day-to-day operations but have also set the stage for continued success as BCU expands its use of the platform.

As Belinda Chu puts it: “If you’re used to the Microsoft world, you get significant time savings over Excel or Visio, and it’s still integrated in the key areas.” 

BCU's experience with Strategic Roadmaps is a testament to its powerful capabilities and the tangible benefits it can bring to any organization looking to improve its product management processes.

Learn more about Strategic Roadmaps and get your free trial at https://www.tempo.io/products/roadmaps.