How MSPs Are Actually Managing Client Roadmaps (And Why Most Methods Fall Apart)
We've watched hundreds of MSP teams try to organize client roadmaps. Some use spreadsheets. Some use Asana. A few lucky ones found tools like Scalepad that actually get it. But even the best setups have a ceiling, and we keep seeing the same friction points.
This is what we're seeing in the wild, what works, what doesn't, and why we built Scopable the way we did.
The Three Methods We See Most
Method 1: The Spreadsheet
It always starts here. A Google Sheet or Excel file. Client name in column A, projects in B, timelines in C. Maybe some conditional formatting to look fancy.
Why teams pick it: Free, familiar, no learning curve.
Why it breaks:
Your sales team is updating one version. Your delivery team is looking at a different one. By Friday, nobody knows which sheet is real. You can't see dependencies. You can't see what's blocking what. When a client asks "what's next for us?" you're scrolling through rows instead of having an answer ready.
The spreadsheet doesn't scale past maybe 10 active clients. After that, you're just creating more chaos.
Method 2: The General Project Tool (Asana, Monday, Jira)
Teams pick these because they're powerful. They handle subtasks, dependencies, timelines, even resource allocation. Smart choice.
Why it partially works: You get visibility. You can set reminders. You can assign owners.
Why it breaks:
These tools are built for internal project management, not client conversations. You end up with 47 different views trying to answer "what do my clients actually care about?" You're constantly translating between internal task speak and client-friendly language. Your delivery team is drowning in notifications. You're spending 5 hours a week just moving things around to keep it fresh.
The tool is good. The fit is wrong.
Method 3: Purpose-Built MSP Tools (Like Scalepad)
Scalepad gets it. They've thought about how MSPs actually work. A roadmap isn't a project list. It's a promise to a client. It's a sales conversation. It's a commitment that drives retainers.
Why Scalepad works:
They made roadmapping an actual feature, not an afterthought. You can share it with clients. It's built around the MSP sales motion. The UI understands that you're managing multiple clients at once, not running a single project. We genuinely admire what they've built.
Their shortcoming (and this is the one we're trying to solve):
You still have to do a lot of the thinking yourself. You input the roadmap. You maintain it. You update it when things shift. If a client's situation changes mid-quarter, you're rebuilding from scratch.
What the Best MSPs Do Well
The teams we talk to who have the tightest roadmap process share these habits.
They separate roadmap planning from execution tracking.
One document answers "what did we commit to?" Another answers "what did we actually do this week?" These are different questions and they need different tools.
They update weekly, not monthly.
A roadmap written in January dies in February if you don't touch it. The best teams treat it like a living document. They block 30 minutes every Friday to ask: did anything change? Did we learn something new? Do clients need something different?
They involve the client early.
The roadmap isn't something you build in a vacuum and hand over. It's a conversation. You show them what's possible given their budget and capacity. You ask what matters most. You set expectations about what's realistic.
They tie it to retainer value.
This is where it gets interesting. Your roadmap isn't just nice to have. It's what your client is paying for. The best MSPs use the roadmap to justify the retainer every renewal. "Here's what we committed to. Here's what we delivered. Here's what's next."
The Gap Nobody's Filling
Here's what we keep hearing: "I know what my clients need. I know how to build roadmaps. I just don't have time to maintain them."
A good roadmap takes work. You need to understand each client's business. You need to know what's possible with your capacity. You need to surface blockers. You need to keep it current.
Most tools either give you the capability and make you do all the work, or they're so opinionated that they don't fit your business.
We think there's a third way.
What We're Building
Scopable is built around this idea: we handle the repetitive thinking. You handle the relationship.
Instead of you starting from a blank page every quarter, we help you build roadmaps by asking the right questions. What's their current state? What are their stated goals? What gaps do we see? What can we realistically deliver?
We collect that info. We structure it. We surface the gaps. Then you decide.
You get a roadmap that's actually yours (not something a template gave you), but you're not starting from zero every time.
The goal isn't to replace your judgment. It's to make your judgment faster to put into action. It's the thinking work without the busywork.
Why This Matters
A roadmap is your most powerful sales tool and your best retention weapon. But only if it's real. Only if it's current. Only if your client actually believes you'll deliver it.
Right now, too many MSPs either skip roadmaps entirely (and lose deals to teams that have them) or spend so much time maintaining them that they stop being useful.
There's a better way. We're building it.
And if you're tired of spreadsheets and tired of fighting your project management tool to do this one thing, we should talk.