# Validate Your Product Roadmap with Customer Evidence

Find the initiatives and Projects with little customer evidence, link the evidence Deck already has, and see what your team is building on gut feel.

- URL: https://getdeck.io/playbooks/roadmap-evidence-check
- Author: Matt Teixeira
- Published: 2026-11-01
- Updated: 2026-11-01
- Stage: Set up

## How Do You Validate a Product Roadmap with Customer Evidence?

Check every initiative and Project in scope against the customer evidence linked to it. Flag items below your line, such as fewer than 3 linked insights. Then search your feedback for evidence that exists but was never linked. Each item ends with one status: evidence found but not linked, thin evidence, or no evidence in Deck.

## Why Roadmaps End Up Built on Gut Feel

Every item on the roadmap has a story behind it, but few have proof. When someone asks which items customers actually asked for, nobody can answer without a week of digging. Some work is there because a loud stakeholder pushed for it, and some has evidence that exists in your feedback but was never linked.

## How Deck Checks the Evidence Behind Each Roadmap Item

Deck already counts the customer evidence linked to each initiative and Project. The check reads those counts, flags the items below your line, and searches your insights, themes, and Opportunity Backlog for evidence Deck has but never linked. Each item gets a status with links, and nothing is linked until you say yes.

Deck features used:

- [Initiatives](https://getdeck.io/product/initiatives)
- [Projects](https://getdeck.io/product/projects)
- [Evidence](https://getdeck.io/product/themes)

## How to Validate Your Roadmap in Deck

### 1. Set the Scope and the Evidence Line

Decide what you are checking: all active work, one initiative, one owner, or one segment. Use fewer than 3 linked insights as the line. It is the same line the Opportunity Backlog uses to hide thin items.

### 2. Read the Insights Count on Each Initiative

Open Build → Initiatives. The Insights column shows each initiative's linked insight count. Note every initiative in scope that falls below your line.

### 3. Check the Evidence on Each Project

Open Build → Projects and look at work that is Not started or In progress. Open a Project and click Related Insights to see the insights behind it. An initiative can be thin while its Projects have plenty, so note both.

### 4. Search for Evidence Deck Already Has

For each thin item, take 2 or 3 keywords from its title and search your insights and themes in Visualize. Check Build → Opportunity Backlog for a related opportunity too. A keyword match is only a candidate, so read the insight before you count it.

### 5. Give Each Item One Status

Mark each item: evidence found but not linked, thin evidence, or no evidence in Deck. Security, compliance, and platform work often has no customer evidence for a good reason. Low evidence is a signal to check, not a verdict.

### 6. Link the Evidence You Trust

For a Project, regenerate its Evidence so Deck cites the matching customer insights, then check them in Related Insights. Generation uses credits. To link exact insights you picked, use your agent: it shows the links first and asks before it writes.

## Check Your Roadmap Evidence with Your AI Agent

You need:

- Deck MCP connected to your agent
- Customer feedback already in Deck

Your agent starts with the `list_initiatives` tool.

Paste this prompt into your agent:

```text
Use Deck MCP. Fetch and follow https://docs.getdeck.io/docs/agents/workflows/roadmap-evidence-check.md
```

Full agent workflow: https://docs.getdeck.io/docs/agents/workflows/roadmap-evidence-check.md

## Roadmap Evidence Check Template

### Roadmap Evidence Check

```text
## Roadmap Evidence Check
Scope: [all active work / one initiative / one owner / one segment]
Evidence line: fewer than [3] linked insights
Date: [date]

| Item | Type | Deck evidence count | Status | Candidate evidence | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Item name] | Initiative / Project | [Deck count] | Found, not linked / Thin / None | [insight or opportunity links] | Link / Research / Keep |

STATUSES
Evidence found, not linked: Deck has supporting insights or an opportunity the item does not link
Thin evidence: Deck has a few related insights
No evidence in Deck: no search found support

LINKS TO MAKE (approved)
[ ] [Item]: [insight links]. Reason: [one line]

NO CUSTOMER EVIDENCE, BY DESIGN
- [Item]: security / compliance / platform work

RESEARCH TO RUN
- [Item]: [who to talk to and what to ask]
```

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What counts as thin evidence?

The default line is fewer than 3 linked insights, the same line the Deck Backlog page uses to hide opportunities. You can pick a different line for your team.

### What about roadmap items that only live in Linear or Jira?

They have no Deck evidence yet. Import them into Build → Projects from a connected Linear or Jira account first, then run the check.

### Is an item with no evidence a mistake?

No. Security, compliance, and platform work often has no customer evidence for a good reason. When Deck has no evidence for a customer-facing item, the next step is customer research.

### Does the check change anything in Deck?

The check only reads. Linking evidence is an optional last step, and only the links you approve are made.

### Does it need a paid plan or credits?

The check works on every plan, but subtheme search needs the Starter plan or higher. Regenerating a Project's Evidence story uses credits, so the agent only does it when you ask, and asks each time.

### Can my AI agent run this?

Yes. With Deck MCP connected, paste the prompt on this page. The agent reads your initiatives and Projects, quotes Deck's counts, and searches for evidence Deck already has. It shows the exact links it will make and asks before it writes anything.

## Related Playbooks

- [Import Your Linear Roadmap and Link It to Customer Evidence](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/import-linear-roadmap.md): Import Linear initiatives and projects into Deck, keep each one linked to Linear, and back every roadmap item with customer evidence. Nothing changes in Linear.
- [Prioritize Your Product Backlog with Customer Evidence](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/prioritize-backlog.md): Pick the top opportunities from a backlog ranked on customer evidence, with a reason, a risk, and quotes for each pick. Run it in Deck or with your AI agent.
- [Build Features from Customer Evidence, Not Guesswork](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/build-from-evidence.md): Turn a Deck Project into a shipped change where every requirement links to the customer insights behind it. Build it yourself or with your coding agent.