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Career Strategy
8 min
Template: Create Your 3-Year Professional Roadmap
A professional roadmap is your career GPS. It transforms vague ambitions into concrete, measurable milestones. Without planning, you risk stagnating or scattering your efforts. With a clear roadmap, every daily action contributes to your long-term goal. This guide walks you through building your 3-year plan, with actionable steps starting today.
1
Define your 3-year destination
Start with the end. Where do you want to be in 3 years?
Key questions to ask yourself: • What position or role do you hold? • In what type of company (startup, large corporation, freelance)? • What is your target compensation? • What is your level of responsibility? • What work-life balance do you have?
Exercise: Write your "LinkedIn bio" in 3 years
Write 3-4 sentences describing your ideal professional situation as if you were already there. Be specific.
Example: "Head of Product at a 200-person B2B SaaS scale-up. I manage a team of 8 PMs and contributed to tripling product revenue in 2 years. Compensation: €120K + equity."
Key questions to ask yourself: • What position or role do you hold? • In what type of company (startup, large corporation, freelance)? • What is your target compensation? • What is your level of responsibility? • What work-life balance do you have?
Exercise: Write your "LinkedIn bio" in 3 years
Write 3-4 sentences describing your ideal professional situation as if you were already there. Be specific.
Example: "Head of Product at a 200-person B2B SaaS scale-up. I manage a team of 8 PMs and contributed to tripling product revenue in 2 years. Compensation: €120K + equity."
2
Identify intermediate milestones
Break down your 3-year goal into annual stages.
Year 1: Lay the foundations • What skills do you need to acquire? • What network do you need to develop? • What experiences are you missing?
Year 2: Accelerate • What intermediate position to target? • What additional responsibilities to take on? • What visible projects to lead?
Year 3: Reach the target • How to position yourself for the final role? • What proof of success to accumulate? • How to make yourself indispensable?
Milestone template:
| Period | Position/Role | Key Skills | Target Salary | |--------|---------------|------------|---------------| | Today | ... | ... | ... | | +12 months | ... | ... | ... | | +24 months | ... | ... | ... | | +36 months | ... | ... | ... |
Year 1: Lay the foundations • What skills do you need to acquire? • What network do you need to develop? • What experiences are you missing?
Year 2: Accelerate • What intermediate position to target? • What additional responsibilities to take on? • What visible projects to lead?
Year 3: Reach the target • How to position yourself for the final role? • What proof of success to accumulate? • How to make yourself indispensable?
Milestone template:
| Period | Position/Role | Key Skills | Target Salary | |--------|---------------|------------|---------------| | Today | ... | ... | ... | | +12 months | ... | ... | ... | | +24 months | ... | ... | ... | | +36 months | ... | ... | ... |
3
List skills to develop
Identify the gap between your current skills and those required.
Categorize your needs:
Hard skills (technical skills) • Tools and technologies to master • Methodologies to learn • Certifications to obtain
Soft skills (behavioral skills) • Leadership and management • Communication and influence • Stress management and resilience
Business skills • Financial understanding • Strategic vision • Negotiation
Prioritize with the Impact/Effort matrix:
• Quick wins: High impact, low effort → Start here • Major projects: High impact, high effort → Plan over 6-12 months • Nice to have: Low impact → Postpone or delegate
Categorize your needs:
Hard skills (technical skills) • Tools and technologies to master • Methodologies to learn • Certifications to obtain
Soft skills (behavioral skills) • Leadership and management • Communication and influence • Stress management and resilience
Business skills • Financial understanding • Strategic vision • Negotiation
Prioritize with the Impact/Effort matrix:
• Quick wins: High impact, low effort → Start here • Major projects: High impact, high effort → Plan over 6-12 months • Nice to have: Low impact → Postpone or delegate
4
Build your quarterly action plan
Transform your annual milestones into concrete quarterly actions.
Structure of a typical quarter:
Main objective for the quarter One single major objective, aligned with your annual milestone.
3 measurable key results How will you know the objective is achieved?
Weekly actions What do you need to do each week to progress?
Example Q1 • Year 1:
Objective: Develop my management skills
Key results: • Read 3 reference books on leadership • Complete a certified training (40h) • Manage a cross-functional project with 2 people
Weekly actions: • 2h of reading/training • 1 coffee with an experienced manager • 1 feedback session with my project team
Structure of a typical quarter:
Main objective for the quarter One single major objective, aligned with your annual milestone.
3 measurable key results How will you know the objective is achieved?
Weekly actions What do you need to do each week to progress?
Example Q1 • Year 1:
Objective: Develop my management skills
Key results: • Read 3 reference books on leadership • Complete a certified training (40h) • Manage a cross-functional project with 2 people
Weekly actions: • 2h of reading/training • 1 coffee with an experienced manager • 1 feedback session with my project team
5
Set up your tracking system
A roadmap without tracking remains a dead document. Create review rituals.
Weekly review (15 min) • What did I accomplish this week? • Am I on the right track? • What blockers do I need to remove?
Monthly review (1h) • Progress on key results • Priority adjustment if needed • Celebration of small wins
Quarterly review (2h) • Complete quarter assessment • Definition of next quarter objectives • Roadmap update if context has changed
Annual review (half-day) • Overall year evaluation • Readjustment of 3-year vision • Planning for the following year
Recommended tools: • Notion or Trello for visual tracking • Google Calendar to block your reviews • A mentor or coach for quarterly review
Weekly review (15 min) • What did I accomplish this week? • Am I on the right track? • What blockers do I need to remove?
Monthly review (1h) • Progress on key results • Priority adjustment if needed • Celebration of small wins
Quarterly review (2h) • Complete quarter assessment • Definition of next quarter objectives • Roadmap update if context has changed
Annual review (half-day) • Overall year evaluation • Readjustment of 3-year vision • Planning for the following year
Recommended tools: • Notion or Trello for visual tracking • Google Calendar to block your reviews • A mentor or coach for quarterly review
Conclusion
Your roadmap is not set in stone. It's a living document that evolves with you, your opportunities, and the market. What matters is not having a perfect plan, but having a plan and adjusting along the way. Start simple, iterate often. Block 2 hours this week to create your first version. You can always refine it later.