Definition of road map

The term "road map" as a metaphorical representation of a plan or strategy originated in the mid-20th century. In the context of military planning during the Cold War, a road map served as a visual aid for strategists to plot out the routes and objectives of ground troops in advance. This helped them predict possible obstacles and devise solutions to overcome them, enabling a smoother and more efficient advance. The use of this term in a political context also emerged during this time. Policymakers began using it to describe a written document that outlined their proposed course of action for a particular issue or situation, often involving diplomatic relations between nations. This document would typically include a detailed timeline of events, with milestones and key objectives identified as waypoints along the way. As the term became more commonly used in business and commerce, it came to denote any detailed plan for achieving a specific goal or set of objectives. However, the original meaning persists to a certain extent, as in the case of GPS navigation, where the beloved road map helps drivers navigate their ways through unfamiliar territories, much as it is used to designate a particular route, in this case, digitally, in our vehicles. In all settings, the metaphor has proven robust and reliable, as it crystalizes complex information into a simple and familiar image that can be easily understood by a broad audience.