Publishing a roadmap with voting, comments and email alerts

The roadmap is a public board that shows what you are working on. Items sit in four columns, from requested to completed. Readers can vote for what they want, react, comment, suggest their own ideas and subscribe to email alerts.

Each knowledge base has its own roadmap at yoursite.com/docs/roadmap/.

📷 Image placeholder: the roadmap page with four columns of cards, the sort menu, the search box and the Request a feature button.

What readers see

• A Kanban board with four columns: Feature requests, Planned, In progress and Completed. Each column has its own colour and a count.
• Cards with a title, a short description, a vote button, emoji reactions, who asked for it and when.
• A toolbar with a sort menu, a search box, Get updates and Request a feature.
• An item view that opens when a card is clicked, with the full description, reactions and comments.

The board always stays on one row. Up to three columns show at once and the rest scroll sideways, so it works the same on phones, tablets and desktops.

📷 Image placeholder: the roadmap on a phone, showing one column with the next column peeking in at the right edge.

Turn on the roadmap

📷 Image placeholder: the Page section of the Roadmap settings, with Publish the roadmap turned on.

Show or hide the docs sidebar

Show the docs sidebar keeps the left menu of your docs beside the board. Turn it off to give the board the full width of the page. On phones the menu always stays in the slide-in panel.

Add and manage items

Items are the cards on your board. Manage them under Items at the bottom of the Roadmap settings.

📷 Image placeholder: the Items section with the column filter, a few items and the New item button.

• Filter the list. Click a column name above the list to show only its items. A new item joins the column you are viewing.
• Move an item. Change its column and save. This is how you show progress.
• Delete an item. Click the bin icon. The item is marked for deletion and removed when you save. Click Undo if you change your mind.
• See the numbers. Each item shows its votes and comments.

When an item moves to Completed, the card shows the month it shipped, such as "Shipped Oct 2026".

Rename the columns

Under Columns, rename the four stages to match how you work, for example Ideas, Planned, Building and Shipped. There are always four columns; you can rename them but not add or remove them.

📷 Image placeholder: the Columns section with four name fields, each with its coloured dot.

Choose what readers can do

The Readers section has a switch for each feature.

📷 Image placeholder: the Readers section with its seven switches.

Feature requests

With Feature requests on, readers click Request a feature, enter a title and optional details, and send it. They can leave a name and an email. The email is never shown; it is only used to tell them when their idea moves forward.

📷 Image placeholder: the Request a feature dialog with Title, Details, Name and Email fields.

Approve a request

With Approve requests first on, new ideas wait for you.

📷 Image placeholder: an item marked Awaiting approval with the Approve button.

You get an email each time a reader suggests an idea. The person who suggested it counts as its first vote.

Voting and reactions

• Votes show how much demand there is. Each card has an upvote button with a count. Clicking again removes the vote. Completed items can't be voted on.
• Reactions are lighter feedback. Readers pick one of 🔥 💯 😊 per item, straight from the card or in the item view.

Readers don't need an account to vote or react.

📷 Image placeholder: a card with its vote button, reactions, author and comment count.

Comments

Readers open an item and write a comment. Visitors who are not logged in add their name and email.

• Comments are normal WordPress comments. They follow your settings in Settings → Discussion and appear under Comments in your WordPress admin, where you approve, reply to or delete them.
• If your site holds first-time commenters for approval, the reader sees a message that their comment will appear once approved.
• Comments from your team are marked Team.

📷 Image placeholder: the item view with the description, reactions and two comments, one marked Team.

Email alerts

With Email alerts on, readers click Get updates and enter their email.

Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link. The number of confirmed subscribers is shown under Email alerts in the settings.

Sorting and search

Readers use the toolbar above the board to find what they care about.

Sorting applies inside each column, and the reader's choice is remembered for their next visit. The search box filters cards in every column as the reader types.

📷 Image placeholder: the toolbar with the sort menu open.

The roadmap and AI

Ask AI and AI Smart Search

With AI answers on, your docs assistant can answer questions like "Is dark mode planned?" from the roadmap. It is told that only completed items exist today, so it says clearly when something is planned or only requested, never promises a date, and links to the roadmap.

Claude and other AI tools (MCP)

If you have connected PinkDocs to an AI tool, the assistant can work with the roadmap:

• Read it: every item with its column, votes, reactions and comment count, including ideas awaiting approval.
• Add an item.
• Update an item: edit it, move it to another column, or approve a reader's idea.

Adding and updating need Full access mode. Example prompts:

• "What are the five most voted requests on the roadmap?"
• "Add 'CSV export' to the roadmap as planned."
• "Move 'Slack notifications' to completed."

Tips for a useful roadmap

• Keep titles short and concrete. "Dark mode for the dashboard" is better than "UI improvements".
• Don't promise dates. Columns show intent without committing you to a deadline.
• Move items promptly. Readers trust a roadmap that matches reality.
• Reply to comments. A short answer from your team shows the board is read.
• Close the loop. When something ships, move it to Completed and add it to your changelog.