FREE Product Launch Timeline Template
Master product launch project plan timelines with our intuitive product launch timeline template excel project plan Gantt chart template.
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Why use our Product Launch Timeline Template instead of Excel or Google Sheets?
Get started with our Product Launch Timeline Template in seconds while skipping the hassle involved with Excel or Google Sheets.
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How to use Tom’s Planner’s product launch timeline template excel to build and share your product launch project.
Getting your project off the ground is as easy as 1-2-3.
Step #1
Click the 'start with template’ button to open the Product Launch Timeline Template.
Step #2
Register for a free account and watch a short video on using Tom’s Planner. The account is free forever, with no strings attached.
Step #3
You’re all set to use the Gantt chart template. Need additional help? Our AI assistant can create a custom Gantt chart Product Launch Timeline Template based on your project description.
What is a product launch template?
Planning to launch a new product? It’s an exciting time, but you have your work cut out for you. Between ideation, testing, product development, prototyping, market research, and competitor comparisons, there’s a lot that must be done.
Thankfully, a product launch template can help. You might be more familiar with the terms product launch plan or product rollout plan, but it all comes down to the same thing. You’re trying to design a new product and then get it out to potential customers.
A product launch template acts as a roadmap for the entire process, beginning with product ideation, and running all the way to a successful launch. It’s a powerful planning tool to help ensure success.
Choose a product launch Gantt chart
Too often, project managers rely on the wrong tools. For instance, a product launch checklist template in Excel might offer some benefits initially, but it lacks the flexibility and customization that you need. The same thing applies to Google Sheets and even a product launch plan template in Word. Yes, they’re handy tools in an office environment, but they’re not well suited for this particular task.
Instead, consider a product launch Gantt chart like Tom’s Planner. With multiple views, the ability to assign tasks and track progress, and immense flexibility, it’s never been easier to plan, produce, and launch products successfully.
When to use a product launch template
A product launch strategy template allows you to plan your product launch in great detail, provides guidance to your product and marketing teams, and can help keep the entire project on the rails. Some of the phases you’ll need to use a product launch Gantt chat include:
Ideation:
Product development begins with ideation. What problem are you trying to solve? What products on the market currently do that? How does yours differ from what’s out there already?
Product Design:
What will your product look like? How will it function? What materials will you use in manufacturing? What problems is it susceptible to and how might you get around those issues? Plan these elements out within your new product launch template.
Production Planning:
Production planning is essential for actually getting your product to market. What are your objectives? How much will it cost you to produce? How long will it take to establish workflows for production and train staff?
These are just a few examples of phases where a product launch template can help streamline your process and improve outcomes.
Who should use a product launch template?
Product launch templates are vital tools for members of your design, production, and marketing teams. Some of those who’ll need to use them include:
Project Managers:
Project managers are tasked with handling a product development project from beginning to end. They’ll assign tasks, verify dependencies between tasks, and communicate with team members and other stakeholders.
Manufacturing Partners:
Unless you own your own manufacturing facilities, you’ll need to work with a partner. They will need access to your product launch template so they can synchronize equipment availability, team training, workflow creation, and more.
Marketing Specialists:
As your product gets closer to being market-ready, your marketing teams will need access to the product launch template for communication purposes and to synchronize their efforts with other teams.
The top three pitfalls when planning a product launch
Product development can be time-consuming and costly. Keep your project on track by avoiding these missteps:
- Not Testing Your Initial Idea:
It’s all too easy to fall in love with the idea for a product and rush headlong into prototyping and production. However, if there’s no need for the product or it doesn’t connect with your customers, it will fail.
Solution:Define and test your idea during the very beginning of your ideation and planning stage.
- Failing to Identify Your Target Audience:
Who will you market your product to? How will you reach them? What are their pain points? How will you communicate the benefits your product offers? If you don’t identify your target audience during the planning phase, you may find that you have a great product but no one to buy it.
Solution:Dig deep and identify your audience, the challenges they face, and how your product addresses those challenges.
- Not Having a Full Product Marketing Plan in Place
Don’t assume that your product will immediately begin selling when it debuts. If no one knows about the product, no one will be clamoring to buy it, and you might find yourself faced with tons of product and no customers.
Solution:Your product launch should include a launch event, but it also needs a full marketing plan to support the product before and after the launch.
What does a product launch template include?
Getting a product off the ground requires a lot of work and planning. Some of the things your product launch Gantt chart should include are:
- Product Conceptualization:
The entire process begins with the conceptualization phase. Here, you’ll generate ideas, develop your concept, conduct feasibility studies, create your value proposition, estimate initial costs, and more.
- Market Research:
You must also know the market for your product. What’s your target market? What are your research objectives? You’ll need to collect primary and secondary information, analyze trends, analyze your competitors, investigate customer behavior, and validate your research findings.
- Prototype Development:
Prototyping is something of a midpoint in the product development lifecycle. You’ll need to plan the prototype, choose the right prototyping method, identify issues with the prototype, collect user feedback, and refine the prototype into its final form.
- Product Testing:
Testing is an important part of the product development process. You’ll start by defining your testing goals and then develop a testing plan. You must have the right testing environment and then devise a way to document your testing results. In many cases, you’ll go through several rounds of testing and refining.
- Product Manufacturing:
Manufacturing comes after testing has ironed out the kinks in your product. This will involve securing the raw materials necessary, ensuring you have access to the required equipment, training staff, monitoring quality throughout production, packaging the product, and getting it ready to ship to customers or retailers.
- Product Launch:
Finally, it’s time for your official launch. You’ll need to plan a launch event, ensure that you’ve chosen the right distribution channels, prepare your launch collateral, host your event, and then start product distribution while monitoring sales performance and gathering customer feedback.
These are just some of the steps involved in a product launch. A product launch Gantt chart like Tom’s Planner ensures that you can plan all phases, including marketing, research, and more.
Four tips on how to make sure you reach your deadlines
1. Delegate, Delegate, Delegate
No one can do it all. Delegate responsibilities to your team members so that they can share the load. Tom’s Planner makes it easy to assign tasks and track dependencies.
2. Do Your Research First
History is littered with failed products that seemed like great ideas at the time. The problem? There was no research before the product went into production. Do your due diligence first and you’ll reach deadlines and have a successful product.
3. Make Communication a Priority
You’ll have multiple teams working on your product development and launch strategy. Make sure they can communicate with one another and then prioritize communication.
4. Adjust Your Milestones
Product development is rarely a linear process. Make sure you adjust the milestones on your product launch Gantt chart as things change so you can stay on track.
Gantt charts in Tom's Planner vs in Excel
| Excel | Tom's Planner | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | License required | Free version available |
| Learning curve | Hours | Minutes |
| Create your first Gantt chart | Hours | Minutes |
| Making an update in your chart | Several minutes | Seconds (drag & drop) |
| Sharing charts with others | At some point you will save and email a file titled: version_4_def_usethisversion_reallyfinal.xlsx | Online, one source of truth, always up to date, with no confusion |
| Look & Feel | Messy | Clean, polished and professional |
| Dependencies |  |
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| Filtering |  |
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| Zoom in/out | |
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| Automatic Legend | |
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| AI-assist | |
Let our AI assist do the work for you |
| Export to image or pdf | Requires workarounds to export | One mouse click |
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