Guide · Launch planning
How to plan a launch with nested subtasks.
A launch is dozens of small jobs that all have to land together. This guide shows how to turn it into a tree you can track, and gives you an outline to start from.
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Why launches go wrong on a flat list
A launch checklist grows to fifty items in no particular order, and nobody can tell from it whether the launch is on track. Items from different workstreams are mixed together, the important ones look the same as the trivial ones, and the list says you are “not done” until suddenly you are.
A tree fixes that. Group the work into a few workstreams, break each down only as far as you need, and track partial progress so the project percentage tells you the truth.
What you need
A free F4Goals account on the web or Android, ten minutes to set up, and a rough idea of your launch date. There is no import, so the outline below is meant to be retyped or adapted: the structure is what matters, not the exact wording.
Plan the launch in six steps
01
Create a project for the launch
Name it after the launch and its date, for example “Launch: new site, 14 Nov”. Everything for the launch lives inside this one project.
02
Add the four or five workstreams as top-level tasks
Typical ones are Product, Marketing, Support and Operations. Resist adding more; each one can hold the detail.
03
Break each workstream into subtasks
Add the main deliverables under each workstream. Stop when a task is small enough to start immediately. Leave the rest for later.
04
Order the work by dragging
Put the first things to do at the top of each workstream. Drag anything that turns out to be a blocker upward, or under the workstream it belongs to.
05
Slide progress as you work
At the end of each day, slide the tasks you moved forward to the percentage you reached. The project percentage updates on its own.
06
Review the lowest percentage each morning
Open the project, find the branch with the lowest number and work on that first. Collapse any branch that is complete.
The launch tree, a week before launch
Launch: new site
55%
Product
80%
Final bug sweep
60%
Marketing
50%
Announcement post
70%
Email to the waiting list
20%
Support
30%
Operations
60%
A website launch with four workstreams, at partial progress.
Download the launch outline (.txt)
F4Goals has no import yet, so this is a plain outline to copy from and retype. The nesting in the file mirrors the tree above.
Tips while you work through it
Detail only what is close. Leave far-off workstreams as one line until you are about to start them. Update progress at the end of each working day, not only when something finishes. And when the project percentage stops moving, open the branch with the lowest number: that is where the launch is stuck.
Be honest about scope. A launch that is 80% done with two big branches at zero is not 80% done in any way that matters; the tree shows you that, so use it to cut or defer work early.
Adapting it
The same structure works for a website launch, an app release, an event or a course. Change the workstream names and keep the shape: a handful of branches, each broken down as far as it needs to be, each with its own percentage.
Questions
How do I plan a product launch with subtasks?
Create one project, add a few workstreams as top-level tasks, break each into subtasks until the next step is clear, then track partial progress as you work. The project percentage shows how close the launch is.
Can I import the launch template into F4Goals?
Not yet. F4Goals has no import, so the outline is a plain text file you retype or adapt. It takes a few minutes.
How detailed should the subtasks be?
Detail the work that is close and leave the distant work as a single line. Break a task down when you are about to start it.
Try it on your own work.
F4Goals is free. Create a project, add a few subtasks and slide the first one.
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