How to Create a New Product Launch Chart

No matter how organized you try to be in advance, launching a new product becomes a massive undertaking. Even large companies get consumed as they attempt to coordinate the research, website preparation, software requirements and marketing efforts necessary. Creating a chart that neatly summarizes each task simplifies this involved process.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Use PowerPoint or a similar graphics software program. Open a "Blank Document." Insert a title placeholder somewhere in the center of the page. Add the title within the placeholder, "New Product Launch."
2. Create three main text boxes. Connect lines between the title and these three boxes. Insert one of the following headings into each text box, "Marketing," "Software" and "Website." Specify a different fill color and background for each box to denote that each covers a separate topic.
3. Design the "Software" section. Connect three main lines to the text box, one on each side and one at the bottom. Attach two smaller text boxes to each of these two lines, two to the left and two to the right. Name the text boxes on the left, "Updates to Software" and "Wizards" and name the text boxes on the right, "Q&A" and "Graphics for UI."
4. Add three more text boxes to the bottom line. Title each of these boxes, "Packaging," "Symbols Creation" and "Content Creation."
5. Prepare the "Website" section. Attach one main line to the text box. Make four smaller text boxes connected to the main line. Name these text boxes, "New Tutorials," "Release Announcement," "Graphics for Website" and "New Product Pages."
6. Plan the "Marketing" section. Connect three main lines, one on each side and one at the top. Join two text boxes to each main line. The two boxes on the right line should be called "Graphics for Marketing Materials" and "Partnership Opportunities."
7. Name the two text boxes on the left line "Release Announcement" and "Content Research." Title the two boxes on top "Focus Groups" and "Surveys."

Tips & Warnings

• All the text boxes should contain the headings given above in boldface. Only one sentence of text, describing the task in more detail, follows the heading. The point of the chart is to create a descriptive but terse summary of the work involved in launching new products.