Product development template

Your template can scale by adjusting responsibility assignments and milestone frequency. For smaller teams, combine related roles and focus on fewer, more significant milestones. For larger teams, expand the responsible parties section to include specialized roles and create more granular tracking points to maintain visibility across larger groups.

When delays occur, immediately update the dependencies section to show downstream impacts. Hold a brief meeting to reassess priorities and adjust the project roadmap. Document the cause of delay and mitigation plan in the progress tracking section to maintain accountability and prevent similar issues in future development cycles.

Focus on completion percentages for development tasks, time variance from planned milestones, and quality indicators from testing. Avoid tracking too many metrics—prioritize 3-5 key performance indicators that directly impact your critical path and product quality. Update these metrics consistently to maintain an accurate project health assessment.

Create clear transition criteria between each major phase. Document what “done” looks like for each milestone, who needs to approve the transition, and what materials must be prepared for the next team. Schedule brief handoff meetings where the completing team reviews progress and answers questions from the receiving team.