<aside> <img src="/icons/light-bulb_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> Product releases are often complex, multi-step processes that span across multiple teams. To keep track of all the moving parts, it can be helpful to first visually map your release process, then create subtasks based on this process in a Notion database.


*Whimsical is a platform for shared visual thought. When used in conjunction with Notion, it’s ideal for early-stage thinking about projects and processes to then document in your team’s Notion files.*

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1. Release Process

<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_purple.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_purple.svg" width="40px" /> When figuring out all of the tasks required for releasing your product or feature, try a Whimsical Swimlane template to visualize and share the order of operations. In this template, each row shows the responsibilities of a department, team, or individual, and indicates dependencies and shared tasks. Whimsical’s release plan doc template may give you some ideas for where to start.

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[Whimsical Swimlane Diagram](https://whimsical.com/swimlane-diagram-NPTsYh6pkkgQ83NbcytwXy@2Ux7TurymNCRktTnmUnr)

Whimsical Swimlane Diagram

2. Managing Releases

<aside> <img src="/icons/light-bulb_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> If your project pages live in a different Notion database, consider replacing the Related Projects field below with a database relation to link directly to your projects!

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<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_purple.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_purple.svg" width="40px" /> While each release may focus on new, unique features, it’s helpful to have a consistent process documented ahead of time to avoid last-minute uncertainty (even surgeons use checklists). The database below uses a database template that creates a list of tasks for each release. That way, you can keep track of progress across releases and within each release.

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Releases