How to Run a Product Beta with a Gantt Chart

A beta without a defined end date isn't a beta — it's a permanent soft launch you call a beta to manage expectations. Most product betas run too long, collect feedback without actioning it, and conclude only when the founder gets tired of saying "we're still in beta."

The Problem: Betas Without Timelines Drift Indefinitely

The typical beta story: you launch to a small group, collect some feedback, fix a few things, add a few more beta users, collect more feedback, fix a few more things — and suddenly it's been nine months, you have 200 "beta users," and your product is effectively live but you've never committed to pricing, a launch, or a stable feature set.

Betas serve a specific purpose: gather structured feedback on defined hypotheses, fix critical issues, and validate that the product is ready to acquire paying customers at scale. That's a time-bounded process. When you don't put a timeline on it, you're not running a beta — you're avoiding a launch.

The fix is to treat your beta like a project with phases, milestones, and a hard exit date. Define what "beta complete" looks like before you start. Set a date. Plan the work between now and that date. gantt-chart.io makes it easy to lay out a structured beta plan with clear phases and a launch milestone that you can share with your team.

Prerequisites

Core product built and stable enough for external users
Beta hypothesis defined: what specific questions are you answering during the beta?
Beta user cohort identified (20-100 users is typical; more doesn't mean better)
Feedback collection method ready (in-app survey, Typeform, live calls, Intercom)
On-call support plan for the beta period (who responds to issues, how fast)
Exit criteria defined: what does "beta complete" mean specifically?

Product Beta Gantt Chart Template

Phase 1: Beta Setup (Week 1)

[ ] Define beta cohort size and selection criteria
[ ] Write beta invitation email and onboarding sequence
[ ] Create beta feedback form or survey (focus on 3-5 core questions)
[ ] Set up a dedicated beta Slack channel or Discord server for direct communication
[ ] Configure analytics to track the specific behaviors you're testing
[ ] Document known issues you're tracking before inviting users
[ ] Set beta start date, end date, and planned launch date on your Gantt chart

Phase 2: Beta Onboarding (Week 2)

[ ] Send invitations to beta cohort
[ ] Send onboarding walkthrough (email or in-app)
[ ] Host live onboarding session if product is complex
[ ] Monitor activation rate: what % of invited users actually activate?
[ ] Follow up personally with users who didn't activate within 48 hours
[ ] Log first impressions feedback in a shared doc

Phase 3: Active Beta Period (Weeks 2–5)

[ ] Hold weekly beta user calls (30 min, 3-5 users per call)
[ ] Review in-app analytics weekly: where are users dropping off?
[ ] Triage all feedback into: critical bug / UX issue / feature request / won't fix
[ ] Fix critical bugs on a 48-hour SLA
[ ] Ship one UX fix per week based on feedback priority
[ ] Send weekly beta update email to cohort (transparency builds trust)
[ ] Expand cohort if core flow is stable (add 20-30 more users in week 4)
[ ] Track NPS or satisfaction score at midpoint

Phase 4: Beta Wind-Down and Analysis (Week 6)

[ ] Send final beta survey to all users
[ ] Compile feedback themes: what came up repeatedly?
[ ] List all unresolved issues and decide: fix before launch or post-launch
[ ] Document conversion intent: how many beta users want to pay at launch?
[ ] Write beta summary report: what worked, what didn't, what changed
[ ] Finalize launch pricing and package decisions based on beta learnings
[ ] Set launch date (commit this publicly if possible)

Phase 5: Pre-Launch Preparation (Weeks 6–8)

[ ] Fix any remaining critical issues from beta
[ ] Update onboarding flow based on activation data
[ ] Write public launch announcement
[ ] Migrate or convert beta users to paid accounts (with discount or grandfathered pricing)
[ ] Set up billing and subscription infrastructure if not already in place
[ ] Run internal QA pass on all core user flows
[ ] Prepare support documentation for post-launch volume

Common Mistakes

No exit criteria. If you don't define what "beta complete" means before you start, the beta will never be complete. Write down: "Beta ends when we have X active users, Y feedback sessions, and Z critical issues resolved." Then stop when you hit it.

Too many beta users. More beta users sounds better but often produces noisier feedback. A tight cohort of 20-30 highly engaged users gives you more signal than 200 semi-engaged ones. Quality of feedback matters more than quantity.

Collecting feedback without a system for actioning it. Feedback that doesn't get triaged and acted on demoralizes beta users and teaches you nothing. Every piece of feedback should land in a system (even a spreadsheet) with a status attached.

Not converting beta users to paid. Beta users are your warmest audience. If you don't have a plan to move them to paid accounts at launch, you've spent 6-8 weeks building relationships you're not monetizing.

Extending the beta instead of launching. If you hit your exit criteria and there are still bugs, launch anyway. No product is bug-free. Staying in beta doesn't fix bugs faster — it just delays revenue and momentum.

Quick-Start in gantt-chart.io

Go to gantt-chart.io and create a project called "[Product Name] Beta"
Set today as the start date and your target launch date as the end milestone
Add the five phases as row groups with the durations above
Mark "Beta End" and "Public Launch" as milestones
Share the chart with your team so everyone knows what phase you're in

FAQ

How long should a beta run?

Four to eight weeks for most products. Less than four weeks doesn't give users enough time to integrate the product into their workflow and give meaningful feedback. More than eight weeks and you're drifting into indefinite soft launch.

How many beta users do I need?

Enough to identify patterns in feedback — typically 20-50 engaged users. Pattern recognition in qualitative feedback usually appears after 5-10 interviews. More users help with quantitative usage data but add noise to qualitative feedback.

Should beta users pay?

Paid betas are worth doing if your product is clearly valuable and your audience is professional (B2B especially). Even a nominal fee ($1 or 10% of launch price) separates serious users from tire-kickers and validates willingness to pay.

What's the difference between alpha and beta?

Alpha: internal testing with your own team or a handful of trusted users, before the core product is stable. Beta: external testing with real users, after core functionality is stable. Most solo founders skip alpha entirely and go straight to a small beta.

How do I handle users who find critical bugs during beta?

Triage immediately: is this blocking core functionality? If yes, fix within 48 hours. If no, log it and commit to a fix date. Communicate with the affected user directly. Beta users understand bugs — what they don't forgive is silence.

A structured beta turns user feedback into product decisions. An unstructured beta turns user feedback into a list of things you feel guilty about not having fixed yet. The difference is a timeline, defined exit criteria, and a launch date you're actually working toward.

Map your product beta on gantt-chart.io.