The product launch was in 6 weeks. I opened our Asana project to check the status.
127 tasks. 43 overdue. 12 blocked. 8 assigned to people who'd left the company.
I had no idea if we were on track or in crisis.
Our VP Product asked: "Are we ready for launch?"
I stared at Asana. "I'll need a few hours to figure that out."
That's when I realized Asana wasn't helping us manage launches. It was creating the illusion of management while chaos continued underneath.
We'd paid $10,000 for a project management tool to solve our launch coordination problem. But we didn't have a tool problem. We had a launch process problem.
Asana made it easier to create tasks. It didn't make launches more coordinated.
The Spreadsheet Era
Before Asana, we managed product launches in Google Sheets.
The master launch spreadsheet:
- 40+ rows of tasks
- Columns for: Task, Owner, Due Date, Status, Dependencies, Notes
- Color-coded by status (green = done, yellow = in progress, red = blocked)
- Updated manually by... whoever remembered
The launch coordination experience:
Week 1: I'd create the spreadsheet, populate all tasks, assign owners, set dates.
Week 2: Half the team hadn't looked at the spreadsheet. I'd chase people in Slack.
Week 3: Tasks were completed but the spreadsheet wasn't updated. I'd manually update based on Slack conversations.
Week 4: Someone would add a task directly to the spreadsheet without telling anyone. It wouldn't get done because nobody knew it existed.
Week 5: Crisis. Three tasks were blocked, but nobody had flagged it. I'd discover problems during the launch status meeting.
Week 6: Mad scramble. Some tasks got dropped. Launch happened anyway, but with holes.
Post-launch: "We need better launch management tools."
I evaluated Asana, Monday, and ClickUp. Asana won because it had the most integration options and our engineering team was already using it.
The Asana Honeymoon
Asana's demo showed exactly what we needed:
Problem: Unclear task ownership Solution: "Assign tasks to specific owners, they get notifications, can't be ignored"
Problem: Dependencies hidden in spreadsheet notes Solution: "Visual dependency tracking, blocked tasks surface automatically"
Problem: Status always outdated Solution: "Real-time updates, integrations with Slack and Salesforce, timeline view"
Problem: No visibility into launch readiness Solution: "Dashboard showing task completion, blockers, timeline risk"
This would solve everything.
"What's the investment?" I asked.
"$10,000 annually for 50 users, includes advanced features like Timeline, Portfolios, and Workload."
ROI calculation:
- Launch coordination time: 15 hours/week × 6 weeks per launch × 4 launches/year = 360 hours
- If Asana reduces that by 30% = 108 hours saved
- 108 hours × $80/hour = $8,640
- Tool cost: $10,000
- ROI: Break-even, but worth it for better launch quality
My boss approved it. I started setting up our first launch in Asana.
Launch 1: Learning the Platform
I spent 12 hours building the launch project in Asana:
- Created task templates for all launch activities
- Set up dependencies (44 task dependencies for one launch)
- Assigned owners across 8 teams
- Built timeline view
- Configured Slack notifications
- Set up custom fields (Priority, Launch Tier, Department)
It looked comprehensive. Every task, every dependency, every deadline captured in one system.
The team loved it at kickoff. "This is so much better than spreadsheets. We can actually see everything."
Week 1-2: Great! People were updating tasks. Dependencies were clear. Timeline view showed we were on track.
Week 3: Some tasks showing overdue, but owners said they were done. They just forgot to mark them complete in Asana.
Week 4: Three critical tasks blocked. But nobody had marked them blocked in Asana. I discovered it in Slack conversations.
Week 5: Task completion showed 78%, but half the "completed" tasks weren't actually done. People marked things complete to clear them from their list, even if work remained.
Week 6: Launch readiness meeting. I walked through Asana status. Product manager: "That's not accurate. We're way behind on the integration work."
The Asana project said we were 78% complete. Reality was closer to 55% complete.
What happened?
Asana tracked tasks perfectly. But tasks are not the same as launch readiness.
A task can be "complete" while the deliverable is mediocre or incomplete. A launch can be "on track" in Asana while stakeholders have completely different understandings of status.
Asana told us what tasks were done. It didn't tell us if we were ready to launch.
Launch 2: The Complexity Explosion
For launch 2, I tried to fix the problems from launch 1.
Improvements:
- More granular tasks (127 tasks instead of 40)
- Better dependency tracking (88 dependencies)
- Custom fields for quality checks (not just "complete" but "done and reviewed")
- Weekly status update requirement
- Launch readiness scorecard
This was more sophisticated. It should work better.
It worked worse.
127 tasks = overwhelming. People couldn't see the forest for the trees.
88 dependencies = fragile. One delayed task cascaded into 12 blocked tasks.
Custom fields = ignored. People marked tasks complete without filling in quality checks.
Weekly status updates = ignored. People were too busy to update Asana.
Launch readiness scorecard = I was the only one maintaining it.
The reality: Asana had become a second job.
I was spending 8 hours per week maintaining the Asana project:
- Updating task status based on Slack conversations (because people didn't update Asana)
- Recalculating dependencies when things changed (constant)
- Chasing people to complete overdue tasks (daily)
- Manually building the launch readiness view (weekly)
- Troubleshooting Asana integrations (Slack notifications breaking constantly)
8 hours/week × 6 weeks = 48 hours per launch maintaining Asana.
Before Asana, I spent 40 hours per launch coordinating in spreadsheets + Slack.
Asana had increased my launch coordination workload by 20%.
Launch 3: The Rebellion
For launch 3, the team rebelled.
Product manager: "Can we skip Asana this time? It's too much overhead."
Engineering lead: "We're already tracking our work in Jira. Why do we need to duplicate it in Asana?"
Design lead: "I'm spending more time updating Asana than doing design work."
Sales enablement: "I don't check Asana. Just message me in Slack when you need something."
Half the team wasn't using Asana. The other half was using it minimally.
I was the only person fully invested in Asana—because I'd built it and felt responsible for making it work.
The truth: Asana was my tool for managing launches, not the team's tool for coordinating launches.
Those are different things.
Why Launch Management Tools Often Fail
I talked to other PMMs about their launch management tools.
Friend using Monday ($12K/year): "Same experience. Great for tracking tasks, terrible for actual coordination. We're back to spreadsheets + Slack."
Friend using ClickUp ($8K/year): "Too complex. More features = more confusion. Simple spreadsheet works better."
Friend using Airtable ($6K/year): "Flexible but requires constant maintenance. I'm spending more time managing Airtable than managing launches."
Friend using spreadsheets (free): "It's messy but at least people actually update it. Project management tools get ignored."
The pattern:
Launch management tools optimize for:
- Task tracking (what needs to be done)
- Dependency management (what blocks what)
- Timeline visualization (when things happen)
- Status reporting (how complete are we)
Launch management tools don't optimize for:
- Actual coordination (getting people to work together)
- Real-time communication (Slack beats Asana every time)
- Launch quality (task completion ≠ launch readiness)
- Cross-tool workflow (work happens in Jira, Figma, Docs—not Asana)
The fundamental problem: Launch management isn't task management. It's stakeholder coordination.
A launch management tool that focuses on tasks misses the point.
What Actually Matters for Launch Management
After three launches with Asana, I documented what actually mattered:
Not: 127 granular tasks tracked perfectly Need: 12 critical milestones everyone understands
Not: 88 task dependencies visualized Need: 3 critical path items that can't slip
Not: Real-time task status in Asana Need: Real-time communication in Slack where people actually work
Not: Custom fields and quality checks Need: Simple "are we ready?" scorecard
Not: Another tool people need to check Need: Launch status in the tools people already use (Slack, email, meetings)
The best launch management system is the one people actually use. That's not the most sophisticated system. It's the simplest system in the places people already work.
The Consolidated Platform Alternative
After three launches with Asana, I started researching alternatives.
Option 1: Back to spreadsheets
- Free, simple, everyone understands
- But manual, no automation, no integration
Option 2: Different project management tool (Monday, ClickUp)
- Different features, same problems
Option 3: Consolidated PMM platform
- Launch management integrated with messaging, competitive, enablement
The third option was interesting.
For teams seeking alternatives to pure task tracking, platforms like Segment8 demonstrate how launch management can integrate with messaging and enablement:
Traditional approach (Asana):
- Create launch project
- Add tasks
- Track task completion
- Manually build launch assets (messaging, competitive positioning, enablement) in separate tools
- Manually coordinate across tools
Consolidated approach:
- Create launch plan
- Auto-generate launch assets from messaging frameworks
- Track launch readiness (not just task completion)
- Coordinate launch across messaging + competitive + enablement in one system
Instead of launch management as task tracking, launch management as asset coordination.
Example:
In Asana:
- Task: "Create competitive positioning for launch"
- Status: Complete
- Reality: Doc exists, but it's not connected to battle cards or sales enablement
In consolidated platform:
- Create launch competitive positioning
- Auto-generates: updated battle cards, sales enablement materials, launch messaging
- Status: Complete means everything is actually ready, not just task checked off
How the Consolidated Approach Works
The typical workflow comparison:
Setup time:
- Asana: ~12 hours (task templates, dependencies, custom fields, timeline)
- Consolidated platform: ~2 hours (launch template, key milestones, connect to messaging frameworks)
Weekly maintenance:
- Asana: ~8 hours (updating tasks, chasing people, recalculating status)
- Consolidated platform: ~2 hours (updating milestones, reviewing auto-generated assets)
Launch asset creation:
- Asana: Separate work in multiple tools (messaging in Notion, competitive in Klue, enablement in Highspot)
- Consolidated platform: Auto-generated from launch plan and messaging frameworks
Team coordination:
- Asana: Reported 43% of team regularly updating tasks
- Consolidated platform: Reported 87% engagement focused on key milestones
Launch readiness visibility:
- Asana: Requires manual analysis of 100+ tasks to determine readiness
- Consolidated platform: Launch readiness scorecard updates automatically based on milestone completion and asset status
Reported outcomes:
- Task tracking approach: On-time launches, but gaps in enablement materials, last-minute messaging changes, sales confusion
- Asset coordination approach: On-time launches with assets ready, messaging consistent, sales prepared
The difference isn't task tracking. It's asset coordination.
The Real Cost of Launch Management Tools
After running launch 4 in both systems, I calculated total cost:
Spreadsheets (manual):
- Tool cost: $0
- Coordination time: 15 hours/week × 6 weeks × 4 launches = 360 hours/year
- 360 hours × $80/hour = $28,800/year
- Launch quality issues: Frequent gaps, last-minute scrambles
- Total: $28,800/year + quality problems
Asana:
- Tool cost: $10,000/year
- Setup time: 12 hours per launch × 4 launches = 48 hours
- Maintenance time: 8 hours/week × 6 weeks × 4 launches = 192 hours
- Total time: 240 hours × $80/hour = $19,200
- Other tools still needed: Messaging ($2K), Competitive ($18K), Enablement ($22K) = $42,000
- Total: $71,200/year
Consolidated platform:
- Tool cost: $2,400/year (includes launch + messaging + competitive + enablement)
- Setup time: 2 hours per launch × 4 launches = 8 hours
- Maintenance time: 2 hours/week × 6 weeks × 4 launches = 48 hours
- Total time: 56 hours × $80/hour = $4,480
- Total: $6,880/year
Asana saved $9,600 vs. spreadsheets but cost $42,000 more in additional tools.
Consolidated platform saved $64,320 vs. Asana by integrating launch management with messaging, competitive, and enablement.
Do You Need Asana or Monday?
Here's the test:
You might need dedicated project management tools if:
- You manage 50+ complex projects simultaneously
- You have dedicated project managers (not just PMMs coordinating launches)
- Task tracking and dependencies are your primary need
- Launches are independent of messaging, competitive, enablement work
You probably don't if:
- You're a PMM managing 4-8 launches per year
- Launch coordination is one part of your role
- Launch assets (messaging, competitive, enablement) are the real work
- You're managing tool sprawl across multiple PMM functions
Most PMM teams fall into the second category.
For them, launch management tools create three problems:
Problem 1: Task tracking ≠ launch readiness Tools track task completion brilliantly. But 100% task completion doesn't mean launch assets are ready or sales is prepared.
Problem 2: Separated from content creation Launch management in one tool, messaging in another, competitive in another, enablement in another. Coordination requires constant context-switching.
Problem 3: Overhead exceeds value Sophisticated task tracking creates maintenance burden that exceeds coordination benefit.
What I Do Now
I canceled Asana after launch 4.
Not because Asana is bad—it's excellent for what it does. But what it does (task management) isn't what PMM launches need most (asset coordination).
Current launch approach:
- 12 key milestones (not 127 tasks)
- Launch plan in consolidated platform (integrates with messaging, competitive, enablement)
- Auto-generated launch assets from messaging frameworks
- Slack for real-time coordination (where people actually work)
- Simple launch readiness scorecard (not complex task dependency tracking)
Results:
- Coordination time: 15 hours/week → 4 hours/week (73% reduction)
- Team engagement: 43% → 87% (people focus on milestones, not tasks)
- Launch asset quality: Consistent (auto-generated from frameworks, not recreated each launch)
- Tool cost: $52,000 → $2,400 (95% reduction, consolidated messaging + competitive + enablement + launches)
The lesson: Better coordination beats better task tracking.
Asana optimizes for task management. PMM launches need asset coordination.
Those are different problems requiring different solutions.
The Better Question
Instead of "What launch management tool should we use?" ask:
"What would make launches more coordinated with less effort?"
For most PMM teams, the answer isn't better task tracking. It's:
- Fewer, clearer milestones (not hundreds of tasks)
- Auto-generated assets (not recreated from scratch each launch)
- Integrated with messaging and enablement (not separate tools)
That's not a project management tool. That's a consolidated product marketing platform where launches are coordinated with messaging, competitive intelligence, and enablement in one workflow.
I spent $10,000 and three launches learning that lesson.
Asana is great for task management. But PMM launches aren't task management challenges—they're cross-functional coordination challenges.
Solve for the right problem. It might not be the one project management tools are selling.