Reimagined project planning experience for product managers

Reimagined project planning experience for product managers

Reimagined project planning experience for product managers

2025

2025

Builder.ai

Builder.ai

A comprehensive release planning view to help product managers plan better. Created by breaking down the app development process into features and granular details. Giving a clear, end-to-end picture before shipping.

MY ROLE

MY ROLE

Product designer

Product designer

Product designer

RESPONSIBILITIES

RESPONSIBILITIES

UX/UI

UX/UI

UX/UI

Product strategy

Product strategy

Product strategy

Prototyping

Prototyping

Prototyping

User testing

User testing

User testing

TEAM

TEAM

Nandita Srivastava, Product Manager

Nandita Srivastava, Product Manager

Nandita Srivastava, Product Manager

Pulkit Agarwal, Product Manager

Pulkit Agarwal, Product Manager

Pulkit Agarwal, Product Manager

Tejas Shobhasana, UI developer

Tejas Shobhasana, UI developer

Tejas Shobhasana, UI developer

Shobhana Markesham, Frontend Developer

Shobhana Markesham, Frontend Developer

Shobhana Markesham, Frontend Developer

Mehak Singhla, Backend Developer

Mehak Singhla, Backend Developer

Mehak Singhla, Backend Developer

Lakshay S, QA Engineer

Lakshay S, QA Engineer

Lakshay S, QA Engineer

PROBLEM

PROBLEM

Product managers reported difficulties in visualizing feature-level timelines, making it hard to plan releases accurately.
As a result, 24% of releases were delayed, often due to missed dependencies and lack of real-time visibility.

The existing Release Planner only displays static, read-only phase-level information such as Design, MVP (minimum viable product), and Full build.
These phases are fixed, offering no granular insight into individual features, their timelines, or ownership.
There’s no way to interact, drill down, or adjust plans, making the tool inadequate for tracking real-time progress or identifying blockers early.

Product managers reported difficulties in visualizing feature-level timelines, making it hard to plan releases accurately.
As a result, 24% of releases were delayed, often due to missed dependencies and lack of real-time visibility.

The existing Release Planner only displays static, read-only phase-level information such as Design, MVP (minimum viable product), and Full build.
These phases are fixed, offering no granular insight into individual features, their timelines, or ownership.
There’s no way to interact, drill down, or adjust plans, making the tool inadequate for tracking real-time progress or identifying blockers early.

Product managers reported difficulties in visualizing feature-level timelines, making it hard to plan releases accurately.
As a result, 24% of releases were delayed, often due to missed dependencies and lack of real-time visibility.

The existing Release Planner only displays static, read-only phase-level information such as Design, MVP (minimum viable product), and Full build.
These phases are fixed, offering no granular insight into individual features, their timelines, or ownership.
There’s no way to interact, drill down, or adjust plans, making the tool inadequate for tracking real-time progress or identifying blockers early.

UX CHALLENGE

UX CHALLENGE

How might we help product managers better plan releases before shipping apps?

How might we help product managers better plan releases before shipping apps?

How might we help product managers better plan releases before shipping apps?

RESEARCH

I spoke to 12 users to understand their perspective

I spoke to 12 users to understand their perspective

I spoke to 12 users to understand their perspective

I spoke to users about their pain points in the existing product and how they manage app development process planning via our product. I uncovered really interesting insights as described below.

I spoke to users about their pain points in the existing product and how they manage app development process planning via our product. I uncovered really interesting insights as described below.

I spoke to users about their pain points in the existing product and how they manage app development process planning via our product. I uncovered really interesting insights as described below.

DEFINE

Themes and implications

Themes and implications

Themes and implications

Through user feedback and team observations, we uncovered four major challenges teams face while planning releases.
These insights helped us understand what’s missing today and what improvements could make planning easier, faster, and more reliable.

Through user feedback and team observations, we uncovered four major challenges teams face while planning releases.
These insights helped us understand what’s missing today and what improvements could make planning easier, faster, and more reliable.

Through user feedback and team observations, we uncovered four major challenges teams face while planning releases.
These insights helped us understand what’s missing today and what improvements could make planning easier, faster, and more reliable.

PRIORITIZATION MATRIX

Identifying touchpoints and prioritizing features

Identifying touchpoints and prioritizing features

Identifying touchpoints and prioritizing features

The prioritization matrix helped me categorize potential improvements based on business impact and effort to execute.
It highlights quick wins like adding feature timelines and filters, while also surfacing strategic bets and long-term ideas for future exploration.

The prioritization matrix helped me categorize potential improvements based on business impact and effort to execute.
It highlights quick wins like adding feature timelines and filters, while also surfacing strategic bets and long-term ideas for future exploration.

The prioritization matrix helped me categorize potential improvements based on business impact and effort to execute.
It highlights quick wins like adding feature timelines and filters, while also surfacing strategic bets and long-term ideas for future exploration.

ACCESSIBILITY

ACCESSIBILITY

We also focused on color contrast

We also focused on color contrast

We also focused on color contrast

I also updated the secondary grey color we use to comply with the WCAG color contrast guidelines. This prompted other changes in our whole design system and we were able to improve on other colors as well.

I also updated the secondary grey color we use to comply with the WCAG color contrast guidelines. This prompted other changes in our whole design system and we were able to improve on other colors as well.

FINAL DESIGNS

Perfecting the Release Planning experience

Perfecting the Release Planning experience

Perfecting the Release Planning experience

DESIGN OPS

Design is more than pixels

Design is more than pixels

Design is more than pixels

01 Impact of design handoff on product quality

This project taught me the importance of focusing on the way the designs are handed off to the developers. By covering all the edge cases, the development time reduced significantly and also contributed to a positive collaborative experience between the teams.

02 Importance of a proper knowledge transfer

When a project is this long (over 3 months), teams change people change. But with the tight timelines, we cannot lose on efficiency. This is when I along with my team scheduled regular connects to clean and arrange all the files we have for an effective knowledge transfer when the time comes.

IMPACT

18%

18%

increase in on-time app delivery to customers.

From 65 precent to 77

50%

50%

reduction in time to align teams. Reduced from 4 meetings to 2

80%

80%

product managers found the updated product "clearer and easier to plan with"

Copyright @2025 Prachi Rathore. All rights reserved

Copyright @2025 Prachi Rathore. All rights reserved

Copyright @2025 Prachi Rathore. All rights reserved