Create and launch an online course: a 90-day roadmap
Many courses fail before the first lesson is recorded, because nobody checked that people would pay for them. This roadmap puts validation first and production second, then plans the launch around real deadlines.
- Timeline
- 90 days
- Sample plan
- 4 phases, 16 tasks
- Made for
- Experts, creators and coaches who want to turn their knowledge into a paid course or cohort.
Free to start with Google sign-in. The free plan includes one AI project generation.
The plan at a glance
A sample structure to start from. When you build it in ScatterFlow, the AI adapts phases, tasks and dates to your own details.
1Validate
Weeks 1-2- Define who the course is for and what they can do afterwards
- Interview 5 to 10 people from your target group
- Pre-sell the course or collect waitlist signups
- Decide on the format: self-paced, cohort or a mix
2Design the curriculum
Weeks 3-4- Outline modules and lessons around the end result
- Write the learning outcome of every module
- Plan exercises and downloadable resources
- Choose your course platform
3Produce
Weeks 5-9- Script and record module 1 and test it with a few beta students
- Record the remaining modules in batches
- Edit, add captions and upload
- Write worksheets and onboarding emails
4Launch
Weeks 10-13- Write the sales page and its FAQ
- Run a short email sequence leading up to enrollment
- Host a live Q&A or webinar
- Open enrollment, onboard students and collect feedback
What depends on what
Plans break when one slipped date quietly pushes everything after it. These are the links that matter here.
- The curriculum depends on what you learn in the interviews, so the interviews come first.
- Recording depends on finished scripts and on the format your platform expects.
- The launch emails depend on the sales page and a fixed enrollment deadline.
How ScatterFlow helps
One plan, six views
Checklist, calendar, timeline, flow chart, kanban and workspace all show the same plan, so you never copy tasks between tools.
Dependencies move together
Reschedule one task and the tasks that depend on it can shift with it. The timeline shows the critical path.
AI writes the first draft
Describe your goal in a sentence. ScatterFlow asks a few questions and builds phases, tasks and deadlines you then adjust.
Dates where you already look
Your dated tasks can sync to Google Calendar, on every plan.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Recording everything before asking a single potential student.
- Building a 40-lesson course when a 6-lesson one delivers the result.
- Launching without a deadline, which gives people no reason to decide now.
Frequently asked questions
How do I validate an online course idea?
Talk to people in your target group, ask what they have already tried and what they would pay to solve, and see whether anyone commits. A waitlist signup or a pre-order is a stronger signal than a compliment.
Can I plan a live cohort with ScatterFlow?
Yes. Add the live sessions as dated tasks. They show up in the calendar and the timeline, and dependent tasks such as materials and reminders can move with a session when you reschedule it.
Turn this into your own plan
Describe your goal in a sentence and ScatterFlow builds your checklist, calendar, timeline and flow chart.
More use cases
Not sure what to plan yet? Try the free project idea generator.