Side Project Manager
A Notion template for managing the full lifecycle of developer side projects — from initial idea validation through MVP development to launch and beyond. Stop abandoning projects halfway. Ship more, learn faster.
Key Features
- Idea validation scorecard with market, effort, and interest scoring
- MVP scope definition with feature prioritization (MoSCoW method)
- Development task tracker with time logging and progress visualization
- Launch checklist with pre-launch, launch day, and post-launch phases
- Revenue and metrics dashboard for monetized projects
- User feedback collection linked to feature requests
- Project graveyard — archive abandoned projects with lessons learned
Database Schema
Projects (Primary Database)
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Project Name | Title | Name of the side project |
| Status | Select |
Idea · Validating · Building MVP · Beta · Launched · Growing · Maintained · Archived
|
| Idea Score | Formula | Weighted score from Market + Effort + Interest ratings |
| Market Potential | Select |
Huge (5) · Large (4) · Medium (3) · Small (2) · Niche (1) |
| Effort Level | Select |
Weekend (5) · 1 Month (4) · 3 Months (3) · 6 Months (2) · 1 Year+ (1) |
| Personal Interest | Select |
Obsessed (5) · Excited (4) · Interested (3) · Meh (2) · Obligation (1) |
| Tech Stack | Multi-select |
Python · React · Next.js · Go · Swift · Flutter · Postgres
|
| Category | Select |
SaaS · Mobile App · CLI Tool · Library · Template · Content · Hardware
|
| Start Date | Date | When you began working on it |
| Launch Date | Date | When it went live |
| Revenue (Monthly) | Number (currency) | Current monthly revenue |
| Total Users | Number | Current user count |
| GitHub URL | URL | Repository link |
| Live URL | URL | Production URL |
| Hours Invested | Rollup | Sum of hours from linked tasks |
| Tasks | Relation → Tasks | Development tasks |
| Features | Relation → Features | Feature backlog |
| Feedback | Relation → Feedback | User feedback entries |
| Lessons Learned | Text (long) | Key takeaways (especially for archived projects) |
Features (MoSCoW Backlog)
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feature Name | Title | What the feature does |
| Project | Relation → Projects | Which project this belongs to |
| Priority | Select |
Must Have · Should Have · Could Have · Won't Have (this release)
|
| Status | Select |
Proposed · Scoped · In Progress · Done · Cut
|
| Effort | Select |
XS (< 1h) · S (1-4h) · M (4-8h) · L (1-3 days) · XL (1 week+)
|
| MVP | Checkbox | Part of minimum viable product |
| User Requests | Rollup | Count of feedback entries requesting this |
| Description | Text (long) | Detailed requirements and acceptance criteria |
Tasks
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Task | Title | What needs to be done |
| Project | Relation → Projects | Parent project |
| Feature | Relation → Features | Related feature |
| Status | Select |
To Do · In Progress · Done · Blocked
|
| Time Estimate | Number | Estimated hours |
| Time Actual | Number | Actual hours spent |
| Due Date | Date | Target completion |
| Category | Select |
Frontend · Backend · Design · DevOps · Marketing · Legal
|
User Feedback
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback | Title | Summary of the feedback |
| Project | Relation → Projects | Which project |
| Type | Select |
Bug Report · Feature Request · Praise · Complaint · Question
|
| Source | Select |
Email · Twitter · GitHub Issue · Reddit · Direct Message
|
| Date | Date | When received |
| Sentiment | Select |
Positive · Neutral · Negative
|
| Related Feature | Relation → Features | Linked feature request |
| Responded | Checkbox | Whether you've replied |
Quick Start
- Duplicate the template into your Notion workspace
- Brain dump all your project ideas — add them with Status = "Idea"
- Score each idea — set Market Potential, Effort Level, and Personal Interest
- Pick the top scorer — move it to "Validating"
- Define your MVP — add features with MoSCoW priorities, check the "MVP" box for essentials
Usage Guide
Idea Validation Process
Before writing code, score your idea:
| Dimension | Question | High Score Means |
|---|---|---|
| Market Potential | How many people have this problem? | Large addressable market |
| Effort Level | How fast can I build an MVP? | Shorter = higher score |
| Personal Interest | Am I excited to work on this at 10 PM? | Genuine enthusiasm |
Rule of thumb: Only proceed if Idea Score ≥ 12 (out of 15).
Launch Checklist (Built-in Template)
Pre-Launch:
- [ ] Landing page live with email capture
- [ ] Core MVP features working and tested
- [ ] Analytics installed (privacy-respecting)
- [ ] Error monitoring configured
- [ ] README / documentation written
Launch Day:
- [ ] Post on Hacker News / Reddit / Twitter
- [ ] Share in relevant Discord / Slack communities
- [ ] Email your waitlist
- [ ] Monitor error logs and respond to feedback
Post-Launch (Week 1):
- [ ] Respond to all user feedback within 24h
- [ ] Fix critical bugs immediately
- [ ] Write a "Show HN" or launch retrospective
- [ ] Plan v1.1 based on feedback
Recommended Views
| View | Type | Filter / Group | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idea Scoreboard | Table | Status = Idea, sorted by Idea Score | Pick your next project |
| Active Projects | Board | Status ∈ {Building MVP, Beta, Launched} | Daily work dashboard |
| MVP Features | Table | MVP = true, one project | Scope control |
| Revenue Dashboard | Table | Revenue > 0 | Financial tracking |
| Project Graveyard | Gallery | Status = Archived | Lessons learned review |
| Task Board | Board | Group by Status, one project | Sprint-style work view |
Template Examples
Example: Project Entry
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Project Name | DevPulse — GitHub activity digest |
| Status | Building MVP |
| Market Potential | Large (4) |
| Effort Level | 1 Month (4) |
| Personal Interest | Excited (4) |
| Idea Score | 12 |
| Tech Stack | Python, Next.js, Postgres |
| Category | SaaS |
Example: Feature Entry
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Feature Name | Daily email digest of GitHub org activity |
| Priority | Must Have |
| MVP | Yes |
| Effort | M (4-8h) |
| Status | In Progress |
Customization Tips
- Add a "Competitor Analysis" text property to Projects for market research notes
- Create a "Time vs Revenue" formula to calculate effective hourly rate per project
- Add a "Domain Name" text property to track purchased domains for each project
- Build a "Stalled Projects" view filtering for no task updates in 14+ days
- Add a "Co-founder" person property if you collaborate on side projects
- Create "Monthly Retro" templates to review progress across all active projects
This is 1 of 11 resources in the Notion Developer Pro toolkit. Get the complete [Side Project Manager] with all files, templates, and documentation for $25.
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