Line Extension, with the gates built in.
A fast-track gate process for new flavours, variants, and formats on an existing platform. Every phase ends at a gate with criteria a real gatekeeper signs off — copy it into cadence. and start with discipline instead of a blank page.
Add a new flavour, variant, or format to an established line using the brand and production platform you already have. Fewer, faster gates than full NPD — but the ones that matter (incrementality, parity of quality, trade commitment) still hold.
New flavours or variants on an existing product line
New size or format of a current product for a new occasion or channel
Seasonal and limited editions that reuse the production platform
4 phases, and a gate after each one.
- 01
Opportunity & Business Case
Prove the variant grows the line instead of resplitting it, and that the platform can make it. One phase, one honest look at the numbers.
5 tasks
Gate criteria
- Concept screen passed with target consumers, including appeal versus existing variants
- Incrementality estimated: majority of volume from new buyers, occasions, or competitors
- Production confirmed feasible on the existing platform without capital investment
- Business case approved: incremental margin covers complexity and changeover costs
- 02
Fast-Track Development
Develop the variant on the existing platform: match the line’s quality signature, reuse the pack architecture, and keep the critical path short.
5 tasks
Gate criteria
- Variant formulation meets the line’s quality signature in internal sensory panels
- Consumer test confirms the variant performs at parity with the line’s standards
- Artwork adapted within the existing brand architecture and regulatory approved
- Shelf-life confirmed or read across from the platform with documented rationale
- 03
Validation & Trade Sell-In
Prove it at production scale and win the shelf space: pilot run, listings, and a supply plan that survives week one.
5 tasks
Gate criteria
- Production trial on the actual line passes at target speed and quality
- Priority retailers committed to listings with agreed distribution and placement
- Pricing, trade terms, and launch promotion plan signed off
- First production slot booked with materials secured against the forecast
- 04
Launch & Line Review
Get the variant on shelf, then judge it honestly: did it grow the line? Underperforming extensions get fixed or delisted, not ignored.
4 tasks
Gate criteria
- Variant on shelf in committed accounts within the launch window
- Rate of sale and line cannibalization tracked against the business case
- Line review at 12 weeks: variant earns its slot, gets corrective action, or exits
- Lessons fed back into the line strategy and this template
The questions teams actually ask
How is a line extension project different from full NPD?
The brand, the manufacturing platform, and usually the pack format already exist, so the discovery and capital-heavy phases collapse. This template runs four gates instead of six and typically completes in 4–9 months. The trade-off it guards against is cannibalization: the first gate demands evidence the variant adds volume rather than resplitting the line you already sell.
What is incrementality and why does the first gate demand it?
Incrementality is the share of the new variant’s volume that comes from new buyers, new occasions, or competitors — rather than from your own existing SKUs. A variant that merely cannibalizes the line adds complexity and cost with no growth, so the business case gate requires an explicit incrementality estimate.
Can I use this template for limited editions?
Yes — limited editions are line extensions with a fixed end date. Copy the template, tighten the timeline, and add an exit task for delisting and stock run-out at the end of the season.
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