Product Sunset Room

Why this might help

Retiring a product is real work, and it affects real people. Customers lose something they relied on. Teammates may feel uncertain about what comes next. A sunset done well is honest, kind, and organized. It tells everyone what's ending, when it ends, and what to do now. It also makes sure nothing important gets lost in the handoff. This room gives your team a shared way to close things down without leaving people confused or hurt.

Does this feel familiar?

Your team keeps patching a product that fewer and fewer people actually use.
A customer emails asking if the product will still work next year, and nobody knows what to say.
Two teammates disagree about who's responsible for telling users the news.
Important files and decisions about the product live in three different places, and half the team can't find them.

Try this together

Write one clear sentence that says what's ending and when — something like 'We're closing the Scheduler tool on March 31.' Vague language causes more worry, not less.
List every person or team the sunset touches, then decide who tells each group and how. Don't leave anyone to find out by accident.
Gather the product's key files, decisions, and history into one place before the shutdown date. Future you will be grateful.
Give affected users a simple next step — a replacement, a workaround, or just a clear answer. Even 'we don't have a replacement yet' is better than silence.
Hold a short team debrief after the sunset closes. Ask what went well and what you'd do differently. That knowledge is worth keeping.

Sunset Care Plan

Open a new sunset care plan and write the product name, the end date, and one sentence explaining why it's closing.
Add every group affected — users, internal teams, partners — and note what each group needs to know or receive before the end date.
List the key tasks left to complete, assign each one to a person, and set a due date so nothing drifts.
Attach or link the important files, decisions, and history connected to this product so they're easy to find later.
Set a final review date before the shutdown, check that every task is done, and mark the plan complete when the sunset closes.

Questions worth talking about

Who on our team is the right person to reach out to affected users, and do they have everything they need to do that well?

What happens to the files, notes, and decisions tied to this product — where do they go, and who's responsible for them?

Is there anything about this sunset that feels rushed or unclear to anyone on the team right now?

A few common questions

How early should we start the sunset care plan?

Start as soon as the decision is made, even if the end date is months away. Early planning gives you time to communicate clearly, handle edge cases, and avoid the last-minute scramble that makes sunsets feel messy for everyone involved.

What if we don't have a replacement product to offer users?

That's okay — honesty is better than a forced recommendation. Tell users what's ending, when, and what you know so far. If you find a good alternative later, follow up. People handle hard news better when they feel respected and kept in the loop.

Can Tindlo help our team coordinate a product sunset?

Yes, in a practical way. Tindlo lets your team put sunset tasks, owners, files, and timelines into work items on a shared Week view. Everyone can see what's happening and when, which helps a lot when multiple people are closing things down at the same time.

Keep the story close to the schedule

A date makes more sense when you can also see the reason, the owner, and the work around it. Tindlo brings those pieces together when a calendar alone isn't enough.

See how Tindlo works →

Where would you like to go next?

Engineering Leadership ExchangeEngineering leaders Product Operations CircleProduct operations teams Project Managers' WorkshopProject managers