I've helped launch over a dozen SaaS products, and the ones that went smoothly all had one thing in common: a checklist. Not a vague "get things ready" list, but a phase-by-phase, nothing-falls-through-the-cracks checklist. Today, I'm sharing the exact one I use. Bookmark this, print it, and thank me later.
This checklist covers 65 critical tasks across pre-launch, launch, and post-launch phases. It's designed to prevent the costly mistakes that sink launches: poor positioning, inadequate infrastructure, weak marketing, and customer support gaps.
Phase 1: Pre-Launch Preparation (8-12 Weeks Before)
Product & Feature Readiness
- Finalize core feature set -- Define MVP scope clearly; cut scope creep (CRITICAL)
- Conduct internal QA testing -- Test all critical user flows end-to-end (CRITICAL)
- Set up staging environment -- Mirror production for realistic testing (CRITICAL)
- Document all features -- Create internal knowledge base for support team
- Test payment processing -- Verify transactions work across all payment methods (CRITICAL)
- Verify API stability -- Load test to 2x expected launch day traffic (CRITICAL)
- Test integrations -- Confirm all third-party integrations work reliably
- Set up error monitoring -- Deploy Sentry/Datadog before launch day (CRITICAL)
- Create account recovery flows -- Document password reset, account deletion, support escalation
Compliance & Legal
- Complete SOC 2 compliance -- Or outline timeline to compliance (CRITICAL)
- Finalize Terms of Service -- Legal review completed (CRITICAL)
- Create Privacy Policy -- GDPR/CCPA compliant (CRITICAL)
- Document data security practices -- Customers will ask
- Review insurance needs -- E&O, cyber liability coverage confirmed
- Establish refund/cancellation policy -- Clear, fair terms in writing (CRITICAL)
Infrastructure & Security
- Set up production database backups -- Automated daily backups + testing (CRITICAL)
- Configure CDN -- For fast global content delivery
- Implement DDoS protection -- CloudFlare or similar
- Set up SSL/TLS certificates -- All traffic encrypted (CRITICAL)
- Test disaster recovery -- Can you restore from backups? (CRITICAL)
- Configure uptime monitoring -- StatusPage or equivalent (CRITICAL)
- Lock down API authentication -- Rate limiting, token expiration configured (CRITICAL)
Marketing Foundation
- Develop messaging framework -- Core value prop, positioning, differentiation clear (CRITICAL)
- Create sales one-sheet -- 1-page overview for sales calls
- Build landing page -- Conversion-optimized, includes pricing and CTA (CRITICAL)
- Prepare email templates -- Welcome series, onboarding, feature announcements
- Design product screenshots -- Show key features, use cases
- Create demo video -- 2-3 minute walkthrough
- Plan PR strategy -- Media list, talking points, embargo dates
- Prepare launch announcement -- Blog post, social, email copy drafted (CRITICAL)
Phase 2: Launch Preparation (4-8 Weeks Before)
Sales & Support Setup
- Build support knowledge base -- FAQ, common issues, troubleshooting guides (CRITICAL)
- Set up support channels -- Email, chat, support ticket system (CRITICAL)
- Create onboarding sequence -- In-app guidance, email follow-ups
- Train support team -- Everyone knows product deeply (CRITICAL)
- Set response time SLAs -- Document expectations
- Create sales collateral -- Case studies, ROI calculator if applicable
- Plan customer success team structure -- Who owns which customers?
Website & Digital Presence
- Launch company website -- Professional, branded, mobile-responsive (CRITICAL)
- Set up blog -- Ready to publish launch content
- Create social media accounts -- LinkedIn, Twitter, relevant platforms
- Verify email deliverability -- SPF, DKIM, DMARC configured (CRITICAL)
- Set up analytics -- Google Analytics, product analytics tool (CRITICAL)
- Create status page -- Public uptime/incident communication
- Verify domain DNS -- All records correct (CRITICAL)
Launch Operations
- Create launch timeline -- Hour-by-hour plan for launch day (CRITICAL)
- Designate launch commander -- One person managing day-of (CRITICAL)
- Brief all teams -- Marketing, sales, support, engineering on timing (CRITICAL)
- Prepare launch monitoring setup -- Real-time dashboards visible to team (CRITICAL)
- Plan communication channels -- Slack channel, war room, escalation path (CRITICAL)
- Create rollback plan -- Steps to revert if critical issues occur (CRITICAL)
- Notify key partners -- Integration partners aware of launch timing
Phase 3: Launch Week
Pre-Launch Day (48-24 Hours)
- Final QA pass -- Test happy path + edge cases one more time (CRITICAL)
- Verify all monitoring is live -- Uptime, errors, performance dashboards active (CRITICAL)
- Load test production -- Simulate expected traffic surge (CRITICAL)
- Confirm DNS propagation -- All regions resolve correctly (CRITICAL)
- Brief team on schedule -- Everyone knows exact timing (CRITICAL)
- Prepare communication templates -- Status updates, error messages pre-written
- Schedule social posts -- Queue launch announcements
- Notify user list -- Email beta users/early access group
Launch Day Execution
- Monitor error rates -- Check every 15 minutes first 2 hours (CRITICAL)
- Monitor database performance -- Connections, query times, locks (CRITICAL)
- Check payment processing -- Verify transactions processing successfully (CRITICAL)
- Publish launch announcement -- Blog post, emails, social (CRITICAL)
- Activate marketing campaigns -- Paid ads, email sequences launch
- Monitor support channels -- Immediate response to critical issues (CRITICAL)
- Track sign-up funnel -- Conversion metrics visible
- Monitor customer feedback -- Twitter, reviews, support tickets
Post-Launch Week
- Daily standup with leadership -- Review metrics, issues, responses (CRITICAL)
- Weekly customer outreach -- Personal emails/calls to early customers
- Rapid response to bugs -- Fix and deploy critical issues within hours (CRITICAL)
- Document lessons learned -- What worked, what didn't
- Plan first feature release -- Based on early feedback
Phase 4: Post-Launch (First 30 Days)
Customer Success
- Personal onboarding for key accounts -- Ensure they succeed (CRITICAL)
- Gather customer feedback -- Calls, surveys, usage data analysis (CRITICAL)
- Monitor churn early warning signs -- Low engagement = at-risk customers (CRITICAL)
- Celebrate customer wins publicly -- Social proof reinforcement
Operations & Learning
- Publish launch retrospective -- Internal lessons documented
- Optimize onboarding flow -- Based on actual user behavior
- Review and refine pricing -- Watch for price sensitivity signals
- Plan roadmap sprints -- Prioritize based on customer feedback
Success Metrics to Track
Monitor these throughout your launch:
- Uptime/availability (target: 99.9%)
- Sign-up conversion rate (baseline: 2-5%)
- Critical bug reports (target: 0 within 48 hours)
- Payment success rate (target: 99%+)
- Support response time (target: <2 hours)
- Early customer satisfaction (NPS target: 40+)
Use this checklist to systematically de-risk your launch. Missing items in Phases 1-2 often lead to crisis management on launch day. The earlier you complete these tasks, the smoother your launch will be.
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