Launch Checklist System
A comprehensive, cross-functional launch checklist covering engineering, marketing, sales, support, legal, and operations. Ensures nothing falls through the cracks whether you're shipping a feature, a product, or an entire platform.
Key Features
- Multi-Track Checklists — Separate tracks for engineering, marketing, sales, support, legal, and ops
- T-Minus Timeline — Day-by-day countdown from T-30 to launch day and post-launch
- Go/No-Go Framework — Structured decision gate with scoring criteria
- Rollback Plan Template — Pre-built rollback procedures for failed launches
- Launch Tiers — Scaled checklists for small features vs. major releases vs. platform launches
- Post-Launch Review — Structured retrospective template with metrics review
What's Included
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
templates/full-launch-checklist.md |
Complete cross-functional checklist |
templates/t-minus-timeline.md |
Day-by-day countdown schedule |
templates/go-no-go-scorecard.md |
Launch decision framework |
templates/rollback-plan.md |
Rollback procedures template |
templates/post-launch-review.md |
Retrospective and metrics review |
templates/launch-comms.md |
Internal and external launch communications |
docs/overview.md |
System methodology and launch tiers |
config.example.yaml |
Configuration for launch tier defaults |
Quick Start
- Determine your launch tier — Feature (Tier 1), Product (Tier 2), or Platform (Tier 3)
- Copy
templates/full-launch-checklist.mdand remove sections not applicable to your tier - Fill in the
templates/t-minus-timeline.mdwith your target date and work backward - Assign owners to every checklist item — no item should be unowned
- Schedule the Go/No-Go meeting for T-3 using
templates/go-no-go-scorecard.md
Template Examples
T-Minus Timeline
| Day | Engineering | Marketing | Sales | Support |
|---------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
| T-30 | Feature freeze | Draft blog post | Update battle cards| Draft FAQ |
| T-21 | QA test plan ready | Landing page draft | Enable demo env | Train Tier-1 team |
| T-14 | Staging deploy | Social media queued | Customer outreach | Knowledge base draft|
| T-7 | Load testing done | Press embargo sent | Top 10 calls done | Escalation path set|
| T-3 | Go/No-Go meeting | Final review | Pricing confirmed | War room scheduled |
| T-1 | Production pre-check | All content published| Enablement complete| Monitoring live |
| T-0 | LAUNCH | Announce everywhere | Start outbound | Monitor tickets |
| T+1 | Monitor error rates | Engagement metrics | Pipeline update | Ticket triage |
| T+7 | Bug fix sprint | Performance report | Win/loss tracking | FAQ updates |
| T+30 | Post-launch review | Content retrospective| Revenue report | CSAT analysis |
Go/No-Go Scorecard
Category | Status | Owner | Score | Notes
------------------|--------|-------------|-------|------------------
Code Complete | YES/NO | Eng Lead | /10 |
QA Sign-off | YES/NO | QA Lead | /10 |
Performance Tests | YES/NO | Eng Lead | /10 |
Docs Published | YES/NO | Tech Writer | /10 |
Marketing Ready | YES/NO | PMM | /10 |
Sales Enabled | YES/NO | Sales Ops | /10 |
Support Trained | YES/NO | Support Mgr | /10 |
Legal Approved | YES/NO | Legal | /10 |
Rollback Tested | YES/NO | Eng Lead | /10 |
Monitoring Active | YES/NO | SRE | /10 |
TOTAL SCORE: __/100
DECISION: GO (>=80) | CONDITIONAL GO (60-79) | NO-GO (<60)
Launch Tier Definitions
Tier 1 — Feature Launch: Minor feature or improvement. 1-2 week prep. Eng + PM only.
Tier 2 — Product Launch: New product or major feature. 4-6 week prep. Cross-functional.
Tier 3 — Platform Launch: New platform, rebrand, or M&A. 8-12 week prep. All teams + exec.
Usage Guide
- Kick Off (T-30): Create a launch channel, copy the checklist, assign owners. Hold a 30-min kickoff.
- Weekly Syncs (T-30 to T-7): Track progress against the timeline. Escalate blockers immediately.
- Daily Standups (T-7 to T-0): Short daily syncs focused on red/yellow items only.
- Go/No-Go (T-3): Score every category. Be honest — a delayed launch beats a broken one.
- Launch Day (T-0): Execute the launch playbook. Staff the war room. Monitor dashboards.
- Post-Launch (T+7 to T+30): Run the retrospective. Document learnings. Update the checklist template.
Post-Launch Review Template
POST-LAUNCH REVIEW — [Project Name]
Launch Date: YYYY-MM-DD
Review Date: YYYY-MM-DD (T+14)
LAUNCH METRICS:
| Metric | Target | Actual | Status |
|---------------------|-----------|-----------|------------|
| Adoption (Day 7) | 15% | | |
| Error rate | < 0.1% | | |
| Support tickets | < 20 | | |
| Customer feedback | NPS > 40 | | |
WHAT WENT WELL:
1.
2.
3.
WHAT COULD IMPROVE:
1.
2.
3.
PROCESS CHANGES FOR NEXT LAUNCH:
- [ ] [Action item with owner]
- [ ] [Action item with owner]
Best Practices
- Every item needs an owner AND a due date — "the team" is not an owner
- Define "done" for each item — "Marketing ready" is vague; "Blog post published, social scheduled, email sent" is clear
- No new scope after T-7 — if it's not in the checklist by T-7, it ships in the next release
- Test the rollback plan — an untested rollback is not a rollback plan
- Launch on Tuesday or Wednesday — avoid Fridays and Mondays; you need business days on both sides
- Celebrate — acknowledge the team's work regardless of initial metrics
- Document everything — future launches benefit from the lessons of past ones
This is 1 of 11 resources in the PM Toolkit Pro toolkit. Get the complete [Product Launch Checklist System] with all files, templates, and documentation for $29.
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