Launch Execution

Launch coordination including checklists, stakeholder alignment, and day-of execution management.

Purpose

Launch execution ensures smooth transition from planning to market:

• Coordinates all stakeholders and dependencies
• Manages pre-launch checklist completion
• Orchestrates day-of activities
• Establishes post-launch monitoring

HARD GATE: GTM plan MUST be completed before launch execution.

Process

Phase 1: Launch Readiness Assessment

Evaluate launch prerequisites:

## Launch Readiness Assessment

### GTM Prerequisites
| Prerequisite | Status | Owner | Notes |
|--------------|--------|-------|-------|
| Market Analysis Complete | DONE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED | [Owner] | [Link] |
| Positioning Approved | DONE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED | [Owner] | [Link] |
| Messaging Framework Final | DONE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED | [Owner] | [Link] |
| Pricing Approved | DONE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED | [Owner] | [Link] |
| GTM Plan Approved | DONE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED | [Owner] | [Link] |

### Product Prerequisites
| Prerequisite | Status | Owner | Notes |
|--------------|--------|-------|-------|
| Product/Feature Ready | DONE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED | [Owner] | [Version] |
| QA Complete | DONE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED | [Owner] | [Sign-off] |
| Documentation Ready | DONE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED | [Owner] | [Link] |
| Support Trained | DONE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED | [Owner] | [Date] |

### Readiness Score
| Category | Score | Threshold | Status |
|----------|-------|-----------|--------|
| GTM Readiness | X/Y | Y | GO/NO-GO |
| Product Readiness | X/Y | Y | GO/NO-GO |
| Sales Readiness | X/Y | Y | GO/NO-GO |
| Ops Readiness | X/Y | Y | GO/NO-GO |
| **OVERALL** | **X/Y** | **Y** | **GO/NO-GO** |

Phase 2: Pre-Launch Checklist

Complete checklist by category:

## Pre-Launch Checklist

### Marketing Assets (Due: T-14 days)
- [ ] Website updates staged
- [ ] Landing pages live (in stealth if needed)
- [ ] Email sequences loaded
- [ ] Social media posts scheduled
- [ ] Press release approved
- [ ] Blog posts drafted
- [ ] Paid media campaigns created
- [ ] Launch video/demo complete

### Sales Enablement (Due: T-7 days)
- [ ] Sales deck updated
- [ ] Product demo environment ready
- [ ] Pricing sheet updated
- [ ] FAQ document complete
- [ ] Competitive battlecards updated
- [ ] Sales team briefed
- [ ] First-call script updated
- [ ] Commission/compensation updated (if applicable)

### Customer Success (Due: T-7 days)
- [ ] Support documentation updated
- [ ] Knowledge base articles published
- [ ] Support team trained
- [ ] Escalation paths defined
- [ ] Customer communication drafted
- [ ] Onboarding materials updated

### Technical (Due: T-3 days)
- [ ] Feature flags configured
- [ ] Monitoring dashboards ready
- [ ] Rollback plan documented
- [ ] Performance baseline established
- [ ] Security review complete

### Legal/Compliance (Due: T-7 days)
- [ ] Terms of service updated (if needed)
- [ ] Privacy policy updated (if needed)
- [ ] Compliance requirements met
- [ ] Contract templates updated

### Communications (Due: T-1 day)
- [ ] Internal announcement drafted
- [ ] Customer announcement drafted
- [ ] Partner notification drafted
- [ ] Press contacts briefed
- [ ] Social media team briefed

Phase 3: Stakeholder Alignment

Ensure all stakeholders are aligned:

## Stakeholder Alignment

### RACI Matrix
| Activity | Responsible | Accountable | Consulted | Informed |
|----------|-------------|-------------|-----------|----------|
| Go/No-Go Decision | [Name] | [Name] | [Names] | [Names] |
| Launch Day Execution | [Name] | [Name] | [Names] | [Names] |
| Customer Communications | [Name] | [Name] | [Names] | [Names] |
| Escalation Response | [Name] | [Name] | [Names] | [Names] |

### Communication Plan
| Audience | Message | Channel | Timing | Owner |
|----------|---------|---------|--------|-------|
| Internal Team | [Key points] | [Channel] | [When] | [Owner] |
| Sales Team | [Key points] | [Channel] | [When] | [Owner] |
| Customers | [Key points] | [Channel] | [When] | [Owner] |
| Partners | [Key points] | [Channel] | [When] | [Owner] |
| Press | [Key points] | [Channel] | [When] | [Owner] |

### Escalation Matrix
| Issue Type | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|------------|---------|---------|---------|
| Technical | [Name] | [Name] | [Name] |
| Customer | [Name] | [Name] | [Name] |
| PR/Comms | [Name] | [Name] | [Name] |
| Executive | [Name] | [Name] | [Name] |

Phase 4: Day-of Execution Plan

Orchestrate launch day:

## Day-of Execution Plan

### Launch Day Timeline
| Time | Activity | Owner | Status |
|------|----------|-------|--------|
| 06:00 | [Pre-launch check] | [Owner] | PENDING |
| 07:00 | [Activity] | [Owner] | PENDING |
| 08:00 | [Feature flip] | [Owner] | PENDING |
| 09:00 | [Public announcement] | [Owner] | PENDING |
| 10:00 | [PR embargo lifts] | [Owner] | PENDING |
| 12:00 | [Social media push] | [Owner] | PENDING |
| 14:00 | [Check-in meeting] | [Owner] | PENDING |
| 17:00 | [End-of-day review] | [Owner] | PENDING |

### War Room Setup
**Location/Channel:** [Physical room or Slack channel]
**Participants:**
- [Name]: [Role]
- [Name]: [Role]
- [Name]: [Role]

**Communication Cadence:**
- Hourly status updates
- Immediate escalation for blockers
- EOD summary

### Rollback Triggers
| Trigger | Threshold | Action |
|---------|-----------|--------|
| Error rate | >X% | [Specific rollback action] |
| Customer complaints | >X in Y minutes | [Escalation action] |
| System down | Any duration | [Immediate action] |

### Success Metrics (Day 1)
| Metric | Target | Tracking Location |
|--------|--------|-------------------|
| [Metric 1] | [Target] | [Dashboard/Tool] |
| [Metric 2] | [Target] | [Dashboard/Tool] |
| [Metric 3] | [Target] | [Dashboard/Tool] |

Phase 5: Post-Launch Monitoring

Establish monitoring cadence:

## Post-Launch Monitoring

### Monitoring Schedule
| Timeframe | Focus | Meeting/Review | Owner |
|-----------|-------|----------------|-------|
| Day 1 | Issues, initial metrics | War room | [Owner] |
| Day 2-3 | Stabilization, feedback | Daily standup | [Owner] |
| Week 1 | Early adoption, bugs | Weekly review | [Owner] |
| Week 2-4 | Trends, optimization | Weekly review | [Owner] |
| 30-Day | Launch retrospective | Full review | [Owner] |

### Metrics Dashboard
| Metric | Target | Day 1 | Day 7 | Day 30 |
|--------|--------|-------|-------|--------|
| [Metric 1] | [Target] | [Actual] | [Actual] | [Actual] |
| [Metric 2] | [Target] | [Actual] | [Actual] | [Actual] |
| [Metric 3] | [Target] | [Actual] | [Actual] | [Actual] |

### Feedback Collection
| Source | Method | Owner | Frequency |
|--------|--------|-------|-----------|
| Sales | [Feedback channel] | [Owner] | [Cadence] |
| Support | [Feedback channel] | [Owner] | [Cadence] |
| Customers | [Survey/interviews] | [Owner] | [Cadence] |
| Social | [Monitoring tool] | [Owner] | [Cadence] |

### Retrospective Questions
1. What went well?
2. What didn't go well?
3. What should we do differently next time?
4. What surprised us?
5. What would we repeat?

Output Format

# Launch Plan: [Product/Feature]

## Executive Summary
- **Launch Date:** [Date]
- **Launch Type:** [Tier 1/2/3]
- **Go/No-Go Status:** [GO/NO-GO/PENDING]
- **Launch Owner:** [Name]

## Readiness Assessment
[Phase 1 output]

## Pre-Launch Checklist
[Phase 2 output]

## Stakeholder Alignment
[Phase 3 output]

## Day-of Execution
[Phase 4 output]

## Post-Launch Monitoring
[Phase 5 output]

## Dependencies
- GTM Plan: [Link to gtm-plan.md]
- Messaging: [Link to messaging-framework.md]
- Product Release: [Link or version]

Blocker Criteria

Blocker	Action
GTM plan not approved	STOP. Cannot execute without approved plan.
Product not ready	STOP. Escalate to product team.
Readiness score below threshold	STOP. Address gaps before proceeding.
Key stakeholder unavailable	STOP. Reschedule or delegate authority.

Anti-Rationalization Table

See shared-patterns/anti-rationalization.md for universal anti-rationalizations.

Gate-Specific Anti-Rationalizations

Rationalization	Why It's WRONG	Required Action
"We can skip the checklist"	Skipped items cause launch failures	Complete every checklist item
"Everyone knows their role"	Assumptions cause coordination failures	Document RACI explicitly
"We'll handle issues as they come"	Reactive handling causes escalation	Pre-define escalation paths
"Rollback won't be needed"	Every launch needs rollback plan	Document rollback triggers

Pressure Resistance

See shared-patterns/pressure-resistance.md for universal pressure scenarios.

Gate-Specific Pressures

Pressure Type	Request	Agent Response
"Launch with checklist gaps"	"We can fix it post-launch"	"Gaps cause launch failures. Completing checklist or delaying."
"Skip the war room"	"It's overkill for this launch"	"War room enables rapid response. Setting up coordination."
"We don't need rollback"	"We tested thoroughly"	"Testing ≠ zero issues. Documenting rollback plan."

Execution Report

Base metrics per shared-patterns/execution-report.md:

Metric	Value
Duration	Xm Ys
Iterations	N
Result	PASS/FAIL/PARTIAL

Gate-Specific Details

• checklist_items_complete: X/Y
• stakeholders_aligned: YES/NO
• go_nogo_decision: GO/NO-GO/PENDING
• materials_ready: X/Y
• rollback_plan_documented: YES/NO