Launch Checklist

Launch Checklist Skill

Generate a comprehensive, customized launch readiness checklist for any product release.

When to Use

• User is preparing to launch a feature or product
• User needs to ensure nothing is missed before go-live
• User says /launch-checklist followed by what they're launching
• Any pre-launch review or go/no-go decision

Framework: Launch Readiness Checklist

Step 1: Scope the Launch

• What's launching? Feature name and brief description
• Launch type: Feature flag → Internal → Beta → GA
• Target date: When is this going live?
• Blast radius: How many users are affected?
• Reversibility: Can we roll back easily?

Step 2: Generate Checklist by Function

Engineering

• Code complete and merged to release branch
• Unit tests passing (coverage threshold met)
• Integration tests passing
• Load/performance testing complete (meets latency/throughput targets)
• Feature flag configured and tested (on/off/gradual rollout)
• Database migrations tested and reversible
• API versioning handled (no breaking changes for existing clients)
• Monitoring and alerting configured
• Logging sufficient for debugging
• Rollback procedure documented and tested

QA

• Test plan executed (happy path, edge cases, error states)
• Cross-browser/cross-platform testing complete
• Accessibility testing (screen reader, keyboard nav, contrast)
• Regression testing on adjacent features
• Security review complete (auth, input validation, data handling)

Design

• Final designs match implementation
• Empty states, loading states, error states all designed
• Mobile/responsive behavior verified
• Copy reviewed and finalized
• Animations/transitions smooth and performant

Legal & Compliance

• Privacy review complete (data collection, retention, deletion)
• Terms of service updated if needed
• GDPR/CCPA compliance verified
• Licensing for any third-party components cleared

Marketing & Communications

• Launch announcement drafted
• Help center / documentation updated
• In-app messaging configured (tooltips, onboarding)
• Social media / blog post scheduled (if applicable)
• Internal comms sent to stakeholders

Support

• Support team briefed on new feature
• FAQ and troubleshooting guide prepared
• Escalation path defined for launch-related issues
• Known limitations documented

AI/ML-Specific (if applicable)

• Model eval results meet quality bar
• Safety/red-team testing complete
• Content policy and guardrails configured
• Hallucination rate within acceptable threshold
• Cost per query within budget
• Fallback behavior for model errors/timeouts
• Data pipeline monitoring active
• Bias testing on key demographic segments

Step 3: Go/No-Go Criteria

Define clear criteria for each launch stage:

Internal Launch Go/No-Go:

• All P0 bugs resolved
• Core user flow works end-to-end
• Monitoring active

Beta Launch Go/No-Go:

• All P0 and P1 bugs resolved
• Performance meets targets
• Support team briefed
• Rollback tested

GA Launch Go/No-Go:

• All P0-P2 bugs resolved
• Load testing passed at 2x expected traffic
• Documentation complete
• Legal review signed off
• Monitoring and alerting verified

Step 4: Rollback Plan

• Trigger criteria: What signals would trigger a rollback?
• Rollback steps: Exact steps to revert (feature flag off, DB rollback, etc.)
• Communication: Who to notify and how
• Timeline: Maximum time from decision to rollback complete

Output Format

Generate as a markdown checklist grouped by function. Mark items as applicable/not applicable based on the specific launch. Include a summary section with launch date, owner, and go/no-go criteria.