Launch Command (IGNITE Protocol)
A comprehensive launch orchestration engine that coordinates eight cross-functional workstreams through four progressive gates, producing a quantified readiness dashboard and executable launch day runbook. IGNITE ensures nothing ships without verified readiness across every dimension that determines launch success.
When to Use
- Preparing for a product launch and need structured readiness tracking
- Running a go/no-go decision meeting and need objective scoring
- Coordinating multiple teams toward a shared launch date
- Building a launch day runbook with hour-by-hour execution plan
- Assessing whether a launch is ready to proceed or needs to slip
- Post-gate review to identify workstreams that are falling behind
- Transitioning from build phase to market-facing execution
What You'll Need
Critical inputs (ask if not provided):
- Product name, target launch date, and launch type (GA, beta, feature, major release)
- Target audience and market segment definitions
- Positioning and messaging framework (from position-lock)
- Sales enablement status and materials inventory
- Marketing campaign plan and channel strategy (from demand-engine)
- Analytics and measurement framework (from launch-pulse)
Nice-to-have:
- Competitive landscape analysis (from battle-scanner)
- Partner readiness status (from partner-blueprint)
- Community/PLG strategy (from community-catalyst)
- Budget allocation plan (from budget-allocator)
- Customer journey maps (from journey-architect)
- Previous launch debriefs and lessons learned
Process
Step 1: Define the Eight Launch Workstreams
Each workstream represents a critical dimension of launch readiness. Assign an owner and define 5-10 criteria per workstream.
| # |
Workstream |
Owner Role |
Weight |
Description |
| 1 |
Product |
Product/Engineering |
20% |
Feature completeness, stability, performance, documentation |
| 2 |
Positioning |
Product Marketing |
15% |
Messaging locked, value props validated, differentiation clear |
| 3 |
Sales Enablement |
Sales/Revenue |
15% |
Battle cards, talk tracks, demo environments, pricing approved |
| 4 |
Marketing |
Marketing/Demand Gen |
15% |
Campaigns built, content ready, channels activated, PR queued |
| 5 |
Partners |
Partnerships |
10% |
Partner communications, co-marketing assets, integration tested |
| 6 |
Community/PLG |
Growth/Community |
10% |
Self-serve flow tested, community seeded, PLG hooks live |
| 7 |
Operations |
Ops/Support |
10% |
Support trained, SLAs defined, escalation paths, billing ready |
| 8 |
Analytics |
Data/Analytics |
5% |
Dashboards live, tracking verified, baselines captured, alerts set |
Step 2: Score Each Workstream
For each workstream, define 5-10 specific criteria and score each on the IGNITE readiness scale.
IGNITE Readiness Scale:
| Score |
Status |
Definition |
Visual |
| 0 |
Not Started |
No work begun, no owner assigned |
Red |
| 1 |
In Progress |
Work underway but not complete, gaps remain |
Orange |
| 2 |
Complete |
Work finished, awaiting verification or sign-off |
Yellow |
| 3 |
Verified |
Complete, tested, reviewed, and approved by stakeholder |
Green |
Example: Product Workstream Criteria
| # |
Criterion |
Score (0-3) |
Evidence |
Owner |
Notes |
| 1 |
All launch features code-complete |
|
|
|
|
| 2 |
QA sign-off with zero P0/P1 bugs |
|
|
|
|
| 3 |
Performance benchmarks met (latency, uptime) |
|
|
|
|
| 4 |
Security review completed |
|
|
|
|
| 5 |
API documentation published |
|
|
|
|
| 6 |
Migration/upgrade path tested |
|
|
|
|
| 7 |
Feature flags configured for staged rollout |
|
|
|
|
| 8 |
Rollback plan documented and tested |
|
|
|
|
Workstream Readiness Score = (Sum of criteria scores) / (Number of criteria x 3) x 100%
Step 3: Four Progressive Gates
Each gate must be passed sequentially. A gate passes when its threshold conditions are met.
| Gate |
Timing |
Name |
Threshold |
Key Decisions |
| G1 |
T-60 days |
Foundation |
All workstreams >= 25% |
Confirm launch date, lock scope, assign all owners |
| G2 |
T-30 days |
Readiness |
All workstreams >= 50%, overall >= 60% |
Lock messaging, approve budget, begin pre-launch |
| G3 |
T-7 days |
Confidence |
All workstreams >= 75%, overall >= 80% |
Final go/no-go signal, activate campaigns |
| G4 |
T-1 day |
Go/No-Go |
All workstreams >= 75%, overall >= 90% |
Ship or slip decision, launch day authorization |
Gate Review Protocol:
- Each workstream owner presents 5-minute status update
- Score each criterion live with evidence
- Calculate workstream and overall scores
- Identify blockers and assign resolution owners with deadlines
- Gate decision: PASS (proceed) / CONDITIONAL (proceed with mitigations) / FAIL (remediate and re-review)
Step 4: Calculate Overall Launch Readiness
Overall Launch Readiness Index (LRI):
LRI = SUM(Workstream_Score_i x Weight_i) for i = 1..8
Decision Matrix:
| LRI Score |
Lowest Workstream |
Decision |
Action |
| >= 90% |
All >= 75% |
GREEN: Launch |
Execute launch day runbook |
| 80-89% |
All >= 75% |
YELLOW: Conditional |
Launch with documented mitigations |
| 80-89% |
Any < 75% |
ORANGE: Remediate |
Fix lowest workstream, re-gate in 48h |
| 70-79% |
Any score |
RED: Delay |
Slip launch 1-2 weeks, full re-plan |
| < 70% |
Any score |
BLACK: Reset |
Major replanning required, new date TBD |
Step 5: Build Launch Day Runbook
Create a day-by-day execution plan from T-7 through T+30.
Pre-Launch (T-7 to T-1):
| Day |
Activities |
Owner |
Verification |
| T-7 |
Final gate review, campaign activation approval |
PMM |
Gate G3 pass |
| T-6 |
Press embargo briefings begin, analyst outreach |
Comms |
Briefing tracker |
| T-5 |
Sales team final enablement session |
Sales |
Quiz/cert scores |
| T-4 |
Support team launch briefing, escalation drill |
Support |
Drill completion |
| T-3 |
Social media content queued, email campaigns staged |
Marketing |
Campaign QA |
| T-2 |
Feature flags verified, monitoring dashboards checked |
Engineering |
Dashboard green |
| T-1 |
Go/No-Go gate G4, war room setup, all-hands brief |
Leadership |
G4 pass |
Launch Day (T-0):
| Time |
Activity |
Owner |
Fallback |
| 06:00 |
Feature flags flipped, staged rollout begins |
Engineering |
Rollback within 15 min |
| 07:00 |
Monitoring check: error rates, latency, uptime |
SRE |
Alert if >1% error rate |
| 08:00 |
Press embargo lifts, PR distribution |
Comms |
Hold if product issues |
| 09:00 |
Blog post published, social media activated |
Marketing |
Pause if negative signal |
| 10:00 |
Email campaign sends begin (wave 1) |
Demand Gen |
Pause if deliverability <95% |
| 12:00 |
Midday status check, war room sync |
All leads |
Escalation if any RED |
| 14:00 |
Sales outreach begins to priority accounts |
Sales |
Delay if demo env unstable |
| 16:00 |
Community announcement, forum post |
Community |
Moderate for issues |
| 18:00 |
End-of-day status, overnight monitoring plan |
All leads |
On-call rotation confirmed |
Post-Launch (T+1 to T+30):
| Window |
Focus |
Key Metrics |
Actions |
| T+1 to T+3 |
Stabilization |
Error rates, support tickets, adoption |
Hotfix if needed, respond to feedback |
| T+4 to T+7 |
Early signal |
Traffic, signups, activation rate |
Amplify winning channels, pause underperformers |
| T+8 to T+14 |
Optimization |
Pipeline, conversion rates, engagement |
A/B test messaging, optimize landing pages |
| T+15 to T+30 |
Acceleration |
Revenue, retention, NPS |
Scale winning plays, plan phase 2 |
Step 6: Risk Register and Contingency Plans
For each identified risk, document severity, probability, and mitigation.
| Risk |
Severity (1-5) |
Probability (1-5) |
Risk Score |
Mitigation |
Trigger |
Contingency |
| Product instability at scale |
5 |
2 |
10 |
Load testing, staged rollout |
>1% error rate |
Rollback, hotfix |
| Competitive counter-launch |
3 |
3 |
9 |
Embargo timing, rapid response |
Competitor announcement |
Battle card activation |
| Low initial adoption |
4 |
3 |
12 |
PLG optimization, outreach |
<50% of day-1 target |
Increase paid spend, sales push |
| Negative press coverage |
4 |
2 |
8 |
Analyst prebriefs, messaging QA |
Negative article |
Rapid response protocol |
| Support overwhelm |
3 |
3 |
9 |
Pre-launch training, KB articles |
>2x ticket volume |
Surge staffing, chatbot deflection |
Output
Save to outputs/launch-command/
Deliverables:
- Launch Readiness Dashboard -- Overall LRI score, per-workstream scores, gate status, trend over time, RED/YELLOW/GREEN indicators per criterion
- Gate Checklists -- G1 through G4 detailed checklists with criteria, scores, evidence, and pass/fail determination for each gate review
- Launch Day Runbook -- Hour-by-hour T-7 through T+30 execution plan with owners, verification steps, fallback procedures, and escalation paths
- Post-Launch Protocol -- T+1 through T+30 monitoring plan, optimization triggers, debrief schedule, and handoff to growth-loop for ongoing retention
Chain Connections
- Receives from: position-lock (messaging), demand-engine (channel strategy), enablement-forge (sales materials), journey-architect (touchpoints), partner-blueprint (partner readiness), community-catalyst (PLG strategy), budget-allocator (spend plan), launch-pulse (measurement framework), battle-scanner (competitive intel)
- Feeds into: launch-pulse (activates measurement), growth-loop (handoff post-launch), launch-debrief (retrospective input)
- Enhanced by: signal-radar (market timing signals), flywheel-sync (system health check pre-launch)
1---2name: launch-command3description: Launch orchestration and readiness assessment engine with cross-functional workstream tracking and go/no-go gates. Use when: launch readiness, launch checklist, launch orchestration, go no go, launch plan, are we ready to launch.4---56# Launch Command (IGNITE Protocol)78A comprehensive launch orchestration engine that coordinates eight cross-functional workstreams through four progressive gates, producing a quantified readiness dashboard and executable launch day runbook. IGNITE ensures nothing ships without verified readiness across every dimension that determines launch success.910## When to Use11- Preparing for a product launch and need structured readiness tracking12- Running a go/no-go decision meeting and need objective scoring13- Coordinating multiple teams toward a shared launch date14- Building a launch day runbook with hour-by-hour execution plan15- Assessing whether a launch is ready to proceed or needs to slip16- Post-gate review to identify workstreams that are falling behind17- Transitioning from build phase to market-facing execution1819## What You'll Need2021**Critical inputs (ask if not provided):**22- Product name, target launch date, and launch type (GA, beta, feature, major release)23- Target audience and market segment definitions24- Positioning and messaging framework (from position-lock)25- Sales enablement status and materials inventory26- Marketing campaign plan and channel strategy (from demand-engine)27- Analytics and measurement framework (from launch-pulse)2829**Nice-to-have:**30- Competitive landscape analysis (from battle-scanner)31- Partner readiness status (from partner-blueprint)32- Community/PLG strategy (from community-catalyst)33- Budget allocation plan (from budget-allocator)34- Customer journey maps (from journey-architect)35- Previous launch debriefs and lessons learned3637## Process3839### Step 1: Define the Eight Launch Workstreams4041Each workstream represents a critical dimension of launch readiness. Assign an owner and define 5-10 criteria per workstream.4243| # | Workstream | Owner Role | Weight | Description |44|---|-----------|------------|--------|-------------|45| 1 | Product | Product/Engineering | 20% | Feature completeness, stability, performance, documentation |46| 2 | Positioning | Product Marketing | 15% | Messaging locked, value props validated, differentiation clear |47| 3 | Sales Enablement | Sales/Revenue | 15% | Battle cards, talk tracks, demo environments, pricing approved |48| 4 | Marketing | Marketing/Demand Gen | 15% | Campaigns built, content ready, channels activated, PR queued |49| 5 | Partners | Partnerships | 10% | Partner communications, co-marketing assets, integration tested |50| 6 | Community/PLG | Growth/Community | 10% | Self-serve flow tested, community seeded, PLG hooks live |51| 7 | Operations | Ops/Support | 10% | Support trained, SLAs defined, escalation paths, billing ready |52| 8 | Analytics | Data/Analytics | 5% | Dashboards live, tracking verified, baselines captured, alerts set |5354### Step 2: Score Each Workstream5556For each workstream, define 5-10 specific criteria and score each on the IGNITE readiness scale.5758**IGNITE Readiness Scale:**5960| Score | Status | Definition | Visual |61|-------|--------|------------|--------|62| 0 | Not Started | No work begun, no owner assigned | Red |63| 1 | In Progress | Work underway but not complete, gaps remain | Orange |64| 2 | Complete | Work finished, awaiting verification or sign-off | Yellow |65| 3 | Verified | Complete, tested, reviewed, and approved by stakeholder | Green |6667**Example: Product Workstream Criteria**6869| # | Criterion | Score (0-3) | Evidence | Owner | Notes |70|---|-----------|-------------|----------|-------|-------|71| 1 | All launch features code-complete | | | | |72| 2 | QA sign-off with zero P0/P1 bugs | | | | |73| 3 | Performance benchmarks met (latency, uptime) | | | | |74| 4 | Security review completed | | | | |75| 5 | API documentation published | | | | |76| 6 | Migration/upgrade path tested | | | | |77| 7 | Feature flags configured for staged rollout | | | | |78| 8 | Rollback plan documented and tested | | | | |7980**Workstream Readiness Score** = (Sum of criteria scores) / (Number of criteria x 3) x 100%8182### Step 3: Four Progressive Gates8384Each gate must be passed sequentially. A gate passes when its threshold conditions are met.8586| Gate | Timing | Name | Threshold | Key Decisions |87|------|--------|------|-----------|---------------|88| G1 | T-60 days | Foundation | All workstreams >= 25% | Confirm launch date, lock scope, assign all owners |89| G2 | T-30 days | Readiness | All workstreams >= 50%, overall >= 60% | Lock messaging, approve budget, begin pre-launch |90| G3 | T-7 days | Confidence | All workstreams >= 75%, overall >= 80% | Final go/no-go signal, activate campaigns |91| G4 | T-1 day | Go/No-Go | All workstreams >= 75%, overall >= 90% | Ship or slip decision, launch day authorization |9293**Gate Review Protocol:**941. Each workstream owner presents 5-minute status update952. Score each criterion live with evidence963. Calculate workstream and overall scores974. Identify blockers and assign resolution owners with deadlines985. Gate decision: PASS (proceed) / CONDITIONAL (proceed with mitigations) / FAIL (remediate and re-review)99100### Step 4: Calculate Overall Launch Readiness101102**Overall Launch Readiness Index (LRI):**103104```105LRI = SUM(Workstream_Score_i x Weight_i) for i = 1..8106```107108**Decision Matrix:**109110| LRI Score | Lowest Workstream | Decision | Action |111|-----------|-------------------|----------|--------|112| >= 90% | All >= 75% | GREEN: Launch | Execute launch day runbook |113| 80-89% | All >= 75% | YELLOW: Conditional | Launch with documented mitigations |114| 80-89% | Any < 75% | ORANGE: Remediate | Fix lowest workstream, re-gate in 48h |115| 70-79% | Any score | RED: Delay | Slip launch 1-2 weeks, full re-plan |116| < 70% | Any score | BLACK: Reset | Major replanning required, new date TBD |117118### Step 5: Build Launch Day Runbook119120Create a day-by-day execution plan from T-7 through T+30.121122**Pre-Launch (T-7 to T-1):**123124| Day | Activities | Owner | Verification |125|-----|-----------|-------|-------------|126| T-7 | Final gate review, campaign activation approval | PMM | Gate G3 pass |127| T-6 | Press embargo briefings begin, analyst outreach | Comms | Briefing tracker |128| T-5 | Sales team final enablement session | Sales | Quiz/cert scores |129| T-4 | Support team launch briefing, escalation drill | Support | Drill completion |130| T-3 | Social media content queued, email campaigns staged | Marketing | Campaign QA |131| T-2 | Feature flags verified, monitoring dashboards checked | Engineering | Dashboard green |132| T-1 | Go/No-Go gate G4, war room setup, all-hands brief | Leadership | G4 pass |133134**Launch Day (T-0):**135136| Time | Activity | Owner | Fallback |137|------|----------|-------|----------|138| 06:00 | Feature flags flipped, staged rollout begins | Engineering | Rollback within 15 min |139| 07:00 | Monitoring check: error rates, latency, uptime | SRE | Alert if >1% error rate |140| 08:00 | Press embargo lifts, PR distribution | Comms | Hold if product issues |141| 09:00 | Blog post published, social media activated | Marketing | Pause if negative signal |142| 10:00 | Email campaign sends begin (wave 1) | Demand Gen | Pause if deliverability <95% |143| 12:00 | Midday status check, war room sync | All leads | Escalation if any RED |144| 14:00 | Sales outreach begins to priority accounts | Sales | Delay if demo env unstable |145| 16:00 | Community announcement, forum post | Community | Moderate for issues |146| 18:00 | End-of-day status, overnight monitoring plan | All leads | On-call rotation confirmed |147148**Post-Launch (T+1 to T+30):**149150| Window | Focus | Key Metrics | Actions |151|--------|-------|-------------|---------|152| T+1 to T+3 | Stabilization | Error rates, support tickets, adoption | Hotfix if needed, respond to feedback |153| T+4 to T+7 | Early signal | Traffic, signups, activation rate | Amplify winning channels, pause underperformers |154| T+8 to T+14 | Optimization | Pipeline, conversion rates, engagement | A/B test messaging, optimize landing pages |155| T+15 to T+30 | Acceleration | Revenue, retention, NPS | Scale winning plays, plan phase 2 |156157### Step 6: Risk Register and Contingency Plans158159For each identified risk, document severity, probability, and mitigation.160161| Risk | Severity (1-5) | Probability (1-5) | Risk Score | Mitigation | Trigger | Contingency |162|------|----------------|-------------------|------------|------------|---------|-------------|163| Product instability at scale | 5 | 2 | 10 | Load testing, staged rollout | >1% error rate | Rollback, hotfix |164| Competitive counter-launch | 3 | 3 | 9 | Embargo timing, rapid response | Competitor announcement | Battle card activation |165| Low initial adoption | 4 | 3 | 12 | PLG optimization, outreach | <50% of day-1 target | Increase paid spend, sales push |166| Negative press coverage | 4 | 2 | 8 | Analyst prebriefs, messaging QA | Negative article | Rapid response protocol |167| Support overwhelm | 3 | 3 | 9 | Pre-launch training, KB articles | >2x ticket volume | Surge staffing, chatbot deflection |168169## Output170171Save to `outputs/launch-command/`172173### Deliverables:1741. **Launch Readiness Dashboard** -- Overall LRI score, per-workstream scores, gate status, trend over time, RED/YELLOW/GREEN indicators per criterion1752. **Gate Checklists** -- G1 through G4 detailed checklists with criteria, scores, evidence, and pass/fail determination for each gate review1763. **Launch Day Runbook** -- Hour-by-hour T-7 through T+30 execution plan with owners, verification steps, fallback procedures, and escalation paths1774. **Post-Launch Protocol** -- T+1 through T+30 monitoring plan, optimization triggers, debrief schedule, and handoff to growth-loop for ongoing retention178179## Chain Connections180- **Receives from:** position-lock (messaging), demand-engine (channel strategy), enablement-forge (sales materials), journey-architect (touchpoints), partner-blueprint (partner readiness), community-catalyst (PLG strategy), budget-allocator (spend plan), launch-pulse (measurement framework), battle-scanner (competitive intel)181- **Feeds into:** launch-pulse (activates measurement), growth-loop (handoff post-launch), launch-debrief (retrospective input)182- **Enhanced by:** signal-radar (market timing signals), flywheel-sync (system health check pre-launch)
varunk130