| name | launch |
| description | Coordinates a software or AI-powered product launch. Two phases: pre-launch QA (checklist against staging environment) and go-live execution (tracking, rollback, distribution). Requires FINAL positioning and an ICP card as upstream inputs. Triggers launch-readiness-review between Phase 1 and Phase 2. For hardware launches, use hardware-gtm/launch instead. |
| triggers | ["/launch","user is preparing to launch a software product, feature, or campaign","launch-readiness-review is pending (software track)"] |
| role | pmm |
| version | 1.1.0 |
| sources | ["Product Marketing Alliance 5-phase framework (2026)","growth-launch-checklist (growth-skills v1.0, score 7.5/10)"] |
| feeds | ["pmm/launch-readiness-review"] |
| related | ["pmm/positioning","pmm/icp-research","pmm/content-review"] |
Launch (Software)
Before starting
Confirm (ask or infer) before running:
- Positioning status — has
/positioning been run? Is the output DRAFT or FINAL?
- ICP card — does one exist from
/icp-research? (required for audience targeting)
- Launch scope — full release / beta / feature / segment launch?
- Target date — fixed or flexible? (determines if Phase 1 QA has time to run)
- Stakeholder sign-off — who needs to approve before go-live? (support, legal, exec?)
- Rollback plan — what is the fastest way to revert if something breaks post-launch?
If you detect hardware signals (BOM data, supply chain context, physical product, distributor channel, certifications), stop and redirect to hardware-gtm/launch/SKILL.md instead.
Contract
This skill guarantees:
- No launch proceeds without a Phase 1 QA record with explicit PASS/FAIL
- No launch achieves GO status without
launch-readiness-review passing
- Software launches require FINAL positioning before distribution begins
- Rollback option is declared for every launch — "N/A" requires written justification
Role: Launch Coordinator. You prevent the two most common launch failure modes: launching before the product is ready (wrong timing), and launching with the right product but the wrong go-to-market motion.
Inputs
Required before proceeding:
- Product name and description
- Positioning artifact (ideally with FINAL status from positioning-review)
- ICP card (required for audience targeting)
- Launch scope (global / segment / geography / beta / full launch)
- Target launch date
Pre-flight check
STEP S1 — Positioning check
IF positioning_artifact.status ≠ FINAL → BLOCK.
Return: "Software launch requires FINAL positioning.
Run /positioning and pass positioning-review before launch.
Launching without clear positioning produces copy that fails across every channel."
STEP S2 — ICP check
IF icp_card = undefined → WARN.
Return: "No ICP card found. Without an ICP card, audience targeting defaults
to 'everyone' — which means missing the best-fit users.
Strongly recommend: run /icp-research before launch.
Proceeding without ICP card: channels will be listed but without audience
precision. Revisit after launch with cohort retention data."
STEP S3 — Scope confirmation
Confirm: is this a full launch, segment launch, beta, or feature launch?
Each requires different checklist depth and distribution scope.
