name

launch-planning-frameworks

description

Master product launch planning including launch types (soft, hard, tiered), launch strategies, launch timelines, cross-functional coordination, and launch execution. Use when planning product launches, coordinating cross-functional teams, creating launch plans, timing market entry, executing launches, or building launch playbooks. Covers launch tier frameworks, launch checklists, and launch management best practices.

Launch Planning Frameworks

Frameworks for planning and executing successful product launches including launch strategy, cross-functional coordination, and launch measurement.

Why Launch Planning Matters

A great product poorly launched underperforms. A good product well-launched succeeds. Launch planning ensures:

Products reach target customers
Messaging resonates clearly
Teams execute in coordination
Success is measurable
Issues are caught early

When to Use This Skill

Auto-loaded by agents:

launch-planner - For launch tiers, timelines, checklists, and go/no-go decisions

Use when you need:

Launching new products/features
Major releases or rebrands
Market entry or expansion
Coordinating cross-functional teams
Post-launch analysis
Creating launch timelines
Defining launch tiers (soft, hard, tiered)
Building launch checklists

Launch Tier Framework

Not all launches are equal. Determine your launch tier first - it drives everything else.

Three Tiers

Tier 1: Major Launch (Company-wide priority)

New product line, platform launch, major strategic initiative
8-12 weeks planning, full cross-functional team
High investment: PR, events, full marketing campaign

Tier 2: Standard Launch (Team priority)

Significant feature, market expansion, competitive parity
4-6 weeks planning, core team (PM, Marketing, Sales)
Medium investment: Email campaigns, blog, in-app

Tier 3: Minor Launch (Low-key release)

Feature improvements, enhancements, quality updates
1-2 weeks planning, PM + minimal support
Low investment: Release notes, in-app notification

Decision Framework

Determine tier by scoring 6 factors (1-3 points each):

Customer reach (all/segment/small)
Customer importance (critical/important/nice)
Revenue opportunity (high/medium/low)
Strategic importance (critical/supportive/incremental)
Competitive impact (differentiation/parity/minor)
Complexity (high/medium/low)

Total Score: 15-18 = T1 | 10-14 = T2 | 6-9 = T3

Full framework: See assets/launch-tier-decision-template.md for scorecard, decision matrix, and examples.

Ready-to-Use Launch Plans

12-Week Launch Plan (Tier 1)

Complete timeline for major launches with weekly breakdown:

Weeks 12-10: Strategy & planning
Weeks 9-7: Content & assets creation
Weeks 6-4: Team enablement & preparation
Weeks 3-1: Final prep & go-live
Week 0: Launch day execution
Weeks 1-4: Post-launch monitoring

Template: assets/12-week-launch-plan-template.md

Includes: Weekly activities for each function, deliverables, team roster, meeting cadence

Adaptable:

Tier 2: Condense to 6 weeks
Tier 3: Condense to 2 weeks
Solo operator: Simplify cross-functional activities

Launch Checklist

Comprehensive readiness checklist across all functions:

Product readiness (features, QA, performance, security)
Marketing readiness (website, content, campaign)
Sales readiness (enablement, pipeline, demos)
Customer Success readiness (comms, onboarding)
Support readiness (training, runbooks, FAQs)
Technical readiness (deployment, monitoring, rollback)

Template: assets/launch-checklist-template.md

100+ checklist items with critical items (⚠️ = go/no-go blockers) identified

Use at T-2 weeks: Begin checking items, hold readiness review, make go/no-go decision

Go/No-Go Decision Framework

Final readiness decision at T-1 week from launch.

Decision Criteria:

Must-Have (hard blockers): Product stable, teams ready, critical deliverables complete
Nice-to-Have (soft preferences): Polish items, optional features
Risk Assessment: Likelihood × Impact with mitigation plans
Readiness Scores: Each function rates 1-5
Confidence Poll: Team votes on launch confidence

Decision: GO (with conditions) or NO-GO (with new date and action plan)

Template: assets/go-no-go-template.md

Includes: Meeting agenda, decision matrix, sign-off template

Launch Messaging Framework

Clear positioning and messaging are critical for launch success.

Positioning Statement

Format (Geoffrey Moore):

For [target customer]
Who [customer need]
[Product] is a [category]
That [key benefit]
Unlike [competitors]
We [differentiation]

Message Hierarchy

Level 1: Headline (8-12 words)

Grab attention, communicate core value instantly
Example: "Ship features 2x faster with continuous deployment"

Level 2: Subhead (20-30 words)

Expand on headline, clarify specific value

Level 3: Key Messages (3-5 bullets)

Core value propositions, each standing alone
Use numbers, focus on outcomes

Level 4: Proof Points

Stats, customer quotes, case studies
Back up key messages with evidence

Full framework: assets/launch-messaging-template.md

Includes: Examples, audience-specific messaging, testing framework

Cross-Functional Coordination

Successful launches require tight coordination across teams.

Launch Roles

Product (PM): Launch owner, strategy, coordination, go/no-go decisions

Marketing: Campaign strategy, content, PR, demand generation

Sales: Enablement, outreach, pipeline, competitive positioning

Customer Success: Customer comms, onboarding, adoption, feedback

Engineering: Development, deployment, monitoring, stability

Support: Training, runbooks, triage, escalation

Design: Marketing assets, landing page, demo video

Coordination Patterns

Weekly Launch Sync (6-8 weeks before launch):

Status updates per function
Go/no-go checkpoints
Key decisions
Timeline review

Launch Readiness Review (T-1 week):

Final go/no-go decision
60-minute meeting with full team

Launch Day War Room:

Real-time monitoring and triage
Dedicated Slack + Zoom
All day with core team

Comprehensive guide: references/launch-coordination-guide.md

Includes: Full role descriptions, RACI matrix, meeting templates, escalation framework, solo operator adaptations

Launch Channels

Internal Channels

All-Hands Announcement (T-1 week): Build company excitement

Internal Email (Launch day): Mobilize company to spread word

Slack Announcement (Launch day): Real-time celebration and links

External Channels

Email to Customers:

Beta users (T-1 day)
Target customers (Launch day)
All customers (T+1 week)

Blog Post (Launch day):

800-1,200 words
Problem, solution, how it works, customer stories
Screenshots, demo video, clear CTA

Social Media:

Announcement (Launch day)
Testimonial (T+1)
Deep-dive (T+2)
Results (T+1 week)

Press Release (Tier 1 only):

Launch day distribution
Press briefings scheduled

Website Landing Page:

Hero, benefits, how it works, social proof, demo, CTA

Channel Selection by Tier

Tier 1: All channels (email, blog, social, PR, paid ads, events) Tier 2: Core channels (email, blog, social, in-app) Tier 3: Minimal channels (email announcement, blog/release notes)

Comprehensive guide: references/launch-channels-guide.md

Includes: Channel templates, timing calendars, best practices, platform-specific tips

Launch Metrics

Leading Indicators (Week 1)

Early signals that predict success:

Awareness: Website visits, blog views, social impressions, email open rates

Early Adoption: Signups, activation rate, time to first use, D1 retention

Technical Health: Uptime, error rate, performance, support tickets

Purpose: Quick feedback, course correction

Lagging Indicators (Months 1-3)

Longer-term measures of success:

Adoption: % of target segment using, DAU/MAU, retention (D7, D30), usage frequency

Business Impact: Revenue, conversion lift, expansion revenue, churn reduction, LTV impact

Product Quality: Bug rate, support volume, NPS, CSAT, app ratings

Purpose: Validate product-market fit, business impact

Metrics by Launch Tier

Tier 1: All metrics, high targets, daily monitoring Week 1 Tier 2: Focus on adoption and business impact, weekly monitoring Tier 3: Basic adoption and technical health, monthly check-ins

Comprehensive guide: references/launch-metrics-guide.md

Includes: Complete metrics catalog, success criteria examples, dashboard templates, measurement setup, red flags for pivoting

Launch Best Practices

DO:

Start planning early (8-12 weeks for Tier 1)
Align on launch tier first
Coordinate cross-functionally (not PM alone)
Test messaging with customers
Set clear success metrics
Communicate internally before externally
Have rollback plan ready
Monitor closely post-launch
Iterate based on feedback

DON'T:

Launch without clear positioning
Surprise internal teams
Over-promise in messaging
Forget support training
Launch and disappear (no follow-through)
Skip post-launch review
Launch on Friday (no support over weekend)
Make everything Tier 1 (save energy for what matters)

For Solo Operators / Small Teams

If you don't have separate marketing, sales, CS teams:

Simplify the framework:

You own all functions (PM + Marketing + Sales + CS)
Focus on: positioning, website, email, blog, basic support
Skip: elaborate sales training, press release (unless Tier 1), complex campaigns
Use templates aggressively
4-6 weeks is plenty for Tier 1 solo launch

Timeline:

Week 6-4: Strategy, positioning, messaging
Week 4-2: Create content (website, blog, email)
Week 2-1: Final prep, customer comms
Week 0: Launch
Week 1+: Monitor, iterate

Key: Do less, but do it well. Better to nail positioning + blog + email than to spread thin across 10 channels.

Templates and References

Assets (Ready-to-Use Templates)

Copy-paste these for immediate use:

assets/launch-tier-decision-template.md - Determine T1/T2/T3 with scorecard
assets/12-week-launch-plan-template.md - Complete timeline, all functions
assets/launch-checklist-template.md - 100+ readiness items
assets/launch-messaging-template.md - Positioning + message hierarchy
assets/go-no-go-template.md - Decision framework and meeting template

References (Deep Dives)

When you need comprehensive guidance:

references/launch-coordination-guide.md - Cross-functional roles, meetings, RACI, escalation
references/launch-channels-guide.md - All channels with templates, timing, best practices
references/launch-metrics-guide.md - Complete metrics catalog, dashboards, success criteria

Related Skills

competitive-analysis-templates - Competitive positioning and battle cards
product-positioning - Market positioning and differentiation
go-to-market-playbooks - GTM strategy and distribution channels

Quick Start

For your first launch:

Determine launch tier using assets/launch-tier-decision-template.md
Choose timeline based on tier (12 weeks T1, 6 weeks T2, 2 weeks T3)
Create positioning using assets/launch-messaging-template.md
Use assets/12-week-launch-plan-template.md to plan activities
Track readiness with assets/launch-checklist-template.md
Make go/no-go decision using assets/go-no-go-template.md
Execute launch, monitor metrics
Post-launch: Review results, document learnings

For repeat launches:

Update your launch playbook based on learnings
Refine messaging based on what resonated
Adjust timeline based on what took longer than expected
Build on what worked, fix what didn't

Key Principle: Launch planning is about coordination and preparedness, not perfection. A well-coordinated launch of a good product beats a chaotic launch of a great product. Plan thoroughly, execute decisively, measure rigorously, iterate continuously.