/launch-checklist

name: launch-checklist
description: "Generate launch readiness checklists for product releases. Covers engineering, QA, design, legal, marketing, support, and rollback planning. Adapts to launch size (feature flag, beta, GA) and AI/ML-specific requirements."
argument-hint: "[feature or product being launched]"

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.