/launch-planning-frameworks

name: launch-planning-frameworks
description: "Launch planning frameworks including tiered launches, timelines, checklists, and go/no-go decisions. Use when planning product launches, creating launch timelines, aligning launch execution, or building launch playbooks. Trigger on: 'plan my launch', 'launch checklist', 'go/no-go decision', 'launch timeline', 'when should I launch'."

Launch Planning Frameworks

Frameworks for planning and executing successful product launches including launch strategy, cross-functional alignment, 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 sync
• 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
• Aligning cross-functional teams
• Post-launch analysis
• Creating launch timelines
• Defining launch tiers (soft, hard, tiered)
• Building launch checklists

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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):

1. Customer reach (all/segment/small) 2. Customer importance (critical/important/nice) 3. Revenue opportunity (high/medium/low) 4. Strategic importance (critical/supportive/incremental) 5. Competitive impact (differentiation/parity/minor) 6. 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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Cross-Functional Alignment

Successful launches require tight alignment across teams.

Launch Roles

**Product (PM)**: Launch owner, strategy, alignment, 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

Communication Cadence

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

• Status updates per f