How to Prepare for a successful product launch?

For a successful release of new product or new feature a proper strategy and preparation work is required . Product Managers need to clearly define the checklist in order to deliver on their product vision. It is important that the product managers align the cross functional teams and make sure that all aspects for product release is covered

The LAST 10% it takes to launch something takes as much energy as the FIRST 90%” 

ROB KALIN , CO-FOUNDER of ETSY

Some of the activities mentioned below may require direct and indirect involvement as a product manager based on the company culture. But they need to be planned in advance to get release ready

1. Launch checklist
   • Plan demo for final sign off and approvals from key stakeholders
   • Plan the Go-live date and finalize the product launch strategy
2. Risks and  mitigation plan
   • Plan things that can go wrong and cause launch to delay and fail
   • Plan mitigation against the risks
3. Ongoing Release plan and maintenance
   • Plan and prioritize the features planned for future releases (can be used as talking point by Customer service or for customer expectation setting)
   • Plan ad hoc releases due to customer feedback or major issue  impacting customer experience
   • Plan device and OS adoption like in Mobile App we have frequent  OS upgrades
4. Internal and External Communication Plan with Marketing
   • Plan Target audience , positioning statement and key messages
   • Plan key activities and timelines for the launch
   • Plan internal communication message and external communication message
5. Internal Training (like for Customer Service ,Sales, Marketing)
   • Plan training for cross-functional teams to get them acquainted with the product features
   • Plan talking points for Customer Service for aligning to product and company vision
   • Prepare training manuals and any relevant documentation needed
6. Define Feedback Process
   • Plan how feedback will be collected from customers via mail , social media or in App store (for Mobile App)
   • Plan the process flow with team who will be handling the feedback (if the volume of such feedback is low , leverage the existing team to handle)
   • Plan how customers will be addressed once the issue is resolved to close the feedback loop
     • Tools – https://www.meltwater.com/ & https://www.reviewtrackers.com/
7. Define Triage Process
   • Plan the process flow on how the issues can be escalated from Customer Service to IT or relevant departments
   • Plan and define the SLAs bases on the severity and priority of the issues
   • Plan (use tools like VISIO for process flows ) ticketing handling mechanism internally to track and work on the issues
   • Plan a clear communication channel to track and close the issues with the customer
     • Tools – VISIO for process flows
8. Analytics
   • Plan analytics infrastructure is in place to record analytics data and the key metrics
     • Tools – Google Analytics

Once the product release checklist is finalized you can choose to use Kanban or dashboards to make sure that all the important tasks are handled and you are release ready. Every product release is different so you might have to tweak the list based on your experience  and learning.

Will be glad to hear from you all , about your experiences before the product release.