Template
Launch planning meeting template
A few weeks before a launch: who hears about it, in what order, through which channels, what each team must have ready, and the one date everyone works back from.
The agenda, with a time for each part
- What we are launching, in one sentence5 min
- How would a customer describe it to a friend?
- Who needs to hear, in order12 min
- Which customers, partners and staff hear first, and how?
- What each team needs ready18 min
- What do sales, support and success need in their hands before day one?
- The plan for launch day13 min
- What happens, hour by hour, and who watches the numbers?
- Risks and the go or no-go12 min
- What would make us move the date, and who decides?
How the notes read afterwards
A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.
One sentence. You can now pay invoices by bank transfer.
Order. Staff on the 3rd, beta customers on the 5th, everyone on the 10th.
Ready. Support guide and saved replies by the 1st (Ana); sales one-pager by the 2nd (Tom).
Go or no-go. On the 8th; Rosa decides.
Running it well
- Tell your own staff before customers. A support team hearing about a feature from a customer is a bad first day for both.
- Work back from the date: list what every team needs and the day they need it by, and the plan writes itself.
- Choose one number to watch on the day and one person watching it, so you know quickly whether the launch is working.
Ways to change it
When to skip it. For small improvements that only need a line in the release notes.
Questions
What is a launch plan?
The plan for bringing something new to customers: who hears about it and when, what every team needs ready, what happens on the day, and how success is measured.
How far ahead should launch planning start?
Four to eight weeks before the date for most product launches, earlier for anything needing press or partners.
What is a go or no-go meeting?
A short meeting just before a launch where the owners confirm everything is ready, or decide to delay.
What happens in the room
Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.
More templates
Try Meetful
Meetings that take their own notes
Free video meetings in the browser: every line of the transcript under the name of who said it, and the summary and action items when you hang up. Nothing to install — guests just open the link.