Toolkit · Template 5 of 5 · v1.0
Launch Readiness Checklist
A go or no-go gate for anything you are about to make public, with a line for evidence beside every yes.
For anyone about to publish a product, page or post who wants a short gate that stops launches happening on the maker’s say-so alone.
- Second reader: a different person or a different AI model from the maker, who checks the work against the requirement before it is called done. A second session of the same model does not count.
All examples are invented and illustrative. Using this template does not guarantee any result.
Copy the templateWorked exampleWhy these fieldsAll five templates
How to use it
- Fill in one copy per launch, before the launch, and keep it afterwards as a record.
- Every line needs a pointer to evidence, not just a tick. A “yes” with nothing behind it counts as a “no”.
- For claims consistency, list every place the claim appears: the page, images that carry text, profile bios, video and audio, and pages on other services.
- Decide the undo plan before you launch. If you cannot describe how to reverse it, you are not ready.
- Record who made the go or no-go call. It should not be only the person who built the thing.
- Working alone? Wait 24 hours and re-read it cold against the checklist, or ask any peer. If nobody else can make the call, write “decided by me, after a 24-hour gap” rather than leaving the name blank.
Copy the blank template
Plain text. Paste it into a document or notes app. Nothing on this page collects what you type. Free to copy, adapt and share.
Launch Readiness Checklist (template v1.0) What is launching: [One line.] Second reader done: [Yes or no, plus the evidence. Not the same person who built it.] Legal and policy check: [Yes or no, plus the evidence. Which rules or terms did you read?] Claims consistency: [Every place a price or claim appears, and whether each matches.] Undo plan: [What you do if this needs to be reversed.] Day-1 measurement plan: [What you will measure, and when you will look.] Who answers problems: [The person who replies if something goes wrong in public.] Risks accepted: [What you are launching with your eyes open about.] Go or no-go: [The decision, who made it, and the date.]
Worked example
Example: launching a small free page. All names and numbers are invented and illustrative.
| Field | Example entry |
|---|---|
| What is launching | A free printable board-game score sheet on a hobby site. |
| Second reader done | Yes. A second person read it against the written requirement. Notes attached. |
| Legal and policy check | Yes. Hosting terms read. No personal data collected. No claims about outcomes. |
| Claims consistency | Yes. Checked the page, the footer, the share-preview image and the profile bio. All say “free” and describe the same sheet. |
| Undo plan | Remove the page and the menu link. Nothing else depends on it. |
| Day-1 measurement plan | Page visits, counted daily. Look at 24 hours and 7 days. |
| Who answers problems | The site owner replies to any report for the first week. |
| Risks accepted | Not yet printed on both letter and A4 paper. |
| Go or no-go | Go. Decided by the club treasurer, who did not build it and read this checklist first. Example date only: 2000-01-01. |
Keep every filled-in checklist. Over time they show you which lines you skip under pressure, and those are the lines to tighten.
Why these fields are here
The plain fields explain themselves. These are the ones people skip, and the reason each one is there.
- Second reader done
- A launch is the one moment a mistake becomes public. A reader who did not build it is the cheapest check there is.
- Legal and policy check
- “I think it is fine” is not a check. Naming the terms you read shows what you actually looked at.
- Claims consistency
- A price or claim changed in one place often stays live in another: an image with text in it, a profile bio, a video.
- Day-1 measurement plan
- If you decide what to look at before the launch, you cannot pick the flattering number afterwards.
- Go or no-go
- A go decided only by the builder is a builder’s hope. A named second person makes it a decision.