Product Management During Product Launch Phase
From Product Management School
The Product Launch Phase is where all the ground work comes together for preparing for the launch and the launch itself.
The Product Launch and Development Phases are often simultaneous phases. The workload on the Product Launch Phase increases as the workload on the Product Development Phase declines.
Product launches are extremely valuable opportunities and have to be orchestrated well. Launches are a part of the public face of the company. It is crucial to have someone from the decision making body/ executive board leading the effort. This person should have been clearly identified as part of the business case so that they could be fully immersed and engaged with the New Product Development from its outset.
The Product Launch Phase is commonly broken down into smaller manageable stages. This is done so to make sure that the effort is more focused on vital areas. It also allows for three stage conclusions that incorporate important decision points. These decision points are vital checks that decide whether or not the launch goes ahead based on:
- Revalidation of the market signals to ensure that the product and launch are still viable.
- Reevaluation of the assumptions in the business case.
- Evaluation of the project and its environment to see if any elements put the launch at risk.
Stages of Product Launch Phase
The three stages of the Product Launch Phase can be broken down as follows:
The arrange stage – this stage takes place during the early part of the Development and Launch Phases. It involves liaising with the cross functional team and external vendors to ensure that all aspects of the project are on track. This allows for the market window or announcement date to be set. All the project documentation is reviewed. All arrangements for testing and trials are finalized. The marketing effort is aligned to ensure that all parties can deliver in time for the launch.
The activation stage – this stage involves actioning many of the items from the previous stage; updating of the business documents; preparing the marketing materials; arranging the training dates; testing of the product; and so on.
The announcement stage – this stage is where all the plans and arrangements come together. All training is carried out for sales, customer services and for key customers. Review of the data from the testing and ensure that any issues have been resolved. Shipping of the product.Announcement of the product to the market.
