Purpose
Launch moves the solution into production and transitions the customer into ownership. Launch is where everything the agent captured along the way, every Design decision, every Build note, every test outcome, becomes the customer's to run without you in the room.
This stage answers: Is the solution ready for production? Are open items, known limitations, and support needs documented? Who owns the solution after launch? What knowledge needs to transfer to the customer and CS team? What sustainment cadence is needed after implementation?
Use the Stencil agent
Ask the Stencil agent to prepare launch materials, summarize Project Memory, and organize sustainment hand-off. See the Stencil Agent Guide for an example prompt for this stage.
Key activities, ownership, and customer actions
| Activity | Owner | Purpose | Customer action |
| Confirm go-live readiness | Project Lead / Customer Project Owner | Validate that launch criteria have been met | Confirm go-live readiness |
| Complete production preparation | Solution Architect / Solution Modeler | Finalize production setup, access, data, and cutover needs | |
| Finalize Project Memory | Delivery team | Capture implementation context, design decisions, model logic, testing outcomes, success criteria, and known limitations | |
| Prepare Sustain-Readiness Pack | Delivery team / CSM | Organize hand-off materials for support and sustainment | Participate in hand-off and sustainment planning |
| Confirm support model and customer enablement plan | CSM / Customer Project Owner | Define post-launch ownership, enablement, escalation paths, and operating cadence | Confirm post-launch owners and escalation paths; complete required trainings |
| Complete launch communication | Customer Project Owner / CSM | Align users and stakeholders on go-live, support, and next steps | Communicate launch expectations to impacted users |
| Close implementation | Project Lead | Confirm sign-offs, open items, lessons learned, and transition ownership | Review open items and known limitations; own internal support and adoption activities |
Required outputs and definition of done
| Required output | Done when |
| Go-live checklist | Launch requirements are reviewed and confirmed |
| Production-ready solution | Access, data, workflows, and production setup are ready |
| Project Memory | Key implementation context, decisions, logic, testing outcomes, and known limitations are documented |
| Sustain-Readiness Pack | Support model, ownership, open items, training notes, and hand-off materials are complete |
| Support and escalation model | Customer, CS, and support owners understand post-launch responsibilities |
| Open item plan | Remaining items are documented with owners, priority, and timing |
| Project closure | Implementation is formally closed and ownership has transitioned |
Recommended practices
- Do not treat Launch as only a go-live checklist.
- Finalize Project Memory before implementation knowledge fades.
- Confirm ownership and support paths before production use begins.
- Separate critical launch blockers from post-launch improvements.
- Use Launch to create a clean transition into Sustain.
Resources
- Go-Live Checklist
- Launch Communication Template
- Project End of Implementation Template
- Project Memory Template
- Sustain-Readiness Pack
- Support Model Template
- Open Item Tracker
- Lessons Learned Template
- CS Transition Checklist
- Project Closure Checklist
- Production Support Readiness Guide