Launch checklist

How to use it

1. Start the checklist eight weeks before the planned launch date, or immediately after the commercial agreement is signed if the launch is sooner.
2. The programme owner fills in sections one to four. The operations lead fills in sections five and six. The marketing lead fills in section seven. The finance lead and the programme owner jointly fill in section eight.
3. The sign-off is the budget owner or the person accountable for the programme's profit and loss. They sign and date the bottom line only after every section has a name next to it.
4. Allow one working week to gather the facts, two hours for the sign-off meeting, and one hour to resolve any section marked blocked.

What goes in each section

1. Programme owner and sign-off

State the named person who can stop launch, their direct line, and the date they signed. A good answer names one person, not a committee, and includes their mobile number for launch day. Illustrative entry: 'Owner: Priya Nair, 020 7946 0012, signed 14 May 2026.'

2. Commercial terms locked

Record the fixed fees, per member service fees, breakage assumptions in dollars, and the minimum term. A good answer shows the total cost for year one in a single number, not a range. Illustrative entry: 'Year one cost 85,000 dollars. Breakage assumed at 20 per cent. Minimum term 24 months.'

3. Member value proposition

Write the one sentence a member can repeat after seeing the first email. A good answer names the reward, the earning speed, and the first meaningful redemption within 30 days. Illustrative entry: 'Earn 1 point per 1 dollar spent, redeem 200 points for 10 dollars off the next shop.'

4. Earning and redemption rules

List every way to earn, every way to redeem, and any expiry or cap. A good answer includes the customer service script for a disputed point. Illustrative entry: 'Points expire after 12 months of no earning activity. Cap 50,000 points per account.'

5. Data capture and privacy

Name the fields collected at sign up, the lawful basis for each, and the data processor. A good answer says where the consent text lives and who can delete a member record. Illustrative entry: 'Fields: email, postcode, birth month. Basis: consent for email, legitimate interest for postcode. Processor: Acme CRM.'

6. Partner and vendor readiness

List every system, partner reward, and support contact with a tested failover. A good answer has a named person at each vendor who has confirmed the launch date in writing. Illustrative entry: 'Points engine: LoyaltySoft, contact Dana, confirmed 2 June 2026. Partner: Coffee House, contact Marco, confirmed.'

7. Launch communications

State the channel, sender name, subject line, and the first three messages. A good answer includes the date and time of the first send and the opt out link. Illustrative entry: 'Email from The Shop Rewards, subject Your points start today, send 9 June 2026 at 09:00, includes unsubscribe.'

8. First ninety day review triggers

Define three measurable triggers that force a review before day 90. A good answer gives a number for enrolment, active earn, and redemption, plus the person who receives the alert. Illustrative entry: 'Alert if enrolment below 500 members in 30 days, active earn below 30 per cent, or redemption below 5 per cent of issued points. Alert to owner.'

What to watch for

The section people skip is data capture and privacy. They copy a generic consent line from a vendor and then cannot prove a lawful basis during a complaint. The answer that is always wrong is breakage assumed at zero or copied from the vendor's sales deck. Zero breakage makes the programme look cheaper than it is and hides the real liability. The section that gets copied from a vendor is partner and vendor readiness. The vendor names their own contacts but no one has tested the failover on launch day. A blocked section left with a dash instead of a name is the same as not having the checklist. Every section needs a person, and every person needs to know they are the one called at 09:05 on launch day.