Launching a website is our most critical process at Q4Launch
If something goes wrong during launch then we missed a step or didn’t do enough to prep for success. Even if the failure was out of our control but the customer is upset with us, then we likely didn’t provide enough support and communication during launch.
Be it our fault or not, when something goes wrong we risk our relationship with the customer, their customers experience, and ultimately the revenue to their business. It’s critical we launch right the first time.
*verbal notifications can be a Call, Slack, TXT, or in person
Guideline:
- We don’t launch on a Friday, unless approved by Dev leadership
- We don’t launch after 3pm, unless approved by Dev leadership
- Dev leadership is verbally notified 1 day in advance at minimum
- Dev leadership is verbally notified and approves the timing of launch on launch day
- Dev leadership & tech is CC’d on the email correspondence to the customer during launch
- If in doubt ask Dev tech/leadership immediately – there are no dumb questions, yes please bother us with them!
Playbook:
- Customer approves a launch date
- CSM creates a task to launch, notes date for launch, and assigns it to Dev Tech
- CSM verbally notifies Dev leadership a minimum of 1 day in advance
- Customer gives final approval to launch – all demo site edits completed, no others will be made until post launch
- CSM verbally notifies Dev leadership for approval to launch
- Dev leadership approves CSM to proceed with launch
- CSM updates task to launch and verbally notifies Dev tech
- Dev tech proceeds with launch
- moves demo site (files/database) to prod account
- verifies all pre-launch tasks
- tests the site via host file, etc
- Dev Tech notifies Dev leadership ready to launch
- Dev leadership verifies and approves Dev tech to launch
- Dev tech launches the site by updating DNS, or instructs CSM to instruct customer to update DNS
- If CSM notifies customer to update DNS – CSM CC’s Dev leadership & tech on email chain
- Dev tech (once propagation completes) installs and verifies SSL and completes all post-launch tasks
- Dev tech notifies Dev Leadership the site is launched