Having the right technological tools in place is a critical component in planning for a successful product launch
Taking a product to market can be an intricate undertaking requiring thorough planning for success. From market research to risk mitigation, the goal in strategy and planning is to land in the market with a splash, creating a strong first impression that will lead to sales and profit.
Planning must account for contingencies that could hinder or disrupt the process.Key challenges may include technical issues, such as outdated I.T. systems that suffer from performance problems, lack of support for the latest software, or data integration issues.
Additionally, siloed infrastructure—where barriers between departments prevent effective communication and collaboration—can also jeopardize a successful product launch.
Read on to find out some of the steps you can take to ensure a smooth product launch.
Important considerations in product launch planning
While the stages and considerations of a product launch can vary, some of the important ones include:
- Thorough market research
- Defining the target
- Determining project positioning
- Creating a launch timeline
- Selecting your project management tools
- Establishing open internal communication channels
- Ensuring stakeholder engagement
- Undertaking reputation risk management
- Doing tech launch preparation
- Conducting pre-launch testing
- Incorporating customer feedback
- Anticipating potential challenges
- Setting KPIs (key performance indicators) and other metrics
Market readiness planning
When planning the launch, you need to do a feasibility analysis to determine whether your product is ready for prime time (product feasibility) and whether you can launch successfully to your intended target.
Part of the product readiness evaluation will include conducting competitive research, developing a market strategy, doing beta testing (or user testing), and performing quality assurance checks. You should also train relevant staff on your customer support strategy, including common issues and questions.
Strong communications
Poor communications may hurt a product launch because the various teams don’t coordinate properly, replicating tasks, overlooking deliverables, and causing a frustrating Tower of Babel. Smooth internal communications ensure that it’s easy to share a vision for the product, keep track of its development, identify issues in the process, define who is accountable for what, and create measurable goals.
You should also establish a stakeholder communication strategy to help the organization achieve its short-term goals, like a product launch and the larger strategic vision for the company. Stakeholder training may also be necessary. While most internal stakeholders won’t need detailed product knowledge, they may require basic information and proper context to do their jobs effectively.
Launch risk assessment
A big part of a successful product launch is doing a risk assessment so you know where things can go wrong and what you can do to fix or prevent them. Some of the risks include:
- Missing your deadline for getting the product to the market
- Cost overruns
- Changes in the market affect demand for product
- Problems caused by poor project management
- A product with technical or performance glitches
- A failure to meet regulatory and compliance requirements
- A failure in infrastructure, supply chain, customer services, or other operational considerations
Tech launch strategy
When considering some of the risks involved, ensuring your technological tools are up to the job is important. Maybe your hardware, software, and systems are inadequate. Perhaps they are part of an obsolete legacy system prone to poor performance, downtime, and problematic integrations with newer solutions. These would undermine their usefulness for tech launch preparation.
To ensure your systems are ready to handle product launches and other essential tasks, it’s a good idea to have a managed service provider (MSP) with proven expertise in providing comprehensive I.T. solutions for different kinds of businesses.
Investing in a proactive I.T. strategy can also save your company money and boost operational efficiency. Regular system updates and staff training can help protect you from many cybersecurity threats. Improved operational performance goes hand in hand with increased staff productivity. Regular system monitoring and maintenance ensures that downtime is minimized.
After the planning and launch
Your work isn’t over once your product plan is completed and the product launch is done. To ensure that future product launches go even more smoothly, you need a launch post-mortem, examining what went well and what could be improved further.
In addition to evaluating analytics against your KPIs, you should gather and analyze feedback from all relevant channels. A market analysis will tell you how the product has been received by its target audience.
It would help if you also sat down with your MSP to thoroughly review how your technology performed. Is there software or systems that could have done the job more thoroughly? Are there any gaps in staff knowledge that could be closed with some training? If a launch created a high volume of online activity, would your system be able to scale up to the need?
Strong reputation management begins with the right MSP partner
Achieving a successful product launch requires meticulous planning and seamless collaboration. To ensure your I.T. infrastructure is ready to support this effort, partnering with an MSP like Attentus Technologies can make all the difference. At Attentus, we believe in being the answer to your technological challenges—taking full ownership of any issues and working proactively to resolve them.
This core value of “Be the Answer” means we don’t just provide services; we provide solutions. When you partner with us, you’re choosing a team that doesn’t engage in finger-pointing or passing the buck. Instead, we stand by your side to identify problems and craft effective, lasting solutions. Whether it’s optimizing your systems for better performance, integrating new technologies, or troubleshooting issues that arise during a product launch, we take responsibility and deliver results.
Choosing Attentus means choosing a partner who is committed to your success. We focus on finding the right answer every time—no matter how complex the challenge. That’s why Attentus has become the Pacific Northwest MSP of choice for businesses looking to elevate their technological capabilities. Let us be the answer to your I.T. needs and help you make a significant impact with your next product launch. Contact us today for a free assessment.
