The launch date is booked, but training is incomplete and nobody knows who will handle the first support request. A go-live readiness review asks whether the business can operate the change under agreed conditions. It should produce an authorised decision, not simply confirm that the calendar has reached launch day.
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash.
Use the checklist below as a starting point. Add the specialist, regulatory or safety checks your actual change requires; a general project checklist cannot replace them.
Require evidence for readiness
Check these areas with their responsible owners:
Deliverables have passed the agreed acceptance checks.
Critical unresolved defects and limitations are understood.
Operational owners have accepted their responsibilities.
Users have the access, instructions and preparation needed.
Support arrangements and escalation contacts are available.
Required communications are ready and correctly targeted.
Dependencies and external approvals are confirmed.
Recovery, rollback or alternative operating arrangements are assessed where applicable.
Record evidence and gaps. “Training complete” is too vague if only the project team attended. Identify which roles must be able to perform which tasks.
Give gaps a decision route
A red item does not always mean cancellation, and an amber item does not automatically mean proceed. State the consequence, available response and authority required to accept the remaining exposure.
Do not hide several important concerns inside an average readiness score. A single unresolved critical condition may determine the whole decision. Agree those conditions before the meeting so the launch deadline does not quietly redefine them.
An illustrative launch decision
A service business plans to introduce a new booking process. The workflow passes its normal checks, but the nominated support owner will be absent during the first operating week. The review considers a trained backup, a different launch window or a smaller first group.
The sponsor records the chosen option, outstanding conditions and the evidence required before proceeding. This is a hypothetical example, not a rule that a smaller rollout is always safe.
Record the decision and first review
State who authorised go-live, the scope covered, conditions attached and who can stop or escalate if early operation differs from expectations. Set the first operational check while the project team is still available.
Related guidance: small-team project planning guide.
If your launch discussions focus on dates while readiness remains unclear, Hili Consulting can help build a practical review that makes the decision and its conditions explicit.
