Checklist for Launching SaaS Products

Launching a SaaS product successfully requires meticulous planning across technical, product, business, and operational dimensions. After launching multiple SaaS products, we've compiled this comprehensive checklist that covers everything from infrastructure setup to post-launch monitoring. Use this as your launch bible.

Technical Checklist

Infrastructure & Deployment

Production Environment

• [ ] Production environment configured and tested (separate from staging/dev)
• [ ] Environment variables properly set (never commit secrets)
• [ ] Database migrations tested in production-like environment
• [ ] Database backups automated (daily minimum, more frequent for critical data)
• [ ] Backup restoration process tested (backups are useless if you can't restore)
• [ ] CDN configured for static assets (Cloudflare, AWS CloudFront, or Vercel Edge)
• [ ] SSL certificates installed and valid (auto-renewal configured)
• [ ] Domain DNS properly configured (A records, CNAME records)
• [ ] Email delivery service configured (SendGrid, AWS SES, Postmark)
• [ ] File storage configured (AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, or similar)

Monitoring & Observability

• [ ] Application monitoring set up (Datadog, New Relic, or open-source like Prometheus)
• [ ] Error tracking configured (Sentry, Rollbar, or Bugsnag)
• [ ] Uptime monitoring configured (UptimeRobot, Pingdom, or StatusCake)
• [ ] Log aggregation set up (LogRocket, Datadog Logs, or ELK stack)
• [ ] Performance monitoring (Web Vitals tracking, APM tools)
• [ ] Alerting configured (email, Slack, PagerDuty for critical issues)
• [ ] Dashboard created for key metrics (response times, error rates, user activity)

Security Essentials

Authentication & Authorization

• [ ] Secure authentication implemented (OAuth 2.0, JWT with proper expiration)
• [ ] Password hashing using bcrypt or Argon2 (never store plain text)
• [ ] Multi-factor authentication available (optional but recommended)
• [ ] Session management secure (httpOnly cookies, CSRF protection)
• [ ] Role-based access control (RBAC) implemented
• [ ] API authentication tokens properly scoped and rotated

Application Security

• [ ] API rate limiting configured (prevent abuse and DDoS)
• [ ] Input validation on all forms and API endpoints
• [ ] SQL injection prevention (use parameterized queries, ORM)
• [ ] XSS protection implemented (Content Security Policy headers)
• [ ] HTTPS enforced everywhere (redirect HTTP to HTTPS)
• [ ] Security headers configured (HSTS, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options)
• [ ] CORS properly configured (don't allow all origins)
• [ ] File upload validation (type, size limits, virus scanning if handling user uploads)
• [ ] Secrets management (use environment variables, AWS Secrets Manager, or HashiCorp Vault)

Data Protection

• [ ] Sensitive data encrypted at rest (database encryption)
• [ ] Data encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+)
• [ ] PII (Personally Identifiable Information) handling compliant
• [ ] Data retention policies defined
• [ ] User data export functionality (GDPR requirement)

Performance Optimization

Frontend Performance

• [ ] Page load times optimized (< 3 seconds on 3G)
• [ ] Core Web Vitals passing (LCP < 2.5s, FID < 100ms, CLS < 0.1)
• [ ] JavaScript bundles optimized (code splitting, tree shaking)
• [ ] Image optimization implemented (WebP format, lazy loading, responsive images)
• [ ] Font optimization (subset fonts, use font-display: swap)
• [ ] Caching strategy in place (browser caching, CDN caching)
• [ ] Critical CSS inlined
• [ ] Unused CSS removed (PurgeCSS or similar)

Backend Performance

• [ ] Database queries optimized (indexes on foreign keys and frequently queried fields)
• [ ] N+1 query problems eliminated (use eager loading, data loaders)
• [ ] Database connection pooling configured
• [ ] API response times acceptable (< 200ms for most endpoints)
• [ ] Caching implemented (Redis, Memcached, or in-memory cache)
• [ ] Background job processing set up (for long-running tasks)
• [ ] Database read replicas configured (if needed for scale)

Mobile Performance

• [ ] Mobile performance tested on real devices
• [ ] Touch targets adequate size (minimum 44x44px)
• [ ] Mobile-specific optimizations (reduced data usage, simplified UI)
• [ ] Offline functionality (if applicable, using service workers)

Product Checklist

Core Features & Functionality

User Flows

• [ ] All critical user flows tested end-to-end (signup → first value → retention)
• [ ] Onboarding flow complete and tested (clear, helpful, not overwhelming)
• [ ] Core feature functionality working as expected
• [ ] Edge cases handled (empty states, error states, loading states)
• [ ] Form validation working (client-side and server-side)
• [ ] File uploads/downloads working (if applicable)
• [ ] Email notifications working (welcome emails, password resets, etc.)

User Experience

• [ ] Responsive design tested on multiple devices (desktop, tablet, mobile)
• [ ] Browser compatibility verified (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• [ ] Accessibility basics implemented (WCAG AA compliance)
• [ ] Keyboard navigation works
• [ ] Screen reader compatible (ARIA labels, semantic HTML)
• [ ] Color contrast meets standards
• [ ] Focus indicators visible
• [ ] User feedback mechanisms in place (in-app feedback, support email, chat)
• [ ] Help documentation accessible (help center, tooltips, onboarding)

Error Handling

• [ ] Error states designed and implemented
• [ ] User-friendly error messages (no technical jargon)
• [ ] 404 pages customized
• [ ] 500 error pages with helpful messaging
• [ ] Network error handling (retry logic, offline detection)

Business Checklist

Billing & Payments

Payment Integration

• [ ] Payment gateway integrated and tested (Stripe, Paddle, or similar)
• [ ] Test transactions completed successfully
• [ ] Subscription management implemented (create, update, cancel)
• [ ] Invoice generation working
• [ ] Receipt emails sent automatically
• [ ] Refund process defined and tested
• [ ] Proration logic correct (upgrades/downgrades)
• [ ] Trial periods working correctly
• [ ] Dunning management (failed payment retry logic)

Pricing & Plans

• [ ] Pricing page clear and accurate
• [ ] Plan comparison table (if multiple tiers)
• [ ] Feature comparison visible
• [ ] Upgrade/downgrade flows tested
• [ ] Usage-based billing working (if applicable)
• [ ] Overage charges calculated correctly (if applicable)

Legal & Compliance

Required Legal Documents

• [ ] Terms of Service published and linked in footer
• [ ] Privacy Policy published and GDPR compliant (if serving EU users)
• [ ] Cookie consent implemented (if using analytics/tracking cookies)
• [ ] Data Processing Agreement (DPA) available for enterprise customers
• [ ] Service Level Agreement (SLA) defined (if offering uptime guarantees)

Compliance

• [ ] GDPR compliance (if serving EU users)
• [ ] Right to access data
• [ ] Right to deletion
• [ ] Data portability
• [ ] Consent management
• [ ] CCPA compliance (if serving California users)
• [ ] PCI DSS compliance (if handling credit card data directly)
• [ ] HIPAA compliance (if handling health data)

Marketing & Growth

Landing Page

• [ ] Landing page optimized (clear value proposition, strong CTA)
• [ ] SEO basics implemented (meta tags, structured data, sitemap)
• [ ] Page speed optimized (Google PageSpeed Insights score > 90)
• [ ] Social sharing previews configured (Open Graph, Twitter Cards)
• [ ] Analytics tracking configured (Google Analytics, Posthog, Mixpanel)

Content & Communication

• [ ] Blog/content strategy defined (if applicable)
• [ ] Email templates prepared (welcome, onboarding, feature announcements)
• [ ] Social media accounts ready (Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
• [ ] Press kit prepared (if planning media outreach)
• [ ] Case studies or testimonials ready (if available)

Growth Tools

• [ ] Referral program set up (if applicable)
• [ ] In-app announcements system (for feature launches)
• [ ] Email marketing tool integrated (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, etc.)
• [ ] A/B testing framework ready (if planning experiments)

Pre-Launch Testing

User Testing

Beta Testing

• [ ] Beta testing completed with real users (minimum 10-20 users)
• [ ] Feedback collected and documented
• [ ] Feedback prioritized (critical, high, medium, low)
• [ ] Critical issues fixed before launch
• [ ] User testimonials collected (if possible)

Quality Assurance

• [ ] All user flows tested manually
• [ ] Cross-browser testing completed
• [ ] Mobile testing on iOS and Android
• [ ] Accessibility testing (using screen readers, keyboard navigation)
• [ ] Performance testing (load times, API response times)

Load Testing

Performance Under Load

• [ ] Expected traffic load tested (use tools like k6, Artillery, or Locust)
• [ ] Database performance under load verified
• [ ] API rate limits tested and appropriate
• [ ] Concurrent user limits understood
• [ ] Auto-scaling configured (if using cloud infrastructure)
• [ ] Database connection limits adequate
• [ ] CDN caching working correctly

Stress Testing

• [ ] System behavior under peak load understood
• [ ] Degradation graceful (not catastrophic failure)
• [ ] Monitoring alerts trigger at appropriate thresholds

Launch Day Checklist

Pre-Launch (24 Hours Before)

• [ ] Final backup before launch
• [ ] All team members briefed on launch plan
• [ ] Support channels ready (email, chat, help center)
• [ ] Support team trained on common issues
• [ ] Monitoring dashboards open and visible
• [ ] Rollback plan prepared and tested
• [ ] Communication plan ready (announcement posts, emails)

Launch Day

• [ ] Final smoke tests completed
• [ ] DNS changes propagated (check with DNS checker tools)
• [ ] SSL certificates valid
• [ ] Monitoring dashboards active
• [ ] Team on standby for quick fixes
• [ ] Launch announcement published
• [ ] Social media posts scheduled
• [ ] Email to existing users/beta testers sent

Post-Launch (First 24 Hours)

• [ ] Monitor error rates closely (set up alerts)
• [ ] Watch key metrics (signups, active users, conversions)
• [ ] Check server resources (CPU, memory, database connections)
• [ ] Review user feedback channels
• [ ] Address critical issues immediately
• [ ] Communicate any issues transparently

Post-Launch Monitoring

Key Metrics to Track

Product Metrics

• Daily/Monthly Active Users (DAU/MAU)
• User signup rate
• Activation rate (% of users who complete onboarding)
• Feature adoption rates
• User retention (Day 1, Day 7, Day 30)
• Churn rate

Business Metrics

• Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
• Lifetime Value (LTV)
• Conversion rate (visitor to signup, signup to paid)
• Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

Technical Metrics

• Uptime percentage
• Average response time
• Error rate
• API success rate
• Page load times

Ongoing Maintenance

Weekly

• Review error logs
• Check performance metrics
• Review user feedback
• Plan next iteration

Monthly

• Analyze user behavior patterns
• Review and optimize database queries
• Update dependencies (security patches)
• Review and update documentation

Common Launch Mistakes to Avoid

Launching Too Early

Don't launch with critical bugs or missing core functionality. Users' first impression matters—you only get one chance.

Launching Too Late

Don't wait for perfection. If you've tested with users and core functionality works, launch. You can iterate based on real feedback.

Ignoring Mobile

Mobile traffic often exceeds desktop. If your product doesn't work well on mobile, you're losing users.

Poor Onboarding

Users need to see value quickly. If onboarding is confusing or takes too long, they'll leave. Make it simple and guide them to their "aha moment."

No Monitoring

Launching without proper monitoring is like flying blind. You won't know if something breaks or if users are struggling.

Ignoring Feedback

Users will tell you what's wrong. Listen, prioritize, and fix. Every piece of feedback is valuable data.

Conclusion

A thorough launch checklist ensures nothing critical is missed. However, remember that this is a starting point—customize it based on your specific product needs, industry requirements, and business model. The goal isn't to check every box perfectly, but to ensure you've thought through the critical aspects of launching a SaaS product successfully.

Launch day is just the beginning. The real work starts after launch: listening to users, iterating based on feedback, and continuously improving your product. Good luck with your launch!