How to run a product launch squad

A launch mission runs as a closed loop on the Go-to-Market Squad. You draw the path in the mission goals: the release, the date, and what would stop the launch. The Mission Commander works inside that path and assigns the plan to Launch. Steering is the approval step. Launch writes the timeline. It does not send the announcement.

The squad you import

The template is the Go-to-Market Squad, on /squads. It ships with six agents. This mission uses Launch, the Launch Manager. Launch builds a timeline with owners, channels, and a go/no-go checklist, and can design a lead magnet, a referral program, and the onboarding flow when those are in the goals.

Scout, Reach, Ring, Pitch, and Price are on the same template. They get cards only if the goals include a prospect list, cold email, calls, a battlecard, or pricing. You can remove the agents this mission does not need.

You do this in the xSquads desktop app, on a folder of your own files. Mac now, with Windows coming soon. The product page is xSquads for Work.

How the mission runs

Step 1. Import the Go-to-Market Squad

Open the squad templates and import the Go-to-Market Squad onto the mission. Keep Launch. Remove Scout, Reach, Ring, Pitch, and Price if the goals are only the launch plan.

Step 2. Connect treg and Vapi

The Go-to-Market Squad page lists two connections the template needs before it runs. treg pulls live lead and company data. Vapi places and records outbound calls. Connect both when you import the squad, because the template requires them. This mission's goals are the launch plan, not a list and not a dial, so Scout, Reach, and Ring should still not get cards.

Step 3. Create the mission and set the goals

Create the mission and write the goals in plain language. Those goals are the path: what is launching, the date, the channels, and the conditions that stop it. Point the mission at the local folder with the release notes and the owner list. The commander does not get to widen that path. A goal you can start from, as written on the squad page: plan next month's launch with owners and a go/no-go checklist. Add a lead magnet or an onboarding flow only if you want those cards.

Step 4. Let the Mission Commander assign the work

Save the mission. The Mission Commander creates tasks on the task board and assigns them only inside the goals you wrote. Launch takes the timeline, the owners, the channels, and the go/no-go checklist. If you asked for a lead magnet or an onboarding flow, those cards go to Launch too. Reach should not get an email card, and Ring should not get a calling plan, unless you added those goals.

Step 5. Add a task, steer, and approve before the plan is treated as final

Steering is the approval step. Add a task on the board, or correct the Mission Commander in the group chat, when a channel or an owner is wrong. A useful task to add yourself: move the partner email out of week one and add it to the go/no-go list as a dependency. Launch does not send the announcement. Start by approving the whole plan.

How much to review

Start by approving everything. Autonomy is a dial, not a switch you flip because the checklist looks complete.

Always sign off the date, the owners, and the go/no-go conditions yourself. Raise the dial only when later plans need small owner edits. A channel that was not in the goals goes back. xSquads does not ship the release.

What the goals have to name

The release, the date, and the channels that are in. Name the channels that are out.
Owners. Launch does not assign a person who is not on the list you provided.
The go/no-go conditions, in your words.
Lead magnet, referral, and onboarding only if you want them. Each is a Launch job on the squad page, and each is out until the goals say so.
Sending stays with you. Cold email and calls are a different mission on this same squad.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which agent owns the launch plan?

Launch, the Launch Manager, on the Go-to-Market Squad. Nova on the Marketing Squad plans campaigns. This mission is the launch timeline, the owners, and the go/no-go checklist.

Why connect treg and Vapi if nobody is calling?

The template requires both before the Go-to-Market Squad runs. That is what the squad page lists. The goals still decide the cards. Prospecting and dialling stay off the board unless you add them.

What is the go/no-go checklist?

The conditions you wrote for stopping or starting. Launch turns them into the plan. You decide. The squad does not ship.

Does Launch send the announcement?

No. The plan waits in Review. Email and calls on this squad are Reach and Ring, and they also wait for approval. This mission does not assign them.

Can I keep only Launch?

Yes. A template is a starting point. Remove the other agents if the goals are only the launch plan. Connect treg and Vapi anyway, because the template still lists them.