The Three Phases Of A Software Launch (From Someone Who Just Learned Them…)
This past week was a momentous one in Metric Collective history. For the first time in our young life, we released version two of a consumer facing software. (This contrasts with our previous activities of releasing internal software or building consumer software for the first time.)
And it’s been a hell of a week.
If you work at Metric Collective, it’s nearly impossible that you didn’t learn something this week. If you work on FranFunnel, then you probably have a treasure trove of experiences to call on for future reference.
As the current General Manager of FranFunnel, in addition to having a tome’s worth of lessons, I think I could use a vodka martini and a good night’s sleep.
But, as usual, in lieu of a little rest, I feel compelled to put some thoughts on paper. And in this case, it’s a framework for you to use next time you find yourself launching anything new, software or otherwise.
I’m calling it The Three Phases Of A Product Launch.
PHASE I — The “Make Sure S*** Ain’t Broke Phase”
This is probably the one that’s the most intuitive and most important. When you’re swapping out something new for something old, the new thing needs to work…well. Obviously, bug-free software is an impossibility. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t do everything in your power to mitigate their effect. In this phase, it’s an all hands-on deck mentality. What’s going wrong? Why? How do we fix it? Yes, it’s a little stressful, but I actually found it to be pretty fun.
PHASE II — The “Yes, I’m Aware This Version Works Differently Than The Previous One Phase”
I think this is the phase that worried me the most, the one where all our users figured out that not everything from the old version made it to the new one. We may alternatively call this the “Screw Facebook. This latest change is the last straw phase.” People really react hard when you take away something they’re used to. We took out quite a bit in the new version and unsurprisingly, people noticed. Some of the conversations you have to use the iron fist, others the velvet glove. While uncomfortable, this phase was also manageable.
PHASE III — The “Snow Globe Phase”
Now this is the one that I had no clue existed, and frankly, it was the most difficult. It seems that FranFunnel is like a snow globe. For the last few months, given that we had reached some state of equilibrium on everything, our users seem to have been lulled into a calmness where they didn’t think too analytically about us. Then, the second that the new version was released, the snow globe was shook up and everything was up for discussion again.
The vast majority of conversations we’ve had this week have had literally nothing to do with the relaunch. It’s been people who “have been meaning to talk to us about something.” These have been some of the more bizarre interactions of my professional life. Their juxtaposition to the relaunch has been infuriating and distracting. Yet, it has dawned on me that these are just as important as the others. When customers need you, they need you. Regardless of context. Your ability to handle the snow globe will make or break your launch.
Eli Robinson is the COO of Metric Collective and the General Manger of FranFunnel. You’ll find him this evening at a local watering hole in Minneapolis, MN.
