Countdown to go-live: your scenario-based deployment checklist

In deployment planning, it’s easy to get caught up in checklists and deadlines. But using analogies can bring clarity and help teams see the bigger picture.  

Think of a year-long rollout like planning a wedding, a nine-month build like expecting a child, a 36-hour launch like election day, and a crisis response like a war room.  

These scenarios give each type of deployment its own pace, risks, and team dynamics, helping everyone understand not just what to do, but why it matters. 

The wedding day deployment

Scenario  

Think of this like planning a big wedding. You have about a year to get everything in place: booking the venue, sending out invites, and working with vendors like the florist and photographer.  

There are lots of moving parts, and on the big day, everything needs to come together perfectly. The guests arrive, the ceremony starts on time, and the band plays the right song at just the right moment. 

The baby being born deployment 

Scenario  

This is like expecting a baby. You have about nine months to build something from scratch.  

Your internal team takes care of everything from design and development to testing. It’s fully in-house, and when the big day comes, you want everything to be ready for a great launch. 

The election day deployment 

Scenario  

This one is like election day. You have just 36 hours to finalise, test and launch your app. The code is ready and feature complete, but everything needs to work perfectly.  

There is no room for mistakes because even a small slip could have serious consequences.  

You need full confidence before going live. 

The war room deployment 

Scenario  

A critical service is down or a serious vulnerability has just been discovered.  

You bring everyone together right away. It is an “all hands on deck” situation with your internal team working closely with partners to fix the issue as quickly as possible and prevent it from spreading.  

The goal is to act fast, communicate clearly and restore service without delay.

 Download check list here