✅ Market Launch Checklist
This checklist is built from the Reality Check — the dependency gaps and failure patterns that appear in every rollout. Work through it in order. Do not start UAT until Phase 1 is complete.
How to Use This Checklist
Each item has a risk level and a go/no-go gate. Items marked 🔴 are hard blockers — launch cannot proceed safely without them. Items marked 🟡 should be confirmed before UAT begins. Items marked 🟢 are polish items that should be done before launch day.
Phase 1 — Foundation (Must be complete before any testing)
1.1 Byte Portal access & Users
Go / No-Go Gate
Testing cannot begin until the team has scoped Byte Portal access.
- Byte Portal environment is provisioned for the market
- Market admin users invited and assigned correct roles (RBAC)
- Scope Guard verified — users cannot access out-of-market data
- MFA enabled for all Byte Portal users
1.2 Store Configuration
Go / No-Go Gate
Customers cannot order if stores are missing or misconfigured.
- All launch stores created in Byte Portal with correct store data
- Trading hours entered in the correct local timezone (common failure point)
- Store real-time state integrated with POS (open/paused/closed reflects live state)
- Store groups configured with correct hierarchy — no cycles
- Throttling policies set (order limits per time window) if applicable
1.3 Menu
Go / No-Go Gate
Customers see no menu if the publication pipeline is not complete.
- Menu content fully authored in Byte Menu (not Portal)
- Menu version published in Byte Menu for all launch channels
- Menu version assigned to the market in Byte Portal
- Menu tested: correct items, prices, and modifiers show per store/channel
- Delivery-only and collection-only items correctly scoped by channel
- Nutrition and allergen data authored in Byte Menu (if required by market)
1.4 Tax Configuration
Go / No-Go Gate
Incorrect tax causes incorrect pricing at checkout — a financial and compliance risk.
- Tax profile created for market with correct rates and categories
- Tax rules verified against local tax law with Finance sign-off
- Tax profile assigned to market in Byte Portal
- End-to-end checkout test shows correct tax breakdown
1.5 Payments / PSP
Go / No-Go Gate
Payments cannot process if the PSP is not configured end-to-end.
- PSP contract in place for market
- PSP credentials stored in the Vault (NOT in Byte Portal directly)
- PSP profile created in Byte Portal with correct payment methods enabled
- Routing rules configured (channel/market-specific routing)
- Surcharge and fee policies configured (if applicable)
- End-to-end card payment tested successfully in staging
Phase 2 — Channels & Experiences (Must be complete before UAT)
2.1 Localisation
Pre-UAT Gate
Wrong localisation means customers see incorrect menus, prices, or text.
- Market configured in Byte Portal / Config service with correct locale
- Language/locale detection tested (geo-IP and explicit selection)
- Translation keys complete for all UI strings — run coverage report
- Missing translations confirmed to fall back to English correctly (not to blank fields)
2.2 Order Modes
Pre-UAT Gate
Order mode is the entry point — if this fails, no order can be placed.
- Collection mode tested end-to-end: store selection → menu → checkout → order placed
- Delivery mode tested end-to-end: address entry → coverage check → menu → checkout → order placed
- Delivery coverage zones configured in Byte Portal / Geo service (if delivery enabled)
- Delivery mode disabled for markets not supporting delivery
- Store state (open/closed) correctly blocks ordering from closed stores
2.3 Identity & Accounts
- OTP email sign-in tested (registration and login)
- Google OAuth tested (if enabled for market)
- Apple Sign-In tested (if enabled for market)
- Profile edit, communication preferences, and account deletion working
- Guest checkout path tested (no account required)
2.4 Promotions
Pre-UAT Gate
Mis-scoped promos can be redeemed by the wrong market or channel.
- All launch promotions configured in Byte Portal with correct:
- Market scoping (not global unless intended)
- Channel scoping (delivery vs. collection where applicable)
- Date range (start and end dates set)
- Budget limits (redemption caps configured)
- Promo code tested: applies correctly, invalid code returns error but keeps cart
- Promotion does not stack with other promos unless stacking is intended
2.5 Loyalty (If market is launching with Loyalty)
- Loyalty programme enabled for market with Global Loyalty team
- Loyalty onboarding flow tested for new sign-ups
- Points balance shows correctly post-order
- Rewards catalogue shows correct rewards for market
- Reward redemption tested end-to-end
- Challenges configured (if applicable)
- Birthday / sign-up reward triggers configured
2.6 Delivery Tracking (If market has real-time tracking)
- 3P logistics integration confirmed and tested
- Real-time ETA shown correctly on order tracking screen
- Fallback behaviour confirmed if tracking events are delayed
Phase 3 — Content & Legal (Must be complete before launch day)
3.1 CMS Content
These will be visible to customers on day one.
- Homepage content authored and published in CMS
- About / Our History page published
- FAQ content authored and published
- Careers / job board configured (if applicable)
3.2 Legal & Compliance
- Terms & Conditions published in Legal CMS for market locale and effective date
- Privacy Policy published for market locale
- Cookie categories configured in CMP per local cookie law
- Cookie consent banner tested — preferences correctly stored
Phase 4 — Operations (Before go-live sign-off)
4.1 Feature Flags
- All market-specific feature flags reviewed and set correctly in Byte Portal
- Kill-switch flags identified for critical features
- Flag configuration tested in staging — no unexpected features enabled or disabled
4.2 Webhooks & Integrations (If applicable)
- Webhook subscriptions configured for third-party systems
- Subscriber endpoints confirmed as idempotent (handle duplicate events safely)
- DLQ (Dead Letter Queue) monitored and alerts configured
4.3 Refunds & Ops
- Refund policy configured in Byte Portal (caps, time limits, approver rules)
- Ops team has Byte Portal access to process refunds
- Order search tested with correct role-based PII access
4.4 Observability
- Health checks and SLO dashboards configured for the market
- Alert rules active for checkout, payment, and tracking services
- Audit log access confirmed for compliance team
Final Sign-Off
| Area | Owner | Signed Off |
|---|---|---|
| Store & Menu configuration | Market Byte Portal Admin | ☐ |
| Tax configuration | Finance | ☐ |
| PSP / Payments | Payments team | ☐ |
| Promotions scoping | Marketing / Byte Portal Admin | ☐ |
| Legal & compliance content | Legal team | ☐ |
| Translation completeness | Localisation team | ☐ |
| Feature flags | Product team | ☐ |
| End-to-end UAT passed | QA / Launch team | ☐ |
Related reading
- Reality Check — the failure patterns this checklist is designed to prevent
- Capability Boundaries — who owns what before you raise the wrong ticket