> Source: https://builder-docs.ema.ai/testing-operations/launch-checklist
> Title: Launch Checklist

# Launch Checklist

Use this checklist to verify readiness before launching an AI Employee to production. These phases apply to both first-time and improvement launches.

## Phase 1: Testing Preparation

-    Gather all known use cases into one place (template or GWE-based).
-    **For Chat AI Employees:**
    -    Create a diverse query testbed (languages, synonyms, company lexicon).
    -    Include follow-up queries (relevant and irrelevant).
    -    Cover different user types (for personalization).
    -    Flag deprioritized or out-of-scope cases.
    -    Write golden responses with required facts, tone, and disclaimers.
-    **For Dashboard AI Employees:**
    -    Build varied test input combinations.
    -    Include representative document types (scanned, blurry, image-heavy).
    -    Exclude irrelevant document formats.
-    Identify and flag HITL-required test cases.
-    Prepare a sandbox environment if production data is unavailable.

## Phase 2: Progressive Testing

-    Build and test the workflow incrementally.
-    Optimize for full use-case coverage before polish.
-    Publish intermediate outputs or responses for debugging.
-    Use Show Work in GWE to debug responses.

## Phase 3: User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

-    Run all test cases end-to-end, impersonating different users.
-    Simulate production-scale usage.
-    Remove all intermediate outputs and debug artifacts.
-    Nominate actual users as testers and collect feedback.

## Phase 4: Testing Existing AI Employees

-    Create a copy of the AI Employee for safe testing (see [Seamless Upgrade](/legacy-docs/testing-operations/seamless-upgrade)).
-    Test new branches or flows in isolation before merging.
-    Save copies of all workflows for regression tracking.
-    Annotate changes with corresponding test results.
-    Conduct blind evaluations against humans for benchmarking.
-    Use HITL or disclaimers for lower-confidence cases.

## Phase 5: Launch Planning

-    Plan a limited first launch:
    -    Small user group.
    -    High-impact test cases.
-    Define rollout phases with audience, timelines, and exit criteria.

## Phase 6: Workflow Enablement

-    Switch app connections from sandbox to production.
-    Confirm the AI Employee name and description are user-appropriate.
-    Resolve all pending issues before enabling the workflow.

## Phase 7: User Access Setup

-    Add AI Employee-level admins.
-    Add regular users as guests (if needed).
    -   For embedded chatbots, skip guest addition.
    -   For project-based tools, nominate project-level admins.

## Phase 8: Launch Communication

-    Send a launch announcement with usage examples.
-    Run an onboarding webinar with a deck and live demo.
-    Share training material and webinar recording.
-    Schedule post-launch office hours (2--4 weeks).
-    Share a feedback and bug tracking form or sheet.