Technology company Smartsheet’s Release Readiness Process is a comprehensive, structured program designed to prepare all Go-To-Market (GTM) teams for product launches. It focuses on enabling consistent delivery, reducing product manager (PM) burdens, and ensuring successful adoption of new features.
Program Details
Key content types include product briefs (owned by PMs) and product guides, help articles, and iKB/seismic docs (drafted by technical writers). The program also generates enablement training such as eLearnings, microlearnings, and SmartToks (short TikTok-style videos).
The delivery process follows a structured timeline starting 90 days before general availability (GA):
- Early Visibility (Pre-GA): Feature sheets and a GTM Tracker notify the Readiness team to prepare training and launch plans.
- Level of Impact Assessment (GA -90 days): Product officers from all lines of business (LoBs) grade each launch on a scale of 1 to 3 (1 = highly impactful; 2 = somewhat impactful; 3 = minimal/no impact).
- Weekly Meeting (GA -90 days): Based on impact scores, a weekly meeting determines the appropriate enablement plan: eLearning for heavy impact, microlearning for minor impact, Smart Talks for awareness, or communications for minimal impact.
- Kickoff Meeting (GA -60 days): For impactful launches (scores 1 or 2), a 15-minute presentation by product teams for product council stakeholders is held.
- Train the Trainer (GA -30 days): For launches requiring eLearning, a deeper session dives into messaging, positioning, and key details for different lines of business. eLearning development (a two-week cycle) starts here, utilizing product briefs and documentation. These eLearnings include general sections and role-specific paths developed with input from product officers, PMs, and product marketing managers.
- Training Availability (GA -14 days): Line-of-business training is available on platforms such as Smartsheet University.
- Enablement Release Cadence: Training and enablement content are released every two weeks, mirroring the train-the-trainer cadence.
The use of a GTM Checklist and Readiness WorkApp helps track milestones and confirm readiness.
Success is measured by three key evaluation metrics:
- Training Completions: Goal of 95 percent for all Customer Excellence (CE) teams (excluding COJ and PS Sales)
- Launch Readiness: Goal of 85 percent completion of milestones on the launch checklist for all Tier 1-4 releases
- Stakeholder Satisfaction: A target score of 4.5 on a bi-annual satisfaction survey regarding the process and deliverables
The program includes a Product/CE Monthly Q&A (GA +30 days) to address outstanding questions and ensure answers are added to technical FAQs, as well as a Quarterly Enablement Session that reviews all releases from the previous quarter. Reinforcement also can be added to monthly manager packs that managers use to go over trainings that have been determined to need reinforcement.
Results
- Increased Cross-Functional Collaboration: Teams now use a standardized, shared process and a single platform, replacing fragmented, siloed efforts.
- Proactive Planning: The tiered process and gating requirements encourage teams to plan for every aspect of a launch well in advance, from messaging to sales enablement, rather than reacting to last-minute needs.
- Improved Communication and Accountability: With clear deliverables and assigned owners, teams demonstrate a greater sense of accountability and transparency. They proactively communicate progress and potential risks during scheduled check-ins.
- Scalable and Repeatable Processes: The use of a release checklist ensures all GTM teams have the necessary information, enabling the efficient management of a large volume of launches (e.g., 498 launches managed and 366 launched through GA in fiscal year 2025).
- On-Time Releases: Consistent delivery of enablement ensures teams have the information needed for timely releases, contributing to market competitiveness and customer satisfaction.
- High Stakeholder Satisfaction: A goal of 4.5 on a bi-annual satisfaction survey demonstrates the program’s effectiveness in meeting the needs of internal stakeholders regarding its process and deliverables.
