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Launch Plan
Spec Source: Document 19 — Launch & Rollout Plan | Last Updated: February 2026
DoCurious launches through a staged rollout, not a single event. The platform serves six user roles with different onboarding needs, COPPA compliance requirements, and feature dependencies. Each stage validates specific assumptions, sets measurable exit criteria, and gates progression to the next phase.
STATUS: PLANNED
The launch plan is a specification document. No launch infrastructure (feature flags for stage gating, metrics dashboards, rollback automation) has been implemented yet. The frontend prototype operates in a pre-alpha state with mock data. Feature flags exist in the codebase (useFeatureFlagStore) and could be adapted for stage-gated rollout.
Overview
The rollout proceeds through six stages, each building on the validation from the previous one:
[Alpha] → [Closed Beta] → [School Pilot] → [Open Beta] → [Public Launch] → [Growth]| Stage | Duration | Users | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | 4--6 weeks | Internal team (5--10) | Core functionality validation |
| Closed Beta | 6--8 weeks | Invited users (50--100) | Real-world testing, feedback collection |
| School Pilot | 8--12 weeks | 3--5 schools (~50 classrooms) | Full school workflow validation |
| Open Beta | 4--6 weeks | Public signup with "beta" label | Scale testing, broader feedback |
| Public Launch | Ongoing | General availability | Marketing push, full feature set |
| Growth | Ongoing | Expansion | New schools, vendors, markets |
Key principle: Each stage has explicit exit criteria. The team does not advance to the next stage until all criteria are met. This is a go/no-go decision at each gate, not a calendar-driven schedule.
Stage 1: Alpha Testing
STATUS: PLANNED
Alpha testing has not begun. The frontend prototype with mock data constitutes pre-alpha work. Real API integration, seed data creation, and test scenario planning are prerequisites.
Goals
- Validate core user flows end-to-end
- Identify critical bugs and UX issues
- Stress-test Track Record creation and verification
- Validate data model and API design
Feature Scope
Enabled in Alpha:
| Feature | Notes |
|---|---|
| Account creation | General user role only |
| Challenge browse and search | Explore page with filters |
| Challenge start and Track Record creation | Full lifecycle |
| TR submission and staff verification | End-to-end flow |
| Basic gamification | XP and levels only |
| Basic profile and settings | Core account management |
Not enabled in Alpha:
- School features (SA, teacher, student, parent roles)
- Vendor accounts and vendor dashboard
- Communities (all types)
- Gifting and invitations
- Calendar view and events
- Portfolio export
- Email and push notifications (in-app only)
Content Requirements
- 20--30 seed challenges created by internal team
- Across 5--6 categories
- Mix of difficulties and time commitments
- Focus on challenges testable without special equipment or locations
Testers
- Internal team members and close contacts (5--10 people)
- Each tester assigned specific test scenarios
- Daily standup on findings during the alpha period
Exit Criteria
| Criterion | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Core user flows | All complete without critical bugs |
| TR creation, submission, verification | Working end-to-end |
| XP, levels, and badges | Functioning correctly |
| Page load times | Meet performance targets (Doc 13) |
| Data integrity | No data loss or corruption issues |
| Security | Authentication flows secure, no exposed endpoints |
Stage 2: Closed Beta
STATUS: PLANNED
Closed beta has not begun. Depends on successful alpha completion and real backend deployment. Beta user recruitment infrastructure (landing page, application form) does not yet exist.
Goals
- Validate product-market fit with real users
- Test onboarding flow effectiveness
- Gather qualitative feedback on challenge quality and UX
- Test notification and email delivery systems
- Load test with real concurrent users
Additional Features Enabled
Building on everything from Alpha, Closed Beta adds:
| Feature | Notes |
|---|---|
| Full onboarding flow | Multi-step with role selection |
| Email notifications | Transactional and service emails |
| Push notifications | Web push |
| Basic communities | Platform-created only, not user-created |
| Dealer's Choice | Random challenge selection mechanic |
| Streak tracking | Weekly streak system |
| Badge system (full) | All 7 badge categories |
| Journey Map | Category exploration visualization |
| Bucket List and Interesting List | Full save-for-later flows |
Content Expansion
- 50--75 challenges (up from 20--30)
- 8--10 categories populated
- 3--5 early vendors onboarded (hand-recruited)
- 1--2 learning paths created
Beta User Recruitment
- Application-based: landing page with signup form
- Target demographics: mix of ages (13+), interests, and locations
- Prioritize users who will actively provide feedback
- Size: 50--100 users
Feedback Collection
| Method | Frequency | Details |
|---|---|---|
| In-app feedback widget | Continuous | Quick rating + comment on any page |
| Survey | Weekly | Short (5 questions max) |
| User interviews | As scheduled | 10--15 users, opt-in |
| Bug reporting | Continuous | Dedicated channel (email or form, not public) |
| Feature request tracking | Continuous | Aggregated and prioritized by team |
Beta Metrics
| Metric | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Registration completion rate | Onboarding funnel health |
| Day 1, 7, 14, 30 retention | User stickiness over time |
| Time to first challenge start | Activation speed |
| Time to first TR submission | Core loop completion speed |
| Challenge completion rate | Content engagement quality |
| Onboarding step drop-off | Where users abandon setup |
| NPS score (day 7 and day 30) | Overall product sentiment |
Exit Criteria
| Criterion | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Onboarding completion rate | > 75% |
| Day 7 retention | > 40% |
| Critical/high-severity bugs | 0 open |
| Email delivery rate | > 95% |
| NPS score | > 30 |
| Qualitative feedback | Indicates clear product value |
| Performance under load | Meets targets at 100 concurrent users |
Stage 3: School Pilot
STATUS: PLANNED
The school pilot depends on completed school administration features (Doc 6). The frontend has 19 school page components built with mock data, but backend integration, COPPA consent collection, and real roster import are prerequisites. See School Administration for current implementation status.
Goals
- Validate the full school workflow: SA → teacher → student → parent
- Test COPPA compliance flows with real under-13 users
- Validate roster management and class assignment workflows at scale
- Test teacher Track Record verification flow with real class sizes
- Gather school-specific feedback for iteration before broader rollout
School Selection Criteria
Target 3--5 schools, diverse across:
| Dimension | Range |
|---|---|
| School size | Small (< 200), Medium (200--500), Large (500+) |
| Grade levels | Elementary, middle, high school |
| Geography | Urban, suburban, rural |
| Tech readiness | Varying levels of device access |
Additional requirements:
- Each school must have an enthusiastic administrator champion
- Willing to sign a pilot agreement covering DPA (Data Processing Agreement) and a feedback commitment
- Available for the full 12-week pilot duration
Pilot Structure (12 Weeks)
Weeks 1--2: School Onboarding
| Activity | Owner |
|---|---|
| SA account creation and setup wizard | DoCurious team + SA |
| Roster upload (with DoCurious support) | SA with DoCurious assistance |
| COPPA/privacy configuration | SA with DoCurious guidance |
| Teacher invitation and training session | DoCurious team |
Weeks 3--4: Teacher Enablement
| Activity | Owner |
|---|---|
| Teacher accounts activated | SA |
| Training session: browse, assign, verify | DoCurious team |
| Each teacher assigns 1--2 challenges to their class | Teachers |
| Dedicated support channel active (Slack or email) | DoCurious team |
Weeks 5--8: Student Usage
| Activity | Owner |
|---|---|
| Students complete assigned challenges | Students |
| Track Record creation and submission | Students |
| Teacher verification of Track Records | Teachers |
| Parents invited and onboarded (applicable tiers) | SA + DoCurious team |
Weeks 9--10: Feedback and Assessment
| Activity | Owner |
|---|---|
| Teacher feedback sessions (1:1 or group) | DoCurious team |
| SA feedback session | DoCurious team |
| Student feedback (age-appropriate survey) | DoCurious team |
| Parent feedback (optional survey) | DoCurious team |
| Quantitative metrics review | DoCurious team |
Weeks 11--12: Iteration
| Activity | Owner |
|---|---|
| Address critical feedback from all stakeholders | DoCurious team |
| Adjust school features based on pilot learnings | DoCurious team |
| Prepare for broader school rollout in Open Beta / Launch | DoCurious team |
Pilot Support Model
- Dedicated support contact assigned to each pilot school
- Twice-weekly check-in with SA and lead teacher
- 24-hour response SLA for all pilot issues
- DoCurious team assists with initial roster upload
- On-site or video training sessions provided
Pilot Metrics
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| SA setup completion | 100% (we assist directly) |
| Teacher account activation | > 80% |
| Teacher assigned at least 1 challenge | > 70% |
| Student login rate | > 90% |
| Student assignment completion rate | > 60% |
| TR submission rate | > 50% |
| Teacher verification turnaround | < 48 hours average |
| Parent account creation (where applicable) | > 40% |
| SA satisfaction (survey) | > 4/5 |
| Teacher satisfaction (survey) | > 3.5/5 |
Exit Criteria
| Criterion | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Full SA → teacher → student → parent flow | Validated end-to-end |
| COPPA consent flows | Tested with real parents |
| Roster management (upload, edit, remove) | Reliable at pilot scale |
| Teacher verification flow | Usable at class scale (20--30 TRs) |
| School analytics dashboard | Provides useful data to SAs |
| School-specific critical bugs | 0 open |
| Qualitative feedback | Schools would continue using the platform |
| School retention | At least 2 of the 3--5 pilot schools want to continue |
Stage 4: Open Beta
STATUS: PLANNED
Open beta depends on successful school pilot completion and all prior exit criteria being met. Marketing materials, help center content, and self-service onboarding flows are prerequisites.
Goals
- Scale test with hundreds of concurrent users
- Test self-service onboarding with no hand-holding
- Validate recommendation engine with real usage data
- Test community features at scale
- Expand vendor content library
Additional Features Enabled
Building on all previous stages, Open Beta adds:
| Feature | Notes |
|---|---|
| Full community features | User-created communities enabled |
| Gifting | Full paid challenge gifting flow |
| Calendar view and events | Event browsing and scheduling |
| Portfolio export | Track Record portfolio generation |
| Full recommendation engine | Personalized challenge suggestions |
| Vendor self-service onboarding | Vendors can register without hand-holding |
| Re-engagement emails | Automated win-back campaigns |
Content at Open Beta
| Content Type | Target |
|---|---|
| Challenges | 100+ |
| Active vendors | 15+ |
| Learning paths | 3--5 |
| Communities | Multiple (seeded by team) |
Open Beta Approach
- Public signup at docurious.com
- "Beta" badge displayed on the platform (set user expectations)
- In-app feedback mechanism persists from Closed Beta
- Known limitations documented in help center
- No SLA promises during beta
Marketing (Light Touch)
- Soft launch: social media announcement only
- Target early adopter communities: homeschool groups, after-school programs, education forums
- No paid advertising yet
- Focus on organic growth and word-of-mouth
Exit Criteria
| Criterion | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Concurrent user capacity | 500+ without degradation |
| Self-service onboarding | Works without support intervention |
| Community features | Stable with 20+ active communities |
| Vendor onboarding and challenge creation | Self-service functional |
| Notification channels | All operational (in-app, email, push) |
| Critical bugs | 0 for 2 consecutive weeks |
| Day 7 retention (general users) | > 35% |
| Day 30 retention (general users) | > 20% |
| Legal documents | All reviewed by counsel (Terms, Privacy Policy, etc.) |
Stage 5: Public Launch
STATUS: PLANNED
Public launch depends on all Open Beta exit criteria plus completion of a comprehensive pre-launch checklist covering technical, content, legal, operational, and marketing readiness.
Pre-Launch Checklist
Technical Readiness:
- [ ] All features enabled and tested
- [ ] Performance meets all targets (Doc 13 requirements)
- [ ] Security audit complete (penetration test)
- [ ] Backup and disaster recovery tested
- [ ] Monitoring and alerting fully operational
- [ ] CDN configured and warm
- [ ] Database indexes optimized
- [ ] Load test at 3x expected peak passed
Content Readiness:
- [ ] 100+ quality challenges live
- [ ] All categories populated
- [ ] Featured content curated (Expert Picks, etc.)
- [ ] Help center articles published
- [ ] Onboarding content finalized
Legal Readiness:
- [ ] Terms of Service finalized and published
- [ ] Privacy Policy finalized and published
- [ ] All other policy documents published (Doc 14)
- [ ] COPPA compliance verified
- [ ] DMCA agent registered
- [ ] Cookie consent implemented
Operational Readiness:
- [ ] Support system operational (help center + email/ticketing)
- [ ] On-call rotation established
- [ ] Incident response plan documented and rehearsed
- [ ] Status page configured
- [ ] School sales and onboarding process documented
Marketing Readiness (if applicable):
- [ ] Landing page optimized
- [ ] Press kit prepared
- [ ] Social media accounts active
- [ ] Launch announcement drafted
- [ ] Partner outreach completed (education blogs, parenting communities)
Launch Day Plan
T-7 days:
- Final staging environment verification
- Team briefing and role assignments for launch day
- War room scheduled
T-1 day:
- Verify all systems green
- Pre-warm caches
- Confirm CDN, email, and push all operational
- Team rest (no late-night deploys)
Launch Day:
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | Final health check |
| 10:00 AM | Remove beta flags, update landing page |
| 10:15 AM | Publish launch announcements |
| 10:00 AM -- 6:00 PM | War room: all hands monitoring |
| Hourly | Metrics check: registration rate, error rate, performance |
| End of day | Launch day retrospective |
T+1 through T+7:
- Daily metrics review
- Rapid response to critical issues
- User feedback monitoring
- Adjustments as needed
Launch Monitoring (First 30 Days)
| Metric | Check Frequency | Alert Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Error rate | Real-time | > 1% |
| Response time (p95) | Real-time | > 2 seconds |
| Registration rate | Hourly | Drop > 50% vs. prior hour |
| DAU | Daily | Drop > 20% vs. prior day |
| Email delivery rate | Hourly | < 90% |
| Support ticket volume | Daily | > 50 tickets/day |
| NPS | Weekly (survey) | < 20 |
Stage 6: Growth and Expansion
STATUS: PLANNED
Growth-phase planning is documented at the spec level. No growth infrastructure (school onboarding waves, vendor self-service, geographic expansion tooling) has been built.
School Onboarding Waves
After public launch, schools are onboarded in waves to manage support load:
| Wave | Timeline | Schools | Support Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wave 1 | Launch + 1--2 months | 10--20 schools | High-touch: dedicated contact, training sessions |
| Wave 2 | Launch + 3--4 months | 30--50 schools | Medium-touch: group training, help center, email support |
| Wave 3 | Launch + 5--6 months | 50--100 schools | Self-service: help center, templates, video training |
| Wave 4+ | Launch + 6+ months | Open enrollment | Fully self-service with escalation support |
School Sales Cycle
School procurement follows the academic calendar. Marketing and outreach should align with these windows:
| Period | Sales Activity | Target Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| January--March | Budget planning season | Presentations, demos, pilot proposals |
| April--June | Purchase decisions | Contract signing for fall |
| July--August | Implementation | SA onboarding, roster setup |
| September | School year start | Teachers active, first assignments |
Vendor Expansion
| Phase | Vendor Count | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 5--15 | Hand-recruited, supported onboarding |
| Launch | 15--50 | Self-service with review, featured vendor program |
| Growth | 50--200 | Open applications, quality thresholds, category targets |
| Scale | 200+ | Marketplace model, vendor success resources |
Geographic Expansion
| Market | Requirements | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| US only (initial) | COPPA and FERPA focus | Launch through Year 1 |
| English-speaking (Canada, UK, Australia) | GDPR compliance for UK | Year 1--2 |
| International | i18n support (Doc 16), local compliance review per country | Year 2+ |
Feature Rollout Matrix
This matrix summarizes which features are enabled at each stage:
| Feature | Alpha | Closed Beta | School Pilot | Open Beta | Public Launch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account creation (general) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Challenge browse and search | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Track Record creation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TR verification (staff) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Basic XP and levels | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Profile and settings | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Full onboarding flow | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Email notifications | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Push notifications (web) | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Platform-created communities | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dealer's Choice | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Streaks and full badges | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Journey Map | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bucket List / Interesting List | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| School Admin (SA) features | -- | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teacher features | -- | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Student accounts (COPPA) | -- | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Parent linking and consent | -- | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Roster and class management | -- | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teacher verification flow | -- | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| User-created communities | -- | -- | -- | Yes | Yes |
| Gifting | -- | -- | -- | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar and events | -- | -- | -- | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolio export | -- | -- | -- | Yes | Yes |
| Recommendation engine | -- | -- | -- | Yes | Yes |
| Vendor self-service onboarding | -- | -- | -- | Yes | Yes |
| Re-engagement emails | -- | -- | -- | Yes | Yes |
Success Metrics
Launch Success (First 90 Days)
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Registered users | 5,000 |
| Daily active users (DAU) | 1,000 |
| Challenges completed | 2,000 |
| Active schools | 15 |
| Active vendors | 25 |
| Day 7 retention (general users) | > 35% |
| Day 30 retention (general users) | > 20% |
| School NPS | > 40 |
| User NPS | > 30 |
| Uptime | > 99.9% |
| P1 bugs open | 0 |
Year 1 Success
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Registered users | 25,000 |
| Monthly active users (MAU) | 10,000 |
| Active schools | 100 |
| Active vendors | 200 |
| Challenges available | 500+ |
| Track Records created | 50,000 |
| Revenue | Setup fees + per-student membership from school partnerships |
Risk Mitigation
Rollback Triggers
If any of the following occur within 24 hours of a launch or stage transition, the team rolls back to the previous known-good state:
| Trigger | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Sustained error rate | > 5% |
| Data loss or corruption | Any occurrence |
| Security breach | Any occurrence |
| Platform unavailability | > 30 minutes continuous |
| Critical COPPA compliance failure | Any occurrence |
Rollback action: Revert to pre-launch state, publish status page update, notify all affected users.
Feature-Level Rollback
When a specific feature causes issues without requiring a full platform rollback:
- Use feature flags to disable the problematic feature
- Platform continues operating without the feature
- Team diagnoses and fixes the issue
- Re-enable the feature when the fix is verified
The existing useFeatureFlagStore and FeatureGate component provide the frontend infrastructure for this pattern. Backend feature flag support will need to be implemented.
Communication Plan
If issues occur during launch or any stage transition:
| Audience | Channel | Message |
|---|---|---|
| All users | Status page + in-app banner | "We're experiencing issues and are working on a fix" |
| Schools (SAs) | Email to SAs | Detailed status with ETA |
| Vendors | Impact assessment on their challenges and events | |
| Public | Social media (if public-facing) | Brief status update |
Go/No-Go Decision Points
Every stage transition is a formal decision point. The team evaluates:
- Are all exit criteria met? If any criterion is not met, the team either extends the current stage or addresses the gap before proceeding.
- Are there any open P1 issues? No stage advancement with open critical bugs.
- Is the team confident in the next stage's scope? Infrastructure, content, and support must all be ready.
- Is the support model in place? Each stage requires appropriate support staffing before advancement.
Infrastructure Scaling by Stage
| Resource | Alpha | Closed Beta | School Pilot | Open Beta | Public Launch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expected concurrent users | 5--10 | 50--100 | 200--500 | 500--1,000 | 1,000--5,000+ |
| Application servers | 1 | 2 | 2--3 | 3--5 | Auto-scaling |
| Database | Single instance | Single with read replica | Primary + replica | Primary + 2 replicas | Managed cluster |
| CDN | Optional | Configured | Configured | Warm + configured | Fully distributed |
| Monitoring | Basic logging | Error tracking + alerts | Full APM | Full APM + dashboards | Full observability stack |
| Support staffing | Internal team | 1 dedicated | 1 per school + 1 general | 2--3 general | On-call rotation + help desk |
| Backup frequency | Daily | Daily | Every 6 hours | Every 6 hours | Continuous / point-in-time |
Support Staffing Plan
| Stage | Support Coverage | Response SLA | Escalation Path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | Internal team monitors own testing | Same-day | Direct Slack/standup |
| Closed Beta | 1 dedicated support person | 24 hours | Email to dev team |
| School Pilot | 1 contact per school + 1 general | 24 hours (pilot schools) | Dedicated Slack channel |
| Open Beta | 2--3 general support staff | 48 hours (no SLA promised) | Help center + email |
| Public Launch | On-call rotation + help desk team | 4 hours (P1), 24 hours (P2) | Tiered: support → eng → on-call |
| Growth | Full support team with school specialists | Published SLA by tier | Documented incident response plan |
Marketing Timing
| Stage | Marketing Activity | Investment Level |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha | None (internal only) | Zero |
| Closed Beta | Landing page with waitlist signup form | Minimal |
| School Pilot | Direct outreach to pilot schools; no public marketing | Minimal |
| Open Beta | Social media soft launch; target early adopter communities (homeschool groups, after-school programs, education forums) | Low (organic only, no paid ads) |
| Public Launch | Landing page optimization, press kit, launch announcements, partner outreach to education blogs and parenting communities | Moderate |
| Growth | School sales cycle alignment (Jan--Mar budgets, Apr--Jun contracts, Jul--Aug implementation, Sep go-live); vendor recruitment campaigns; geographic expansion marketing | Full marketing budget |
Related Features
- Accounts -- User roles and COPPA two-tier system that affect which users can onboard at each stage
- School Administration -- The school workflow validated during the School Pilot stage (Doc 6)
- Challenges -- Core challenge system that forms the foundation of alpha testing (Doc 2)
- Explore -- Discovery and recommendation features enabled progressively through beta stages (Doc 4)
- Communities -- Community features gated from Closed Beta (platform-created) through Open Beta (user-created) (Doc 5)
- Gamification -- XP, badges, streaks, and Journey Map enabled incrementally across stages (Doc 8)
- Vendor Portal -- Vendor onboarding scaling from hand-recruited (beta) to self-service (open beta) to marketplace (growth) (Doc 20)
- Notifications -- Notification channels enabled starting in Closed Beta, fully operational by launch (Doc 11)
- Gifting -- Gifting feature enabled in Open Beta, including school bulk gift flow (Doc 3)