Product Launch RAID Log
This is a practical guide to building a raid log for a product launch project — a consolidated log of Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies, adapted to the realities of coordinating a cross-functional launch to bring a product to market.
What a RAID Log is
A raid log is a consolidated log of Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies. For the full concept and how it works in general, see RAID Log. On a product launch project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for a Product Launch project
Product Launch projects live or die on coordinating a cross-functional launch to bring a product to market. A well-built raid log gives the team a shared, explicit reference for exactly that — reducing ambiguity, aligning stakeholders, and making problems visible early enough to act. Skipping it, or doing it generically, is how product launch projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.
What to include
- Risks
- Assumptions
- Issues
- Dependencies
- Owners and status
Product Launch-specific considerations
Tailor the raid log to the risks that most often derail product launch projects:
- Cross-team coordination
- Fixed launch dates
- Market and competitor response
Example
On a real product launch project, the raid log would be shaped by coordinating a cross-functional launch to bring a product to market. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — cross-team coordination, fixed launch dates, market and competitor response — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.