2.1 · First-SKU Launch · Execution Plan
Book 1 · Ch 4 · Your Best Product Already Exists

SKU Launch Plan: First Federal Product, 90 Days

90-day Gantt template with milestones from ATO start to first invoice. Sections populate once design partner and sponsor agency commitments are in place.

2.1 · First-SKU Launch · artifact id: sku-launch-plan-v0.html · 2026-05-28 · v0
Format stub. This plan establishes milestones, sequencing, and decision gates. Specific dates, design partner name, and sponsor agency populate when those commitments are confirmed. The Gantt format below uses relative weeks from "Week 0" (engagement start / teaming agreement signed).

What Ch 4 tells us about this phase

Ch 4 of Shrink-Wrap It argues that the fastest path to a credible federal product is extraction, not invention: "Most GovCon services firms are sitting on valuable intellectual property they've never recognized, extracted, or monetized." The 90-day launch plan below assumes NorthAI's authentication and federal-posture dashboard capability already exists in some form from prior work. This plan extracts it, packages it as a billable SKU, and routes it to a first customer. If the IP does not yet exist in extractable form, Weeks 1-4 shift to rapid build, not extraction.

Pre-launch prerequisites (confirm before Week 0)

Gate Item Owner Status
G1 Teaming agreement with CHN signed (or LOI executed) Productization Lead [pending / signed]
G2 SKU specification finalized (see tech-vector-sku-spec-v0) First-SKU Launch [pending / approved]
G3 ATO pathway selected (see fedramp-20x-path-memo-v0) Authorization Architect [pending / selected]
G4 CLIN structure drafted and attorney-reviewed First-SKU Launch [pending / reviewed]
G5 Design partner candidate(s) identified (2-3 agency contacts) Federal Posture Lead [pending / identified]

90-Day milestone map

Pre-launch (Weeks -4 to 0)

Week Milestone Key deliverable Owner
W-4 IP archaeology complete List of existing authentication + dashboard artifacts from prior federal work, reuse count per item Productization Lead
W-3 SKU boundary defined Zone 1-4 scope locked (see contract-paper-template-v0 for CLIN mapping) First-SKU Launch + Authorization Architect
W-2 Pricing model selected Per-user or per-unit rate card drafted; ConMon cost allocated per customer at target volume Revenue Lead
W-1 Design partner outreach 3 agency contacts briefed; at least 1 LOI conversation scheduled Federal Posture Lead
W0 Week 0 kickoff All G1-G5 gates confirmed; 90-day plan dates locked; team Slack channel live First-SKU Launch

Weeks 1-4 · ATO start + design partner

Week Milestone Key deliverable Owner
W1 ATO package initiation System Security Plan (SSP) skeleton started; 3PAO selected (see 3pao-shortlist-v0) Authorization Architect
W1 Design partner LOI signed Letter of Intent from first agency contact committing to alpha deployment Federal Posture Lead
W2 Architecture baseline Authorization boundary drawn; control inheritance map drafted (see platform-spec-v0) Platform Architect
W3 GSA MAS application filed MAS 54151S application submitted; tracking number obtained First-SKU Launch
W4 Design partner kickoff Onboarding playbook executed (see customer-onboarding-playbook-v0); design partner access provisioned Customer Success

Weeks 5-8 · Alpha

Week Milestone Key deliverable Owner
W5 Alpha deployment to design partner Core SKU features accessible in design partner environment; feedback loop open Platform Architect + Customer Success
W6 Alpha feedback cycle 1 Structured interview with design partner ISSO / program manager; findings logged Customer Success
W7 ATO package milestone 1 SSP first draft complete; control narratives for Zone 1 (core) submitted to 3PAO Authorization Architect
W8 30-day review Alpha health check: design partner NPS, top 3 blockers, go / no-go for beta First-SKU Launch

Weeks 9-12 · Beta and first contract

Week Milestone Key deliverable Owner
W9 Beta deployment Second agency contact added to beta; design partner advanced to production-equivalent config Customer Success
W10 Contract paper finalized SOW + CLIN structure attorney-reviewed; sub-of-prime or CHN-direct route confirmed (see contract-paper-template-v0) First-SKU Launch
W11 GA readiness review Boundary stable, no unauthorized changes since alpha; SLA template in place (see sla-template-v0) Authorization Architect + Customer Success
W12 GA declaration + first invoice SKU declared generally available; first invoice issued under signed contract (see first-invoice-template-v0) First-SKU Launch + Revenue Lead

30 / 60 / 90 review gates

Gate Date Key questions Go / no-go criteria
30-day (W8) [W0 + 30 days] Is the design partner engaged and giving feedback? Is the ATO package on pace? Any architecture changes needed after alpha? Design partner LOI signed, alpha deployed, 3PAO engaged
60-day (W12 area) [W0 + 60 days] Is a second agency in beta? Is the contract paper ready? Is ConMon budget allocated? Beta deployed to 2 agencies, contract paper drafted, CLIN structure attorney-reviewed
90-day [W0 + 90 days] Is the first invoice issued? Is the ATO package on a clear path? Is the 3-customer validation threshold plan clear (see second-sku-spec-v0 trigger)? First signed contract, first invoice milestone billed, GA declared