Launch Plan When an Internal Team's Component Is Six Months Late

You are the product manager for a new product launch. The internal team that owns one of the launch's components says it will not be ready for six months. How would you move forward with the launch? ```hint Classify the dependency Your options depend on what the component does for the launch and why it is late. Work out whether the product can deliver value, and launch safely, without it before choosing among waiting, working around it and pulling it in. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - What does the component do: is it core to the product's value, a required control such as fraud screening, identity checks or compliance, or a supporting capability like reporting? - When was the launch planned, and is the date tied to an external commitment, a regulatory deadline or a marketing event? - Why is the other team six months out: capacity, a different priority or technical complexity? - Can my team lend engineers, or use a vendor, for an interim version? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Diagnosing the dependency before acting: what it enables, why it is late and whether the date can move - Comparing options (pull the date in, descope to an MVP, interim workaround, phased launch, delay) on customer value, risk, cost and tech debt - A clear recommendation, including what can never be cut in a regulated financial product - Aligning the other team, leadership and downstream functions constructively, with escalation framed as a joint priority decision rather than blame - How the plan is monitored after the decision and what would trigger a change ### Follow-up Questions - The other team's leader will not reprioritize, and your director still wants the original date. What do you do? - Your workaround is a manual process run by an operations team. How do you decide how much volume it can safely handle? - Six months later the component slips another quarter. How does your plan change?