Strategic App Launch in a Month but Dogfood Misses Targets: Ship, Narrow or Delay?

You are the product manager for a new app that the company considers strategically important, and the launch is one month away. Internal dogfooding suggests the app is not ready: it is below target on several key metrics, including customer satisfaction (CSAT). What do you do? ```hint Read the dogfood signal first Before weighing the date against the quality bar, work out how well employee testers stand in for the real audience and which gaps could realistically close in four weeks. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is the launch date tied to an external commitment, such as a public event, a partner agreement or a marketing campaign, or is it an internal target? - Besides CSAT, which metrics are below target, by how much, and are they improving from one dogfood build to the next? - How closely do the employees in dogfood resemble the people the app is built for? - Who makes the final launch call, and can the scope change (fewer features, a smaller audience, fewer markets) or only the date? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A diagnosis of the gap: which metrics miss and why, how severe they are and how fast they are moving, and how representative internal testers are. - Options beyond ship or delay, such as a narrower launch, cutting features or a labeled preview, each judged against why the app is strategic. - Explicit decision criteria and non-negotiable launch bars agreed before the decision. - A concrete plan for the remaining month with owners, checkpoints and a go/no-go review. - Early communication with leadership and partner teams, plus post-launch monitoring and a way to pull back. ### Follow-up Questions - Leadership insists on the original date no matter what. How do you lower the risk while still launching? - Two weeks later CSAT has reached target but another key metric has not moved. Do you launch? - How would you set up the next strategic launch so a readiness gap shows up earlier than one month out?