How do you manage the internal communication of releases?

I segment communications into three audiences:

1. Product management

2. Project DRIs (Directly Responsible Individuals, typically marketing team members)

3. Leadership

Communication with product managers driving particular features or areas of the product occurs regularly, typically on a weekly basis. I use these meetings to remain aligned on positioning and messaging, accuracy in deliverable development, product/feature readiness, and timelines. I see this ongoing communication as foundational to the other pieces of the puzzle.

After formally kicking off a launch plan, I also like to meet with project DRIs on a weekly basis to communicate product updates, any potential changes to the timeline, surface dependencies and blockers, and maintain alignment on goals, deliverables, and timelines. This approach has helped me effectively manage the project coordination and wrangling needed to pull everything together for launch day.

For larger scale releases, I include a leadership GTM review in my process. I like to run these meetings prior to kicking execution off with DRIs. During GTM reviews, I develop a slide deck that outlines my GTM plan and includes context on the why behind my decisions. It is reviewed with the product manager leading development and sometimes the engineering lead prior to leadership review to ensure alignment on timelines, dependencies, and potential trade offs (if needed).