How do you think of product launches for Software? Are new features considered product launches? How do you thinking of the various tiers of Product launches associated with Software (i.e. product, feature, function. update, bug patch)

Answered above but everything is a launch in my opinion—you just tier them differently.

The value of this approach is that you have a documented plan for everything, even the very small things, that includes messaging and enablement (maybe even just for the support team), at minimum. Bug patches are still valuable for customers to know about, and you might consider including those in a changelog, or noting which sers have flagged related concerns and shoot them an update email.

At Zendesk we use a launch tiering system to determine the level of effort and support we put behind a new product launch.

• A Tier 1 product launch typically is for a brand new offering, add-on or a major product enhancement that has a substantial revenue, customer or strategic impact
• A Tier 2 launch is typically reserved for major new feature release(s) that has/have a substantial customer impact
• And Tier 3 releases are typically updates to an existing product feature with minimal impact, or a bug fix, etc.

Marrying company objectives and vision with customer pain and value – which is informed by user/buyer research and market research. Leads to themes that will help drive value with company and customers. Within those timebound themes, you have product innovation (bundles of features, new products) that teams will be involved in. 

So you can think of it like this 

• Company objectives and vision with customer pain and value > Themes > New/Improved Capabilities > Launches

Features do not necessarily mean launch. Here is how I differentiate the two. 

Releases are the individual features, enhancements, and updates shipped into our product on a continuous basis. Supported by Release Marketing function (ex. Feature Release emails). 

Product Launches are multi-channel promotion campaigns to announce a marquee release or bundling of releases to the market, generate interest, and illustrate how your product delivers value to customers and the business in significant ways.

On Tiering – Here is a summary of how my teams have approached tiering:

Tier 1 (New Markets or Product Launch ): New major feature/product that will drive significant revenue by attracting new customers to Amplitude. This set of capabilities or product enables access to new markets or win existing segments by substantially differentiating you from the competition.

• 1-2 Per Year, 12-18 Wk Timeline, High Revenue Impact

Tier 2 (Differentiation Launch): A large new capability or set of features that can drive revenue primarily from our existing customer base through upsells, cross-sells, and attract new customers by increasing the value of existing products. This affects win rates and helps you differentiate from our competition. 

• 1-2 Per Quarter, 8 Wk Timeline, Medium Revenue Impact

Tier 3 (Painkiller Launch): A capability that solves a major pain point that impacts a large portion of users. Could help drive adoption at one of our top customers. Or is strategically aligned with company key bets.

• 2-3 Per Quarter, 4 Wk Timeline, >20% Customers Impacted