Launch checklist: 10 QA steps every startup must do before release

Introduction

Releasing to customers is exciting — and risky. Skipping a few simple QA steps will cost time, money, and reputation. This checklist gives you 10 practical QA actions you can complete quickly, even if you’re a tiny startup.

The 10-step pre-release QA checklist (practical & actionable)

1. Smoke test the critical path

   • Verify core flows like signup, login, checkout, and onboarding work end-to-end. Do this manually and add automated smoke tests to CI.

2. Run cross-browser quick checks

   • Test latest Chrome, Firefox, Safari (or use Playwright to run quick checks). Focus on critical pages.

3. API sanity tests

   • Check the main API endpoints return correct status codes and expected JSON. Automated API tests catch many problems early.

4. Performance quick check

   • Run a simple page-load check for the highest-traffic page (Lighthouse), look for huge JS bundles or slow responses.

5. Mobile verification

   • Test key flows on a mobile device or device emulator. Click, fill, submit.

6. Security basics

   • Ensure authentication works, password reset is secure, and there are no visible secrets in the front-end. Use automated scans if possible.

7. Error monitoring & logging

   • Ensure Sentry/LogRocket/your logging tool is enabled and configured to catch production errors.

8. Accessibility quick wins

   • Check headings, labels, and color contrast for your main pages. Simple tools like Lighthouse or browser extensions can help.

9. Prepare rollback & hotfix plan

   • Document how to rollback, who will act, and the contact list. Also plan a fast hotfix deployment path.

10. Final data & privacy check

    • Confirm PII handling, cookie banners (if needed), and user data retention basics.

Who does what (simple roles)

• Developer: fix high-severity bugs, performance hotfixes.

• QA/Tester: run smoke, exploratory testing, confirm bug fixes.

• Founder/PM: sign off on business-critical flows and rollback plan.

How long will it take?

If your app is an MVP with 5–10 pages, do the checklist in 1–3 days. Automate the smoke and API tests to run on every deploy so future releases are safer.

Quick templates (copy-paste)

• Smoke test doc header: App name, environment, test time, tester, results (Pass/Fail), notes.

• Rollback note: Tag/commit to rollback to, responsible person, communication template for users.

Conclusion & CTA

Ship with confidence: do these 10 checks and automate what you can. If you want a tailored checklist for your product (I’ll list exactly which APIs and pages to test), reach out to Qanade — we build practical pre-release plans for startups.