đ How TPMs Can AI - Launch Readiness Checklist
Practical AI for Technical Program Managers. A series of real-world scenarios showing how TPMs can use AI tools to solve common challenges, work smarter, and 10x their impact.
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Practical AI for Technical Program Managers. A series of real-world scenarios showing how TPMs can use AI tools to solve common challenges, work smarter, and 10x their impact, complete with ready-to-use prompts and actionable strategies.
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Now, on to this weekâs postâŚ
How TPMs Can Use AI
Youâre reading another post in my ongoing series, âHow TPMs Can AI,â where I share real world scenarios showing how AI can make Technical Program Managers more productive and effective.
Nothing beats concrete, real-world examples. My hope is that these stories inspire you to find your own ways to leverage AI, maybe even 10x your impact, effectiveness, and focus.
How This Series Works
Iâll start with a common challenge TPMs face.
Then, Iâll show how AI tools can help you explore possible solutions, sometimes ones you might not have considered before.
Weâre starting this series with a classic: Launch Readiness Checklist
The Scenario
This one is a classic or more like a very common occurrence. If youâve ever been a TPM at a startup, or stepped into a new domain, youâve likely run into it.
Think about the last time you had to coordinate a complex backend infrastructure deployment or cloud rollout. For me, it happened at Humane. Our VP of Engineering asked me to put together a production launch checklist to make sure our backend go-live went smoothly and nothing slipped through the cracks.
Hereâs the thing: I had never created one from scratch before. I understood what an effective launch readiness process should feel like, but not every line item that needed to be covered.
Before AI
Your first instinct? Research or ask for help.
Youâd dig through blogs, engineering wikis, cloud provider docs, maybe a few books if you are an analog sort of fellow.
You might track down a template or ask a trusted engineering partner to walk you through what has to happen, and use that conversation to draft a first version.
This works, but itâs slow, and if youâre outside your comfort zone or new in the role, you risk missing critical pieces. Itâs more difficult if you are trying to go for a great impression of being a self starter.
After AI
The key here is solving the cold start problem.
Your goal is to produce a thoughtful first draft fast, something concrete you can take to engineering and ask, âWhatâs missing? What can we cut?â That shifts the conversation from âWhere do we start?â to âLetâs refine this.â
Hereâs how you can approach this differently with AI:
My tool of choice: ChatGPT or Claude
My goal: A solid starter template that includes traceability and progression measurement.
My method: Craft a prompt where you do the following:
Be explicit about your context: type of project, tech stack, cloud provider.
Specify the deliverable: in this case, a pre-launch checklist.
Make it well rounded: Ask for industry best practices and format it so you can track owners, acceptance criteria, and deadlines.