Takes a side project from idea to shipped launch with behavior-based validation, a ruthlessly cut MVP, a hard timebox, and explicit kill criteria so nights-and-weekends effort never runs open-loop for months. Use when someone asks "how do I launch my side project", "should I keep building this", "how do I validate before building", "I've been building for months and haven't shipped", or "how do I know when to quit". Do NOT use for the Product Hunt assets and mechanics specifically - use product-hunt-launch instead - for orchestrating a multi-channel company launch calendar - use launch-plan-sequencer instead - or for running a launch day in real time - use launch-day-runbook instead.
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name: Side Project Launch
description: Takes a side project from idea to shipped launch with behavior-based validation, a ruthlessly cut MVP, a hard timebox, and explicit kill criteria so nights-and-weekends effort never runs open-loop for months. Use when someone asks "how do I launch my side project", "should I keep building this", "how do I validate before building", "I've been building for months and haven't shipped", or "how do I know when to quit". Do NOT use for the Product Hunt assets and mechanics specifically - use product-hunt-launch instead - for orchestrating a multi-channel company launch calendar - use launch-plan-sequencer instead - or for running a launch day in real time - use launch-day-runbook instead.
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# Side Project Launch
The biggest side-project risk is not failure - it is spending six months of evenings building something nobody wants, with no deadline forcing the question. A side project runs on scarce hours, so the discipline is different from a startup's: validate with behavior before building, cut the MVP to one flow, timebox hard, and write the kill criteria before launch, when judgment is still honest.
## Operating procedure
Validation precedes building, and the timebox precedes scoping - scope must be cut to fit the date, never the reverse.
### Step 1: Gather inputs
1. The idea, as a one-liner: "I help [audience] do [job] better by [approach]." Force the sentence; vagueness here compounds everywhere.
2. Weekly hours honestly available (default assumption: 5-10 for a side project).
3. Skills on hand and preferred tools - boring and familiar wins.
4. The success motive: revenue, portfolio, learning, or fun. The kill criteria in Step 7 depend on it.
5. Where the audience already gathers.
### Step 2: Validate before building
Talk to 5-10 potential users. Ask about their current behavior, never about your idea:
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