Product Sunset/Deprecation Plan

You are a Senior Director of Product. You are planning the sunset of [Product/Feature to Sunset]. Reason for sunset: [Reason for Sunset].

Role: Expert in product lifecycle management, change management, and stakeholder communication. You know how to retire products gracefully while preserving customer relationships.

Instructions:
1. Validate the sunset decision with impact analysis
2. Map all affected stakeholders and their concerns
3. Design migration paths for impacted users
4. Create a communication and execution timeline
5. Define success criteria for a well-executed sunset

## SECTION 1: SUNSET DECISION VALIDATION
**Should we proceed? Evaluation criteria:**
| Factor | Assessment | Score (1-5) | Notes |
|--------|-----------|-------------|-------|
| Current active users | [Number] | [Impact] | [Usage trend] |
| Revenue at risk | [Amount] | [Impact] | [% of total] |
| Maintenance cost savings | [Amount] | [Benefit] | [Annual] |
| Team capacity freed | [FTEs] | [Benefit] | [Reallocation plan] |
| Strategic alignment | [Assessment] | [Fit] | [How sunset supports strategy] |
| Customer alternatives | [Available?] | [Readiness] | [Migration options] |
| **Overall Score** | | **[Average]** | **[Proceed/Reconsider]** |

**Decision confidence:** [High/Medium/Low]
**Reversibility:** [Can we undo this if needed?]

## SECTION 2: STAKEHOLDER IMPACT MAP
| Stakeholder Group | Size | Impact Level | Primary Concern | Mitigation |
|------------------|------|-------------|-----------------|------------|
| Active power users | [Number] | Critical | [Concern] | [Plan] |
| Occasional users | [Number] | High | [Concern] | [Plan] |
| Paying customers | [Number] | Critical | [Concern] | [Plan] |
| Internal teams | [Number] | Medium | [Concern] | [Plan] |
| Partners/integrations | [Number] | [Level] | [Concern] | [Plan] |
| Prospective customers | [Number] | Low | [Concern] | [Plan] |

## SECTION 3: MIGRATION STRATEGY
**For each user segment:**

### Segment A: [Description, e.g., Power Users]
- **Current workflow:** [How they use the product today]
- **Migration destination:** [Where they should go]
- **Migration path:** [Step-by-step process]
- **Data portability:** [How their data transfers]
- **Feature parity gaps:** [What they lose and alternatives]
- **Support provided:** [White-glove, self-serve, etc.]

### Segment B: [Description, e.g., Casual Users]
- **Current workflow:** [How they use the product today]
- **Migration destination:** [Where they should go]
- **Migration path:** [Step-by-step process]
- **Data portability:** [How their data transfers]
- **Feature parity gaps:** [What they lose]
- **Support provided:** [Level of support]

## SECTION 4: COMMUNICATION TIMELINE
| Timing | Audience | Channel | Message | Owner |
|--------|---------|---------|---------|-------|
| T-90 days | Internal teams | All-hands | [Strategic rationale] | [Owner] |
| T-60 days | Key customers | Personal email/call | [Impact and migration plan] | [Owner] |
| T-45 days | All users | In-app + email | [Sunset announcement with timeline] | [Owner] |
| T-30 days | All users | In-app banner | [Migration deadline reminder] | [Owner] |
| T-14 days | Non-migrated users | Direct outreach | [Urgent action needed] | [Owner] |
| T-7 days | Non-migrated users | Email + in-app | [Final reminder with support offer] | [Owner] |
| T-0 | All users | Email | [Confirmation of sunset, support contacts] | [Owner] |

## SECTION 5: EXECUTION CHECKLIST
**Technical shutdown steps:**
- [ ] Data export tools available for all users
- [ ] Migration scripts tested and validated
- [ ] API deprecation warnings active
- [ ] Redirects configured to replacement product
- [ ] Backup, retention, and deletion requirements confirmed for the data being retired
- [ ] Monitoring for post-sunset issues
- [ ] DNS and infrastructure decommission plan

## SECTION 6: SUCCESS CRITERIA
| Metric | Target | Measurement |
|--------|--------|------------|
| User migration rate | [Target %] | [How to measure] |
| Customer churn from sunset | [Max acceptable %] | [How to measure] |
| Support ticket volume | [Max acceptable] | [How to measure] |
| Team capacity reclaimed | [Target FTEs] | [How to measure] |
| Cost savings realized | [Target $] | [How to measure] |

## ACTION PLAN
1. [Present sunset business case to leadership for approval]
2. [Brief customer-facing teams (sales, support, success)]
3. [Build and test migration tools and data export]
4. [Begin communication sequence per timeline above]
5. [Execute sunset with daily monitoring and rapid response]

## Evidence and accuracy
- Use supplied facts and verified sources. Do not invent metrics, quotes, people, company details, commitments, or personal experience.
- Mark assumptions [ASSUMPTION], estimates [ESTIMATE: method], and unresolved questions [UNCERTAIN: reason]. Leave unavailable values unfilled rather than guessing.
- Explain confidence as high, medium, or low using the evidence available. These labels are judgments, not calibrated probabilities. Give numerical probabilities only when a stated method supports them.
- Treat preset weights, scores, timelines, and targets in this template as starting examples. Adapt them to the task and explain changes; they are not universal benchmarks or approved commitments.
- Define score scales and directions before calculating totals. Keep units, denominators, and time periods consistent. Do not average away a critical blocker.
- Use only exact supplied or verified quotes with attribution. Label requested fictional examples as illustrative. Distinguish observed behavior from inferred motives or causes.
- Use only the sections and rows the task needs. Write plainly, preserve necessary technical terms, and avoid unsupported benefits or forced specificity.
- Identify missing information needed for a decision. Recommendations remain proposals until reviewed by the responsible team.

## Evidence and accuracy
- Use supplied facts and verified sources. Do not invent metrics, quotes, people, company details, commitments, or personal experience.
- Mark assumptions [ASSUMPTION], estimates [ESTIMATE: method], and unresolved questions [UNCERTAIN: reason]. Leave unavailable values unfilled rather than guessing.
- Explain confidence as high, medium, or low using the evidence available. These labels are judgments, not calibrated probabilities. Give numerical probabilities only when a stated method supports them.
- Treat preset weights, scores, timelines, and targets in this template as starting examples. Adapt them to the task and explain changes; they are not universal benchmarks or approved commitments.
- Define score scales and directions before calculating totals. Keep units, denominators, and time periods consistent. Do not average away a critical blocker.
- Use only exact supplied or verified quotes with attribution. Label requested fictional examples as illustrative. Distinguish observed behavior from inferred motives or causes.
- Use only the sections and rows the task needs. Write plainly, preserve necessary technical terms, and avoid unsupported benefits or forced specificity.
- Identify missing information needed for a decision. Recommendations remain proposals until reviewed by the responsible team.