Checklist · Authorization
Authorization Launch Checklist for 2026
Shipping authorization systems with confidence requires coordination across security, backend, and product teams. This launch checklist guides you through foundation, execution, and validation phases, ensuring no permission model gets deployed until security assumptions are tested. Use it weekly as your authorization effort progresses. See [launch guides](/resources/launch-guides) for deeper dives.
Phase 01
Foundation
- c1medium1 week
Define goals and KPIs (Authorization)
Document success metrics: adoption rate, permission grant latency, audit log coverage. Identify stakeholders and define the authorization perimeter (which APIs, data types, role hierarchies).
- c2critical1 day
Identify target audience (Authorization)
Map target users: engineers, security teams, admins, and end-users who need to grant permissions. Understand their current authorization pain: role explosion, policy drift, or overly permissive defaults.
- c3critical1 day
Audit current state (Authorization)
Audit current state: enumerate existing permission checks, identify gaps, list third-party integrations already handling authorization. Flag technical debt blocking the launch.
Phase 02
Execution
- c4medium1 week
Prioritize high-impact tasks (Authorization)
Rank tasks by impact: policy engine first, audit logging second, admin UI third. Avoid building dashboard features before core permission logic works.
- c5critical1 day
Assign owners and deadlines (Authorization)
Assign code owners, review owners, and documentation owners. Set hard deadlines for each phase; authorization creep is real. Establish a rollback plan.
- c6medium1 week
Set up tracking (Authorization)
Wire up monitoring: track permission grant latency, policy evaluation cache hit rates, and error logs. Set alerts for permission timeouts or unexpected denials.
Phase 03
Launch & Review
- c7critical1 day
Ship and verify (Authorization)
Roll out to internal users first. Test permission inheritance, role transitions, and revocation. Verify audit logs capture all permission state changes.
- c8high2-3 days
Measure against KPIs (Authorization)
Measure adoption, permission grant SLA attainment, and security incident rate. Compare against baseline (if you had auth) or team feedback (if you didn't).
- c9critical1 day
Iterate on results (Authorization)
Gather feedback from security audits, engineers, and admins. Prioritize the top 3 bugs; ship a follow-up patch within 2 weeks of launch.
Pro tips
- Tackle critical items first
- Review the checklist weekly
- Adapt phases to your authorization context