Build‑Ready Launch Dossier for Indie Apps: An 8‑File, 90‑Minute Kit That Ships to Contractors

Most successful contractor handoffs fail because essential decisions are missing or spread across chat threads. The build‑ready launch dossier collapses discovery into eight explicit artifacts that developers, QA, and designers can consume without back‑and‑forth. Treat the dossier as a single commit that reduces ambiguity and shortens development cycles.

The 90‑minute constraint enforces clarity. You’ll trade exhaustive exploration for a prioritized, testable set of assumptions and deliverables — enough to implement an MVP and iterate. The dossier is intentionally prescriptive so the contractor can begin writing code and acceptance tests the same day they receive the repo.

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Use timeboxing: aim for 15–20 minutes per core file in early drafts.

1) PRD brief (one page): problem, target user, top 3 user journeys, success metric, non‑goals. Use a template that maps each requirement to a single owner and a release exit criterion. That gives contractors acceptance context and priority. Templates from established product tooling are a good starting point.

2) Demo spec (clickable happy‑path demo): a step‑by‑step script for the UI/flow you want to show. Include required inputs, expected outputs, sample data, and screen‑by‑screen notes. This is the quickest route to a working demo branch.

3) JSON‑LD snippet for marketing pages: add a validated SoftwareApplication/WebApplication JSON‑LD block so your site and app stores can surface accurate metadata. Use schema.org/SoftwareApplication fields for name, OS, applicationCategory, and offers where relevant. Google Search Central provides examples you can copy and validate.

4) Acceptance tests (Gherkin or test matrix): write 6–12 high‑value acceptance criteria in Given/When/Then form that map to the demo spec. These become your acceptance tests and acceptance criteria for pull requests; contractors can implement them as end‑to‑end tests or QA checklists. Reference acceptance test templates to ensure complete fields for preconditions and pass/fail criteria.

5) Figma mockups (4–8 screens) exported with tokens and an assets folder: include a very small component kit — buttons, forms, basic states — and export PNG/SVG assets and a Figma link. For contractors, include exact pixel sizes and a short note on responsive behavior. The goal is fidelity enough to implement styles and spacing without redesign.

6) Telemetry map: a simple CSV or Markdown table listing events, properties, triggers, and sample payloads. Include the primary analytic events (signup, onboarding complete, key conversion), error events you want instrumented, and privacy notes (PII exclusion). A single telemetry map reduces guessing about event names and speeds instrumentation.

7) Export README: a root README.md with repo layout, environment variables, local run steps, and where to find each dossier file. Include a script example to seed demo data and which tests to run on PRs. This README is the single source-of-truth for onboarding a contractor into the repo.

8) 1‑page launch checklist: stages (dev, QA, legal, marketing), gating items, release commands, and who approves each gate. Keep it actionable and prescriptive — include exact build commands and which JSON‑LD to paste into staging. This checklist is your minimal operational playbook for a first release.

A timeboxed recipe keeps you on track. Start with a PRD brief (10–15 minutes) and the demo script (15 minutes). While those define scope, open Figma and export 4 screens (15 minutes). Draft 6 acceptance tests (10 minutes) and a telemetry map (10 minutes). Paste a JSON‑LD template and validate it (5 minutes). Finish with README and the 1‑page launch checklist (10–15 minutes).

Presets and small snippets speed this up: keep a JSON‑LD boilerplate for SoftwareApplication, a Gherkin test snippet, a PRD checklist, and a telemetry CSV template in a local snippet library or Notion page. Export recipe examples: copy the JSON‑LD into your marketing staging page; add a /demo endpoint that loads the demo seed; commit Figma export into /design/assets and reference it from README so contractors can run the app exactly like your demo.

bullets':['90‑minute order: PRD → Demo spec → Figma export → Acceptance tests → Telemetry map → JSON‑LD → README → Launch checklist.','Keep snippet files: prd_onepage.md, demo_spec.md, jsonld_softwareapplication.json, acceptance_tests.feature, telemetry.csv, design_assets.zip, README.md, launch_checklist.pdf.'],

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Commit the dossier into a /dossier folder in the repo and make a single PR titled “Dossier: build ready launch package”. In the PR body include links to the Figma file, instructions to run the seed script, and which acceptance tests gate merge. Make the acceptance tests part of your CI pipeline or require a manual QA sign‑off that references the Given/When/Then cases.

Post‑handoff rules that reduce churn: require any scope change to update the PRD brief and at least one acceptance test; use the telemetry map as a checklist item in QA so events are validated before release; and publish the JSON‑LD in staging and check it with a structured data validator before pushing to production. These practices create a clear contract between you and contractors and keep the repo stable as features iterate.

bullets,['Commit /dossier folder and make a single 'Dossier' PR with demo seed instructions.','Make acceptance tests gate merge via CI or manual QA checklist.','Require PRD + acceptance test updates for scope changes.','Validate JSON‑LD in staging before production.'],

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