Project Background

Meta plans to launch a new Instagram Reels feature that lets creators share a Reel directly into Facebook Stories with one tap. The feature is already built to MVP quality, and leadership wants a launch recommendation in 6 weeks to support a broader cross-app engagement goal for Q3. You are the Engineering Manager coordinating execution across 11 engineers, 1 product manager, 1 data scientist, 1 designer, and shared support from Privacy Review and Site Integrity.

Key Stakeholders

The Instagram Reels PM wants to launch broadly to hit an executive goal for creator sharing growth. The Facebook Stories team supports the feature but is concerned about feed quality and low-value reposts. Privacy Review requires clear handling of audience controls before launch, while Site Integrity is worried that easier cross-posting could increase spam and duplicate content.

Constraints

You have a fixed 6-week timeline, no additional headcount, and a remaining launch budget of $120K for QA, localization, and monitoring support. The team can support only one major launch this quarter. A dependency on the ranking infrastructure team must be completed by the end of Week 3, and Privacy Review sign-off is required before any rollout above 5% of eligible users. Leadership expects a recommendation on what success criteria must be met before launch, not just a shipping date.

Complications

1. Early dogfooding shows a 4.5% increase in cross-post creation, but Facebook Stories completion rate drops 1.8% for viewers exposed to reposted Reels.
2. Site Integrity found that 0.7% of test posts are likely spam or near-duplicate reposts, above their 0.3% internal threshold.
3. The Instagram PM is pushing for a 100% launch by quarter-end, while the Facebook Stories lead prefers a limited rollout until quality metrics stabilize.

Your Task

1. Define pre-launch success criteria, including primary metrics, guardrails, and launch thresholds.
2. Propose a rollout plan with decision points for 5%, 25%, and 100% launch stages.
3. Identify the key trade-offs you would make if metrics improve unevenly.
4. Create a stakeholder alignment plan for conflicting launch expectations.
5. Outline the top risks, mitigations, and rollback triggers.