# Decision Process Pack: Sunset Feature X

## 1. Executive Summary

**Decision Required:** Whether to sunset Feature X by March 15.

**Context:** Support load attributed to Feature X is rising while user adoption is declining, creating an unfavorable cost-to-value ratio. Three options have been identified: maintain the status quo, invest in fixing the feature, or sunset it entirely. This pack structures the decision process, stakeholder alignment, and execution plan.

---

## 2. Problem Statement

Feature X is experiencing a divergence between operational cost and user value:

- **Rising support load:** Ticket volume related to Feature X has been increasing, consuming engineering and support bandwidth.
- **Falling adoption:** Active usage metrics are trending downward, suggesting the feature is not meeting user needs or is being replaced by alternatives.
- **Deadline pressure:** A March 15 deadline has been established, requiring a decision and initial execution steps well in advance.

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## 3. Decision Framework

### 3.1 Decision Criteria

The following criteria should be used to evaluate each option:

| Criteria | Weight | Description |
|----------|--------|-------------|
| Customer Impact | High | Number of active users affected, revenue at risk, contractual obligations |
| Operational Cost | High | Current and projected support/engineering burden |
| Strategic Alignment | Medium | Fit with product roadmap and company direction |
| Technical Risk | Medium | Complexity of removal, dependencies, potential for downtime |
| Legal/Contractual | Medium | Obligations to customers, SLA implications |
| Revenue Impact | High | Direct and indirect revenue tied to the feature |
| Team Capacity | Low | Engineering resources required for each option |

### 3.2 Options Analysis

#### Option A: Keep As-Is

| Factor | Assessment |
|--------|------------|
| Pros | No migration effort; no customer disruption |
| Cons | Support costs continue to rise; engineering debt accumulates; declining adoption signals a failing feature |
| Cost Estimate | Ongoing: increasing support hours + maintenance engineering time |
| Risk | Medium-High — costs will likely escalate while value continues to decline |
| Recommendation | Not recommended unless external factors change |

#### Option B: Invest to Fix

| Factor | Assessment |
|--------|------------|
| Pros | Could revive adoption; addresses root causes of support load |
| Cons | Requires significant engineering investment with uncertain ROI; diverts resources from higher-priority work |
| Cost Estimate | One-time: engineering sprint(s) to redesign/fix + ongoing maintenance |
| Risk | High — investment may not reverse adoption decline; opportunity cost is significant |
| Recommendation | Only recommended if data shows a clear, fixable root cause and strong latent demand |

#### Option C: Sunset (Recommended)

| Factor | Assessment |
|--------|------------|
| Pros | Eliminates rising support costs; frees engineering capacity; simplifies product surface area |
| Cons | Disrupts remaining active users; requires migration planning and customer communication |
| Cost Estimate | One-time: migration support, communication effort, engineering removal work |
| Risk | Medium — manageable with proper planning and communication |
| Recommendation | Recommended given the cost/adoption trajectory |

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## 4. Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities

| Stakeholder | Role in Decision | Key Concerns | Action Items |
|-------------|-----------------|--------------|--------------|
| **PM** | Decision owner; drives process and timeline | Product roadmap impact, user experience, adoption data | Compile usage data, lead decision meeting, own communication plan |
| **Engineering** | Technical feasibility and execution | Downtime risk, technical dependencies, removal complexity | Assess dependencies, plan zero-downtime removal, estimate effort |
| **Support** | Customer impact assessment | Ticket volume, customer sentiment, migration assistance | Provide ticket data, prepare customer-facing FAQ, staff migration support |
| **Sales** | Revenue and relationship impact | At-risk accounts, contractual obligations, pipeline impact | Identify top customers using Feature X, flag contractual issues, coordinate outreach |
| **Legal** | Compliance and contractual review | SLA obligations, ToS implications, notice requirements | Review contracts for Feature X commitments, advise on notice requirements |

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## 5. Decision Meeting Agenda

**Purpose:** Reach a final go/no-go decision on sunsetting Feature X.

**Duration:** 60 minutes

1. **Context Setting** (10 min) — PM presents usage data, support trends, cost analysis
2. **Options Review** (15 min) — Walk through Options A, B, C with updated data
3. **Stakeholder Input** (20 min) — Each stakeholder group shares concerns and constraints
4. **Decision** (10 min) — Evaluate against criteria, reach consensus or escalate
5. **Next Steps** (5 min) — Assign owners, confirm timeline

**Pre-read Required:** This decision pack, current usage analytics, support ticket analysis, list of top customers using Feature X.

---

## 6. Constraints and Non-Negotiables

1. **No downtime:** The sunset process must not cause any service interruption. Feature removal must be executed via feature flags, gradual rollback, or background deprecation.
2. **30-day customer notice:** Top customers must be notified at least 30 days before the feature is removed. Given the March 15 deadline, notification must go out no later than February 13.
3. **Data preservation:** Any customer data associated with Feature X must be exported, migrated, or archived before removal.
4. **Contractual compliance:** No sunset action may violate existing customer contracts or SLAs.

---

## 7. Execution Plan (If Sunset Approved)

### 7.1 Timeline

| Date | Milestone | Owner |
|------|-----------|-------|
| **T-45 days (Jan 29)** | Decision finalized and communicated internally | PM |
| **T-40 days (Feb 3)** | Engineering begins technical deprecation planning | Engineering |
| **T-30 days (Feb 13)** | Top customer notification sent | Sales + PM |
| **T-30 days (Feb 13)** | Public announcement (blog, changelog, in-app notice) | PM + Marketing |
| **T-21 days (Feb 22)** | Support FAQ and migration guides published | Support |
| **T-14 days (Mar 1)** | Feature flagged off for new users; existing users see deprecation banner | Engineering |
| **T-7 days (Mar 8)** | Final customer outreach for stragglers | Sales + Support |
| **T-0 (Mar 15)** | Feature fully disabled; API endpoints return deprecation response | Engineering |
| **T+7 days (Mar 22)** | Post-sunset review: support ticket analysis, customer feedback | PM + Support |
| **T+30 days (Apr 14)** | Code and infrastructure cleanup complete | Engineering |

### 7.2 Customer Communication Plan

**Tier 1 — Top Customers (by revenue/usage):**
- Personal outreach from account manager or Sales
- Offer 1:1 migration assistance
- Provide alternative solutions or workarounds
- Timeline: February 13

**Tier 2 — Active Users:**
- Email notification with migration guide
- In-app banner with countdown
- Self-service migration tools
- Timeline: February 13

**Tier 3 — Inactive/Low-Usage:**
- Email notification
- In-app notice
- Timeline: February 13

**Communication Template (Email):**

> Subject: Important Update: Feature X Will Be Retired on March 15
>
> Dear [Customer],
>
> We are writing to let you know that Feature X will be retired on March 15, [Year]. This decision was made after careful evaluation of how we can best serve you and focus our resources on the features that deliver the most value.
>
> **What this means for you:**
> - Feature X will no longer be available after March 15.
> - [Alternative solution / migration path].
> - Your data will be [preserved/exported/archived — specify].
>
> **What you need to do:**
> - [Specific migration steps, if any].
> - [Link to migration guide].
>
> **Need help?**
> - [Support contact / migration assistance offer].
>
> We appreciate your understanding and are here to help make this transition as smooth as possible.

### 7.3 Technical Deprecation Plan

1. **Dependency audit:** Map all systems, APIs, integrations, and internal tools that depend on Feature X.
2. **Feature flag:** Implement a kill switch that can disable Feature X without deployment.
3. **Graceful degradation:** API endpoints should return informative deprecation messages (HTTP 410 Gone) rather than errors.
4. **Data handling:** Export or archive all user data associated with Feature X before removal.
5. **Monitoring:** Set up alerts for any unexpected errors or traffic to deprecated endpoints post-sunset.
6. **Rollback plan:** Maintain the ability to re-enable Feature X for 30 days post-sunset in case of unforeseen critical issues.
7. **Code cleanup:** Schedule removal of Feature X code, database tables, and infrastructure after the rollback window closes.

---

## 8. Risk Register

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|--------|------------|
| Customer churn from top accounts | Medium | High | Early personal outreach, migration assistance, alternative solutions |
| Contractual violation | Low | High | Legal review of all contracts mentioning Feature X before announcement |
| Unexpected technical dependencies | Medium | Medium | Thorough dependency audit; staged rollout with monitoring |
| Support surge during transition | High | Medium | Pre-built FAQ, migration guides, temporary staffing increase |
| Negative public perception | Medium | Medium | Transparent communication, clear rationale, generous timeline |
| Data loss during migration | Low | High | Backup all data before any changes; verify migration completeness |

---

## 9. Success Metrics

| Metric | Target | Measurement |
|--------|--------|-------------|
| Customer notification coverage | 100% of active users notified 30+ days prior | Email delivery + open tracking |
| Zero downtime | 0 minutes of unplanned downtime | Monitoring/uptime tools |
| Support ticket resolution | 90% of sunset-related tickets resolved within 48 hours | Support dashboard |
| Customer retention | Less than 2% churn attributable to sunset | CRM tracking at T+90 days |
| Engineering time recovered | Measurable reduction in maintenance hours | Sprint tracking at T+60 days |
| Code cleanup complete | All Feature X code removed | Engineering audit at T+30 days |

---

## 10. Decision Record

**Date:** [To be filled after decision meeting]

**Decision:** [Keep as-is / Invest to fix / Sunset]

**Rationale:** [Summary of key factors that drove the decision]

**Dissenting Views:** [Any stakeholder objections and how they were addressed]

**Approved By:** [Names and roles]

**Review Date:** [Date for post-decision review, recommended T+30 days]

---

## Appendices

### Appendix A: Data to Gather Before Decision Meeting

- [ ] Feature X monthly active users (trailing 12 months)
- [ ] Feature X support ticket volume and trends (trailing 12 months)
- [ ] Engineering hours spent on Feature X maintenance (trailing 6 months)
- [ ] Revenue directly tied to Feature X (if any)
- [ ] List of top 20 customers by Feature X usage
- [ ] Contractual obligations mentioning Feature X
- [ ] Technical dependency map
- [ ] Competitive landscape — do competitors offer equivalent functionality?

### Appendix B: Escalation Path

If stakeholders cannot reach consensus:

1. PM escalates to VP Product with a written summary of positions
2. VP Product makes the final call within 48 hours
3. Decision is documented and communicated to all stakeholders

### Appendix C: Post-Sunset Checklist

- [ ] All customer notifications sent and confirmed
- [ ] Feature disabled in production
- [ ] API endpoints returning deprecation responses
- [ ] Customer data exported/archived
- [ ] Support FAQ published and support team briefed
- [ ] Monitoring in place for deprecated endpoints
- [ ] Rollback capability verified
- [ ] Internal documentation updated
- [ ] Code cleanup scheduled
- [ ] Post-mortem/retrospective scheduled