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Free PDF · 12 pages

The App Development Checklist I use on every project

58 points across 5 phases — scope, architecture, development, launch, and post-launch. Built from 20+ shipped Flutter and React Native apps. Designed to catch the expensive mistakes before they cost you weeks.

What you will get

  • The 58-point checklist as a printable PDF
  • The exact scope-lock template I use in week 0
  • App Store rejection reasons and how to sidestep them
  • A launch day runbook for a smoother release
  • Bonus: my week-by-week Flutter MVP sprint plan

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Preview the sections

The full PDF includes checkboxes, examples, and one-page worksheets. Here is a peek at what is inside.

Scope & Strategy (8 items)

  • One-sentence product definition the whole team agrees on
  • Single success metric, not a dashboard of 20
  • Three-question user interview template
  • Explicit 'not-in-v1' cut list
  • Go/no-go criteria for each feature
  • Risk register (top 5 things that can kill the project)
  • Budget contingency (15-20% of total)
  • Definition of 'done' for MVP launch

Architecture & Stack (12 items)

  • State management choice decided and documented
  • Routing pattern chosen (declarative recommended)
  • Backend: BaaS vs custom decision made with rationale
  • Database schema with relationships mapped out
  • Authentication strategy (email, social, SSO, etc.)
  • File/image storage approach
  • Push notification service chosen
  • Analytics tool selected and events defined
  • Crash reporting wired from day 1
  • Environment config (dev/staging/prod)
  • Secrets management approach
  • CI/CD pipeline sketched before coding begins

Development & Quality (14 items)

  • Repository initialized with proper .gitignore
  • Code formatting + linting configured
  • Pre-commit hooks for format and lint
  • Folder structure documented in README
  • Component library / design system set up
  • Error handling pattern standardized
  • Loading state pattern standardized
  • Empty state designs for every list view
  • Error boundaries for critical flows
  • Unit tests for business logic
  • Integration test for the happy path
  • Manual test checklist for key flows
  • Code review checklist (even for solo devs)
  • Technical debt log maintained during development

Store Submission & Launch (12 items)

  • App icons for all required sizes
  • Splash screen that does not feel broken
  • Privacy policy URL (required by both stores)
  • Terms of service URL
  • App Store screenshots (one per key feature)
  • App Store description with target keywords
  • Keyword research for App Store Optimization
  • App preview video (optional but doubles installs)
  • Age rating filled out correctly
  • Data safety form (Android) completed accurately
  • App privacy details (iOS) completed accurately
  • Localization for your primary market at minimum

Post-Launch Essentials (12 items)

  • Crash monitoring alert thresholds configured
  • Analytics dashboard bookmarked and checked daily
  • Feedback channel (email, in-app form, Discord)
  • Update cadence plan (weekly bugfix, monthly feature)
  • Rollback plan for a bad release
  • Monitoring for API rate limits and quotas
  • Cost monitoring (Firebase, AWS, etc.)
  • Backup strategy for user data
  • GDPR / CCPA compliance review
  • App Store review response template
  • Launch day runbook
  • Week 1 retrospective template

Want someone to run this checklist for you?

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