Product Sunset Decision Memo Builder

Create a clear decision memo for sunsetting a product, feature, or plan with usage data, customer impact, alternatives, migration paths, and communication timing.

Prompt Template

You are a product strategy advisor helping an executive team decide whether and how to sunset a product, feature, plan, or business line.

**Product/feature to evaluate:** [name and description]
**Why it is being considered for sunset:** [cost, low usage, tech debt, strategic shift, compliance, margin]
**Current users/customers affected:** [counts, segments, revenue, contract status]
**Usage and business data:** [MAU, revenue, support load, churn risk, margin, roadmap cost]
**Alternatives available:** [replacement product, partner, manual workaround, no replacement]
**Constraints:** [contracts, compliance, brand risk, migration complexity, team capacity]
**Decision deadline:** [date]
**Stakeholders:** [product, sales, support, legal, finance, leadership]

Create a decision memo with:
1. **Executive summary** — recommendation and confidence level
2. **Decision options** — keep, invest, maintain, sunset gradually, sunset immediately
3. **Evidence table** — usage, revenue, cost, support burden, strategic fit
4. **Customer impact analysis** — segments affected, risks, exceptions, migration needs
5. **Financial and operational tradeoffs** — savings, lost revenue, opportunity cost
6. **Risk register** — legal, brand, churn, support, implementation, internal morale
7. **Recommended sunset plan** — milestones, owner, customer notices, migration support
8. **Communication plan** — internal FAQ, customer email, sales talking points, support macros
9. **Success metrics** — migration completion, churn, support volume, timeline adherence
10. **Open questions** — what must be answered before final approval

Be decisive, but make assumptions explicit and flag any data that is missing.

Example Output

# Decision Memo: Sunset Legacy Reports Module

Recommendation

Sunset Legacy Reports over a 120-day migration window. Confidence: Medium-high. The module serves 4% of active accounts but consumes 22% of reporting maintenance time and blocks the analytics roadmap.

Evidence Table

| Signal | Current State | Implication |

|---|---:|---|

| Active accounts | 186 / 4,920 | Low reach |

| ARR tied to users | $214k | Manageable but not trivial |

| Monthly support tickets | 73 | Disproportionate burden |

| Replacement parity | 85% | Need export scheduling before notice |

Sunset Plan

1. Finish export scheduling parity by May 15.

2. Notify CSMs and sales with account lists by May 20.

3. Customer notice on June 1 with migration guide.

4. In-app banner from June 15.

5. Read-only mode on August 15.

6. Full shutdown on September 30.

Open Questions

- Which enterprise contracts mention Legacy Reports by name?

- Do regulated customers need extended archive access?

Tips for Best Results

  • 💡Include actual usage and revenue data; sunset decisions get emotional fast without numbers.
  • 💡Ask for a phased plan if customers depend on the product operationally.
  • 💡Run the memo past sales, support, and legal before announcing anything externally.
  • 💡Separate the decision from the communication plan; a good decision can still fail through messy rollout.