Build the service map before collecting specifications
Start with the client journey: onboarding, account access, market-data delivery, permitted trading activity, history and support. Map each step to the service that performs it. Include the CRM, platform, hosting, execution connectivity, market data and reporting components that are actually required by your operating model.
For every service, record its owner, administrative access, critical dependencies and escalation route. Identify the boundary between the brokerage and third-party operators. A component without an owner is an unresolved operational requirement, even if a supplier has already delivered a working demo.
Use readiness gates that require observable evidence
| Gate | Acceptance evidence |
|---|---|
| Access | Representative clients and authorised operators can reach the intended services |
| Configuration | Accounts, groups and instruments match the approved operating brief |
| Integration | Complete workflows reconcile across participating systems |
| Capacity | Measurements cover a representative workload and leave agreed operating headroom |
| Continuity | Monitoring, escalation and a tested restoration process exist |
Use pass, fail and accepted exception states. An exception needs an owner and an explanation of the operational effect; it should not disappear inside a percentage-complete dashboard.
Test the dependencies that a happy-path demo misses
Arrange safe tests for delayed updates, unavailable non-production endpoints and client reconnection. Check whether operators can distinguish a market-data issue from a platform-access issue. Confirm that a partially completed onboarding workflow can be reconciled without creating a second client account unnecessarily.
Illustrative example: the hosting provider reports healthy resources, but the CRM cannot assign the intended account group. The infrastructure checklist keeps the account-creation gate open because the operating journey is incomplete. Buying more server capacity would not address that dependency.
Turn the checklist into a handover record
Attach the topology, access matrix, test results, recovery objectives and escalation contacts. Define what is monitored after launch and who will review early exceptions. Keep a short outstanding-items register rather than assuming that every low-priority defect can be solved by the same supplier.
Use the platform-specific MT4 checklist or MT5 checklist for deeper acceptance. The MT4 White Label scope and MT5 White Label scope should identify which parts of this record are supplied in your project. Revisit the checklist when a new region, market or critical integration is introduced.
Use the checklist as a decision record
Is every item equally important for launch?
No. Distinguish client-critical and dependency-critical gates from improvements that can be scheduled later. Record the reason, owner and operational consequence of each accepted exception. A simple percentage-complete score should not allow many minor successes to conceal one essential failed workflow.
When should readiness be reviewed again?
Revisit affected gates when the account model, markets, regions, workload or critical integrations change. Keep unchanged evidence where it remains valid and retest the impacted paths. This makes the checklist a living operating record rather than a document filed away immediately after launch.