Product Launch

The Hidden Launch Risk No One Talks About: Misalignment

In pharma, every launch is high stakes. You plan months in advance. You build the message, prep the tools, and hold the big field meeting. On paper, everyone’s ready.

But then the internal questions  start.

“How am I supposed to position this again?”
“What’s marketing using for the access message?”
“Why didn’t we know Medical had that insight two weeks ago?”

It’s not a strategy problem. But it may be a coordination one.

Despite months and months of detailed planning, there are still launches that fall far short in the expected execution. Why? Because teams weren’t truly aligned when it mattered. And when alignment fails, it shows up in the field: confusion, missed messages, poor execution all leading to slow adoption.

The Business Case for Real Alignment

No one would argue that cross-functional alignment isn’t important. Most leaders claim they’re doing it—or at least trying. But in our work with customer-facing teams, we see a different story play out: really smart teams working very hard, but not in sync. Messaging gaps. Missed handoffs. Misunderstandings about what “ready” really looks like.

And the cost is real.

According to Forrester, companies that align their customer-facing functions—Sales, Marketing, Medical, Market Access—see 2.4× higher revenue growth and 2× the profitability of companies that operate in silos.

It’s not just internal efficiency. When alignment reaches the customer, it shows. Companies that embed a unified, customer-centric go-to-market model grow 2.5× faster and are twice as likely to hit launch goals (Forrester, 2024).

In life sciences, where launch velocity and field execution determine whether momentum builds or stalls, that edge is the difference between getting ahead or scrambling to catch up. The margin for error in launch success is razor thin.

Three Red Flags You’re Not Aligned

Most teams think they’re aligned. After all, they had the kickoff. They attended the cross-functional planning meeting. They got “the launch decks.”

But if any of these sound familiar, there may be trouble under the surface:

• Your reps are asking basic positioning questions late in the game. If field teams are confused about the value story, it’s a signal that messaging, training, or internal communication didn’t land.
• MSL insights aren’t getting used or can’t be used. Medical Affairs gathers essential KOL feedback, but if it’s trapped behind compliance firewalls or buried in decks no one sees, it’s a lost opportunity. Insights don’t create value unless they’re structured and shared at the right moments, compliantly and usefully.
• Managers are coaching to numbers, not launch behaviors. When frontline leaders are focused only on hitting activity metrics , the deeper skills that drive sustainable adoption, such as effective messaging execution, objection handling, hybrid engagement, don’t get reinforced.

Sound familiar? That’s not alignment. That’s coordinated chaos.

What Alignment Actually Looks Like

Alignment doesn’t happen in a spreadsheet, an email chain, or a Slack message. It takes shape when cross-functional teams operate from a shared rhythm. where the right people are making the right decisions at the right time and reinforcing them in the field.

Here’s a snapshot of what that rhythm looks like when it’s working, broken down across four critical phases of launch readiness:

Early Pre-Launch

This is where the foundation is laid. Strategy is developed. Cross-functional planning begins. Market analysis and KOL identification take place. It’s early but the decisions made here shape everything downstream.

It’s also where teams often think they’re aligned. But without clarity on roles, metrics, and customer definitions, ambiguity creeps in.

What to align on:

• A shared vision and measurable objectives across Commercial, Medical, and Access teams
• Target customer segments, stakeholder maps, and prioritized KOLs
• Data infrastructure needs and platform integration plans
• Cross-functional roles and cadence of collaboration

The mistake we see many companies make is believing they nailed this alignment, and these things are already occurring across the functional groups. When in reality, a readiness evaluation is needed.

Mid Pre-Launch

Scientific content development kicks off. Insights from Medical, Access, and Commercial begin to flow. The CRM, digital asset management system, and campaign platforms get connected—or at least, they should. This is the moment to stress-test how well insights, data, and decisions are moving across functions.

What to align on:

• The core scientific narrative coupled with the strategic roll out across conferences, publications, and KOLs. A unified content roadmap that includes both scientific and promotional materials
• Insight flow processes that are compliant, timely, and accessible across functions
• Omnichannel strategy touchpoints and ownership across the customer journey

Late Pre-Launch

Now things get real. Territory structures are finalized. Training programs are rolled out. Promotional materials go through MLR review. Omnichannel plans are coordinated. Internal launch meetings are prepped. Here’s where any cracks in alignment become visible, especially if teams haven’t rehearsed real-world scenarios together.

What to align on:

• Final field deployment plans, including territory alignment and target lists
• A consistent and well-practiced value story across all customer-facing roles
• Integrated launch training that reflects both messaging and execution behaviors
• Coordination across channels, including sequencing and overlap between personal and digital engagement

Launch and Beyond

Execution takes over. KPIs are tracked. Dashboards light up. And hopefully, insights from the field flow back to the brand and strategy teams in time to adjust where appropriate, resourcing, or shifting how different communication channels (like rep visits, email, peer-to-peer, or digital media) are being used. If this feedback loop doesn’t exist, teams are flying blind.

What to align on:

• Key performance indicators tied to behavior that drive early brand success
• Structured field-to-brand feedback mechanisms with clear response processes
• Ongoing cross-functional touchpoints to review market response and adjust plans
• Updates to content, tools, or training based on live market dynamics

Fragmented Communication Across Functional Areas

Launches can be chaotic at first. Everyone plays a role in the overall success, and there are times when the team simply puts their heads down to get the job done. While execution is key, consistently channeling insights upward is just as important. A clear, agreed-upon cadence for sharing those insights is essential. When communication breaks down, silos form, often without anyone realizing it, leading to unintended consequences.

Medical and Market Access has insights. Sales has observations from the field. But if there’s no structured way to bring these together, especially in ways that are compliant, decisions get made in a vacuum. That leads to missed signals and messaging that no longer matches the market reality.

Training is a critical part of any launch, but it’s only the starting point. Sustained success depends on how well customer-facing teams execute in the field. That’s why it’s not enough to simply ask if training happened—you need to evaluate whether teams are actually applying what they learned. Are they executing the expected behaviors? Are they doing so effectively? Are managers reinforcing those behaviors through coaching? And is that coaching happening consistently and with quality? Too often, training is treated as a fix for poor execution, when in reality, it’s the ongoing coaching and accountability that drive real performance.”

During a launch, feedback will come from all directions—internally and externally. It’s essential to look for patterns before acting. The same applies to data and metrics. Too often, teams react impulsively to numbers, forgetting that metrics are indicators, not absolutes. A more effective approach is to dig deeper, understand what the data is signaling, and respond with measured, informed actions.

Final Takeaway

We’ve worked with dozens of life sciences companies across launch phases—from pre-commercial planning to post-launch acceleration—and we’ve learned this:

Alignment isn’t about everyone agreeing about a process or strategy. It’s about everyone knowing what’s expected of them, when, and why it matters.

• It’s clarity of mission and message.
• It’s repetition of behaviors and feedback.
• It’s structure, rhythm, and follow-through.
• Deliver measurable, business-critical outcomes

That doesn’t happen by accident. It takes deliberate process, coaching, accountability and active leadership.

Misalignment doesn’t show up in internal dashboards. Instead, it shows up in the field. It shows up in customer conversations that fall flat, in content that never gets used, in teams that point fingers when metrics slip.

If you’re seeing early signs—or want to get ahead of them before launch—now is the time to act.