I went straight into triage mode in my answer, which I think was right, but I spent too long on the technical side and almost forgot to loop in the customer-facing stakeholders.
Start by acknowledging the urgency and the need to balance customer commitments with quality. Then, outline a structured decision-making process that involves assessing the bug's impact, consulting key stakeholders, and evaluating options like fixing, delaying, or partial release. Emphasize transparent communication and a bias toward action while mitigating risks.
Pro tip: Show that you prioritize customer trust and long-term relationship over short-term deadlines, but also demonstrate flexibility by exploring creative solutions like a phased rollout or hotfix. Mention the importance of documenting the decision and learnings for future releases.
Gather details from engineering on the bug's severity, scope, and potential impact on the customer and release. Determine if it's a blocker or if there's a workaround.
Convene a quick meeting with engineering, customer success, and possibly the customer to discuss the situation and align on priorities. Ensure everyone understands the trade-offs.
Consider possible paths: fix the bug and delay release, release with known issue and a hotfix plan, or release a partial feature set. Assess risks and benefits of each.
Make a decision based on customer impact and business goals, and communicate it clearly to all stakeholders, including the customer if necessary. Set expectations for next steps.
If proceeding with release, ensure a mitigation plan is in place. If delaying, adjust the roadmap and inform the customer. Monitor closely and be ready to adapt.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.