Without this plugin you would deploy your project like this:
mvn deploy
If you have configured this plugin according to the instructions in the usage page then you just need to specify the passphrase for your private key on the command line. Like this:
mvn deploy -Dgpg.passphrase=thephrase
If you don't specify a passphrase, it will prompt for one.
Maven 2.0.5 fixes a problem where the POM files would end up changing between signing them and deploying them. If the signatures on the POM files are invalid, make sure you upgrade to Maven 2.0.5.
Currently this is not easily accomplished. gpg signs the artifacts attached to the build at the point that gpg runs. However, we want to "inject" the gpg into the phases. What MIGHT work is:
mvn verify gpg:sign install:install deploy:deploy
However, if there are other plugins configured for phases after the verify phase, they will not be run.