Growth Product Manager: Contributing to the Product Cycle through Research and Experimentation

In the ever-changing world of product management, two key roles stand out in terms of their approach and specific objectives: the traditional Product Manager (PM) and the Growth Product Manager (GPM). Although their titles may seem similar, their responsibilities, methodologies and priorities differ considerably. This article explores these essential distinctions to better understand how each of these roles contributes to a product’s success.
We will also look at the essential role played by the Growth Product Manager (GPM) in product evolution, through his or her focus on growth and ability to conduct structured experimentation. We will look at key concepts such as A/B testing and feature management (or feature flag) to illustrate this contribution.

The Product Manager: Guardian of the Product Vision

Role and responsibilities

The traditional Product Manager is often seen as the guardian of the product vision. He or she is responsible for defining the product roadmap, prioritizing features and coordinating the various teams to ensure coherent product development. Here are some of his key responsibilities:

• Product Vision Definition: Collaborate with stakeholders to establish a clear vision and product strategy aligned with corporate objectives.
• Roadmap Management: Prioritize features and enhancements based on market needs and user feedback.
• Team Coordination: Work closely with development, design, marketing and sales teams to ensure that the product is delivered according to expectations.
• Agile Scrum methodology: Use Scrum principles to manage development cycles, ensuring that sprints are well planned and obstacles are quickly resolved.

Agile Scrum methodology

The Agile Scrum methodology is at the heart of traditional PM work. It enables work to be broken down into short iterations and user feedback to be integrated on an ongoing basis. Scrum ceremonies, such as sprints, reviews and retrospectives, are essential elements of this framework.

Product Manager vs Growth Product Manager

The Growth Product Manager: Architect of Growth

Role and responsibilities

The Growth Product Manager (GPM) focuses primarily on product growth and optimization. His or her role is centered on using data to conduct experiments aimed at increasing user acquisition, retention and engagement. Responsibilities include:

• Data Analysis: Using advanced analytics tools to understand user behavior and identify opportunities for growth.
• Experimentation and A/B Testing: Conduct rigorous experiments to test new features or modifications, and measure their impact on key metrics.
• Conversion Optimization: Work on user journeys to improve conversion rates at each stage of the conversion funnel.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Work with marketing, sales and customer service teams to align growth initiatives with business objectives.

Logic of Growth and Experimentation

The GPM’s logic of growth is based on a scientific approach to experimentation. Each hypothesis is tested on a small scale before being deployed on a large scale. The aim is to quickly identify what works, and to pivot based on the results obtained.

Experimentation: a tool for validation and improvement

A/B testing

A/B testing is an essential method for Growth Product Managers. They allow to compare two versions of the same functionality or interface element to determine which performs better according to defined criteria.

Feature Management and Feature Flags

Feature management is another crucial tool for GPM. It’s the practice of controlling the deployment of new features through feature flags.

• Deployment control: Feature flags make it possible to enable or disable specific functionality for different user segments without requiring new code deployments.
• Continuous Experimentation: This approach enables features to be tested with a small group of users before being rolled out to the entire user base. It also facilitates multiple simultaneous experiments.
• Risk management: Feature flags minimize the risks associated with new functionalities by enabling rapid deactivation in the event of a problem.

The experimentation toolbox

Before considering experimentation, it is crucial to understand the behavior of the product’s user.

• Web analytics: Web data can be collected using tools such as Google Analytics, Piano or Adobe Analytics.
  These tools will provide useful initial information for detecting areas for improvement, notably through general analysis of the conversion funnel.
• UX Analytics: To get closer to user usage, tools such as Contentsquare or Hotjar can be used to visualize user interaction with the product. Data from heatmaps, clickmaps and session recordings will provide a better understanding of usage.
• A/B testing: When it comes to testing the hypotheses identified during the analysis phase, A/B tests are recommended to test different variations of a solution.
  Various solutions such as Kameleoon, Optimizely, AB Tasty or VWO are excellent choices to manage these tests.
• Feature experimentation & Rollouts: It’s also possible (and even recommended) to roll out a feature progressively, in order to verify how it works in a production environment, and how well it is been adopted by users. In the case of certain features (payment, authentication, search, etc.), the impact on conversion can be dramatic. In such cases, solutions such as AB Tasty Feature Experimentation & Rollouts (ex-Flagship), Launch Darkly, Kameleoon or Optimizely can help product teams improve feature deployment.

Contribution to the Product Life Cycle

Accelerating innovation

Through research and experimentation, Growth Product Managers accelerates the pace of product innovation. Rapid testing and frequent iterations enable the introduction of continuous improvements based on empirical data.

Continuous improvement

The product lifecycle benefits from continuous improvement thanks to feedback from experimentation. Every A/B test and every feature activated or deactivated provides valuable insights for fine-tuning and perfecting the product.

Adaptability and responsiveness

The ability to make rapid adjustments via feature management enables Growth Product Managers to react quickly to market changes and user feedback. This responsiveness is crucial to maintaining the product’s competitiveness.

Conclusion

The role of the Growth Product Manager, focused on research and experimentation, is crucial to the growth and ongoing evolution of the product. Using methods such as A/B testing and feature management, the GPM brings a scientific and flexible dimension to product management, enabling rapid innovation and improvements based on concrete data. This approach not only promotes sustainable growth, but also ensures that the product remains aligned with user needs and expectations.