home / skills / gtmagents / gtm-agents / experiment-design-kit

This skill translates ideas into testable hypotheses with measurement plans and guardrails for multi-variant experiments.

npx playbooks add skill gtmagents/gtm-agents --skill experiment-design-kit

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

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SKILL.md
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---
name: experiment-design-kit
description: Toolkit for structuring hypotheses, variants, guardrails, and measurement
  plans.
---

# Experiment Design Kit Skill

## When to Use
- Translating raw ideas into testable hypotheses with clear success metrics.
- Ensuring experiment briefs include guardrails, instrumentation, and rollout details.
- Coaching pods on best practices for multi-variant or multi-surface tests.

## Framework
1. **Problem Framing** – define user problem, business impact, and north-star metric.
2. **Hypothesis Structure** – "If we do X for Y persona, we expect Z change" with assumptions.
3. **Measurement Plan** – primary metric, guardrails, min detectable effect, power calc.
4. **Variant Strategy** – control definition, variant catalog, targeting, and exclusion rules.
5. **Operational Plan** – owners, timeline, dependencies, QA/rollback steps.

## Templates
- Experiment brief (context, hypothesis, design, metrics, launch checklist).
- Guardrail register with thresholds + alerting rules.
- Variant matrix for surfaces, messaging, and states.
- **GTM Agents Growth Backlog Board** – capture idea → sizing → prioritization scoring (ICE/RICE) @puerto/README.md#183-212.
- **Weekly Experiment Packet** – includes KPI guardrails, qualitative notes, and next bets for Marketing Director + Sales Director.
- **Rollback Playbook** – pre-built checklist tied to lifecycle-mapping rip-cord procedures.

## Tips
- Pressure-test hypotheses with counter-metrics to avoid local optima.
- Document data constraints early to avoid rework during build.
- Pair with `guardrail-scorecard` to ensure sign-off before launch.
- Apply GTM Agents cadence: Monday backlog groom, Wednesday build review, Friday learnings sync.
- Require KPI guardrails per stage (activation, engagement, monetization) before authorizing build.
- If a test risks Sales velocity, include Sales Director in approval routing per GTM Agents governance.

## GTM Agents Experiment Operating Model
1. **Backlog Intake** – ideas flow from GTM pods; Growth Marketer tags theme, objective, expected impact.
2. **Prioritization** – score with RICE + qualitative "strategic fit" modifier; surface top 3 bets weekly.
3. **Design & Instrumentation** – reference Serena/Context7 to patch code + confirm documentation.
4. **Launch & Monitor** – use guardrail-scorecard to watch leading indicators (churn, complaints, latency).
5. **Learning Loop** – run Sequential Thinking retro; document hypothesis, result, decision, follow-up in backlog card.

## KPI Guardrails (GTM Agents Reference)
- Activation rate change must stay within ±3% of baseline for Tier-1 segments.
- Revenue per visitor cannot drop more than 2% for more than 48h.
- Support tickets tied to experiment variant must remain <5% of total volume.

## Weekly Experiment Packet Outline
```
Week Ending: <Date>

1. Portfolio Snapshot – tests live, status, KPI trend (guardrail vs actual)
2. Key Wins – hypothesis, uplift, next action (ship, iterate, expand)
3. Guardrail Alerts – what tripped, mitigation taken (rollback? scope adjust?)
4. Pipeline Impact – SQLs, ARR influenced, notable customer anecdotes
5. Upcoming Launches – dependencies, owners, open questions
```

Share packet with Growth, Marketing Director, Sales Director, and RevOps to mirror GTM Agents's cross-functional communication rhythm.

---

Overview

This skill is a practical toolkit for turning ideas into rigorously designed experiments with clear hypotheses, variants, guardrails, and measurement plans. It packages templates, operating rhythms, and checklists to run production-ready GTM tests across marketing, sales, and revenue operations. Use it to align cross-functional teams and reduce launch risk while accelerating validated learning.

How this skill works

The kit walks teams through a five-step framework: problem framing, hypothesis structure, measurement planning, variant strategy, and operational planning. It provides ready-made templates (briefs, guardrail registers, variant matrices, rollback playbooks) and a weekly packet to summarize status, wins, and risks. Built-in guardrails and cadence guidance ensure tests are instrumented, monitored, and governed before and after launch.

When to use it

  • Translating a raw idea into a testable hypothesis with measurable success criteria.
  • Designing multi-variant or multi-surface experiments that need clear targeting and exclusion rules.
  • Preparing an experiment brief with instrumentation, rollout plan, and rollback procedures.
  • Coaching cross-functional pods on experiment prioritization, cadence, and governance.
  • Monitoring live tests and enforcing KPI guardrails to protect revenue and customer experience.

Best practices

  • Frame the user problem and north-star metric first, then state the hypothesis as If X for Y, then Z.
  • Define primary metric, guardrails, MDE, and power calculation up front to avoid rebuilds.
  • Pressure-test assumptions and include counter-metrics to detect local optima.
  • Require KPI guardrail sign-off per stage (activation, engagement, monetization) before build.
  • Document data constraints and instrumentation owners early, and pair with a guardrail-scorecard.

Example use cases

  • Marketing A/B test for new onboarding flow with activation and revenue guardrails.
  • Sales messaging variants across email and demo scripts, tracked with a variant matrix.
  • Prioritizing growth backlog using ICE/RICE scoring and surfacing top-three weekly bets.
  • Running a high-risk experiment that requires Sales Director approval and a rollback playbook.
  • Weekly experiment packet for executive sync covering KPI trends, alerts, and next bets.

FAQ

Who should sign off on guardrails before launch?

Owners from Growth, Product, and RevOps plus impacted stakeholders (e.g., Sales Director if sales velocity is at risk) should sign off.

What guardrails are recommended for revenue experiments?

Track activation, revenue-per-visitor, and support tickets with thresholds like ±3% activation and no >2% revenue drop sustained beyond 48 hours.