Ebook
The Real Role of Beta in Product Management
This eBook reveals the role Beta Testing (Customer Validation) plays in product management and how product managers can use it to connect with their customers and reach their goals.
PDF · 42 pages · April 26, 2017
Beta testing often lands on a product manager's plate as one more job, with no clear owner, bad timing and, if it goes well, a fire hose of data.
This guide looks at beta from the product manager's side. It explains why the work can feel like a necessary evil, then shows how beta can connect you with real customers and help you reach your goals. It ends with practices for a sane, successful test and the mistakes to avoid.
What’s inside
Four perceived roles of beta
Why many product managers see beta as bugs, market research, feature requests and customer discussions, and why it often feels like a necessary evil.
Ten benefits for product managers
Ideas for using beta as an objective third voice, a safety net, a prioritizer, a way to build customer relationships, and a check on launch readiness.
Seven keys and ten pitfalls
Seven practices for a sane, successful beta, from setting goals first to learning from mistakes, plus ten common pitfalls to avoid.
