Activation by force
A metric improves because the product performs the action for users. · PM Drills · 19 · 30 sec–2 min
Activation by force · 30 sec–2 min
Situation
Activation doubles after auto-creating a project.
The activation definition is “created a project.” Users are no more likely to contribute content or return the following week.
Think before scrolling
What has the team actually learned?
How would you revise the investigation without arbitrarily choosing another event?
How a strong PM thinks
The proxy stopped representing user value.
The automatic event proves that code ran, not that the user experienced a useful outcome. Investigate what successful users do with a project and which early behavior plausibly predicts recurring value.
Validate a candidate with research and later outcomes. Do not simply move the threshold until the chart looks persuasive. Also evaluate whether auto-creation reduced effort or merely added clutter.
Takeaway
Activation should reflect experienced value.
An event caused by the system can be useful telemetry without being evidence of user success.