Guide · C74
Manage a launch by cohorts
Does aggregate progress hide deterioration in new cohorts?
Direct answer
The data follows activation, retention and time to value by entry week to distinguish volume growth from real improvement.
01Accelerate, fix onboarding or limit acquisition depending on the cohort.
02The rule, the evidence and the next review date stay visible.
How to use this
Move from the question to the deliverable.
Does aggregate progress hide deterioration in new cohorts?
Accelerate, fix onboarding or limit acquisition depending on the cohort.
Activation cohort set
Dataset · SQ-74
Detect a decline hidden by aggregate growth
The total of activated users can rise thanks to acquisition volume while every new cohort performs worse. Reading by cohort preserves the age of the behaviour.
Fictitious set of six weekly cohorts after the launch of a self-service offer.
- 01Anchor
Group users by week of entry and version of the experience.
- 02Align
Compare every cohort at the same age: D7, D14 and D28.
- 03Segment
Separate channel, segment and version when their mix changes.
- 04Decide
Accelerate acquisition only if activation and retention stay above the thresholds.
Six activation and retention cohorts
Sign-ups rise by 38%, but D7 activation loses 11 points after the change in the acquisition mix.
Day-7 activation = accounts reaching the value event by day 7 ÷ registered accounts| Cohort | Sign-ups | Day-7 activation | Day-28 retention | Dominant channel | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W1 | 420 | 48% | 31% | Organic | Baseline |
| W2 | 438 | 49% | 32% | Organic | Accelerate |
| W3 | 471 | 46% | 29% | Search | Monitor |
| W4 | 506 | 42% | 26% | Social | Correct targeting |
| W5 | 548 | 39% | 24% | Social | Limit |
| W6 | 581 | 37% | — | Social | Incremental pause |
01Aggregate volume rises, but cohort W6 activates 11 points below W1.
02The break starts in W4 as the social channel takes over; onboarding is not the only possible cause.
03The social increment is suspended until D7 activation returns above 43%.
Fictitious data. The comparison requires a stable definition of the value event and control of the mix.
Coherence controls
Minimum conditions before validation.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
Usable deliverable
Activation cohort set
Explore the decision further with an interactive control, or start from a structured template to produce your deliverable.