💡 AI generated Summary of this Session: 👇
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What are you going to learn? 🎯
In this comprehensive session, you’ll learn about Root Cause Analysis (RCA) in product management, including how to identify issues, analyze user journeys, create and interpret funnels, and solve real-world product problems through systematic approaches.
Why does it matter to you? 💡
As a product manager, understanding RCA is crucial because it helps you identify and fix issues that affect your product’s performance. This skill is essential for maintaining product health, improving user experience, and making data-driven decisions.
Key Takeaways: ⭐
- RCA requires a structured approach combining quantitative and qualitative analysis
- User journeys and funnel analysis are fundamental to effective problem-solving
- Always start with absolute numbers before diving into percentages
- Communication with different teams is crucial for effective RCA
- Problems can be sudden or gradual, requiring different analytical approaches
Understanding Root Cause Analysis 🔍
The instructor explains that RCA is essential for tracking key metrics and understanding abnormal changes in product performance. For example, if a product typically gets 50,000 daily users and suddenly jumps to 80,000 or drops to 25,000, understanding why this happened is crucial. These changes can be positive or negative, but both require investigation to either replicate success or fix issues.
User Journey and Funnel Analysis 📊
A user journey represents the step-by-step path users take through your product. For example, in a food delivery app, the journey might include: opening the app, searching for food, selecting a restaurant, adding items to cart, and completing payment. The instructor emphasizes that user journeys should be:
- As short as possible to reduce friction
- Free from irrelevant information requests
- Tracked at every step to identify drop-offs
Funnel Analysis Fundamentals 📈
The instructor details how funnel analysis helps track conversion rates at each step of the user journey. Using the example of a travel booking platform:
- Lead Generation (100 users)
- Quote Reception (95 users)
- Agent Communication (90 users)
- Package Purchase (50 users)
- Repeat Purchase (10 users)
This helps identify where users drop off and what needs improvement.
RCA Toolkit and Methodology 🛠️
The instructor outlines several key areas to investigate during RCA:
Platform Analysis: Examine performance across different platforms (Android, iOS, web) to isolate where the issue occurs.
Marketing Impact: Check if changes in marketing campaigns, organic traffic, or referral programs affect metrics.
Technical Analysis: Review recent releases, bugs, or system changes that might impact performance.
External Factors: Consider seasonality, competition, regulatory changes, and market conditions.
Case Study: Naukri.com 💼
The instructor presents a case study where daily signups dropped from 200,000 to 170,000. The systematic approach involves:
- Understanding the full user journey
- Analyzing top-of-funnel metrics
- Breaking down each step’s conversion rate
- Identifying specific points of failure
- Investigating potential causes (technical, marketing, external)
Best Practices for Investigation ⚡
The instructor emphasizes several key practices:
Data Verification: Always ensure data accuracy before starting investigation. Double-check methodology and measurement systems.
Cross-Team Communication: Maintain strong communication with marketing, technical, and other relevant teams during investigation.
Patience and Thoroughness: Some issues may take time to resolve and require deep investigation across multiple areas.
Common RCA Scenarios 🎯
The instructor provides several real-world scenarios to practice:
- Facebook feed posts declining by 30%
- YouTube sign-ups dropping by 20%
- Sudden DAU increases by 30%
- Gradual order decline over six months
Each scenario requires a different approach based on whether the change is sudden or gradual.
Practical Tips for Implementation 💪
The instructor concludes with practical advice:
- Always start with the top of the funnel
- Look for patterns in the data
- Consider both absolute numbers and percentages
- Document findings and solutions systematically
- Build a strong relationship with other teams for faster problem-solving
The session emphasizes that RCA is not just about finding problems but about building a systematic approach to understanding and improving product performance through careful analysis and cross-functional collaboration.
