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November 18, 2025 Happy Tuesday, today’s smart brevity count is: 428 words, 3.25 mins. Edited by Nils Koppelmann. This week's focus: Why Most Experiments Don't Move the Needle In today's newsletter, we will go over:
Excited? Read on. In the last edition, I shared how to build experimentation systems. Today, I want to tackle a different problem: 85% of experiments aren't connected to business goals. You can have a perfect system running flawed experiments. Let's fix that. 1 big thing: The Misalignment TaxStrategic Insights for Experimentation Leaders Here's a stat that should concern every experimentation leader: 85% of experiments aren't connected to business goals¹. Teams are running tests. They're following best practices. They're pre-registering hypotheses and avoiding p-hacking. But they're optimizing the wrong things. The result? Experimentation programs that feel busy but deliver disappointing business impact. Why this happens:Most teams start with solutions instead of problems and while these aren't inherently bad tests they are disconnected from what actually matters. The companies that get outsized returns from experimentation do something fundamentally different: They work backwards from business goals to customer problems, then forward to experiments.
This transforms experimentation from random wins into the vehicle that drives learning and growth. When your tests are strategically aligned, each experiment – winner or loser, really doesn't matter – generates insights that inform the next test and more importantly the direction you're going. Random testing doesn't compound. It just accumulates. So the strategic question is: Are you just measuring experiment velocity or learning velocity? Limited Availability Strategic Experimentation Workshop I'm opening up a limited number of Strategic Experimentation Workshops in December. This 1-day format helps eCommerce teams build the goal-problem-experiment map and leave with a 90-day strategic roadmap. I have capacity for 2-3 teams. If you're struggling with alignment, I'd love to work with you. ¹ Data collected by Bjarn Brunenberg from participants in a webinar on the topic 2. Your new job in experimentation?This week’s featured roles:
Couldn't find a job that's interesting to you? Check out more here. 3. World class eventsUpcoming conferences in in 2025:
Find more events over at lu.ma/experimentation-events. That's a wrap – until next week. – Nils P.S.: If you enjoyed this, please consider sharing with a friend. If a friend sent you this, get the next newsletter by signing up here. Also, for more resources and content follow me on LinkedIn. |
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