Competency Examples — Growth vs Core
The main matrix has one bar per competency. These examples exist only for the two competencies where the work genuinely looks different on Growth vs Core, so a reviewer knows what evidence to expect on each surface.
They are illustrations of the same bar — not separate standards. The other three competencies (Business Impact, Strategy & Execution, Collaboration) look the same on both teams and aren't covered here.
Experimentation & Data Literacy
The difference is how time gets spent, not the skill: many fast tests vs. a few slow, well-chosen ones. Both are the same competency.
| Level | Growth looks like… | Core looks like… |
|---|---|---|
| Emerging | Runs individual A/B tests with support. | Runs a single guarded rollout with support; watches the guardrail metrics. |
| Developing | Manages an experiment pipeline; catches peeking and false positives across concurrent tests. | Runs cohort holdouts and reads them reliably; separates a real retention shift from noise over a longer window. |
| Proficient | Shapes funnel experimentation strategy; keeps rigor across a high cadence of tests. | Chooses the method the question needs — holdout, longitudinal cohort, or qual — when a clean A/B can't isolate the effect; guards against novelty effects and short-term wins that decay. |
| Strong | Defines the experimentation philosophy for fast-iteration surfaces; mentors on running many tests without losing rigor. | Defines how the org measures long-horizon, hard-to-isolate bets; mentors on durable impact vs. launch-week deltas. |
Customer & Growth Insight
Both teams find opportunities and understand the why. They just work different loops — an acquisition flywheel and a habit loop don't overlap much.
| Level | Growth looks like… | Core looks like… |
|---|---|---|
| Emerging | Sees surface-level funnel drop-offs. | Notices engagement drop-offs, or where a habit fails to form, with prompting. |
| Developing | Maps funnels; prioritizes obvious acquisition/activation opportunities. | Tracks engagement and retention metrics; proposes targeted fixes. |
| Proficient | Identifies high-leverage growth opportunities across the funnel; frames ROI trade-offs. | Designs features with long-term retention in mind; understands why users return or lapse. |
| Strong | Creates new growth loops (referral, activation flywheels); influences GTM strategy. | Creates systems that sustain engagement loops; balances novelty and familiarity at portfolio level. |
For PMs who span both teams or move between them: rate against the single bar in the main matrix. These columns only tell you what clearing the bar tends to look like given what someone works on — not two different targets to hit.