Experimenting with Process Variations: Using Action Data for AB Testing Operations

In today's competitive landscape, optimizing your business processes isn't just about fixing what's broken; it's about continuously experimenting and improving. Just as marketers perform A/B testing on landing pages to understand which version converts best, businesses can now apply a similar data-driven approach to their operational workflows. The key to this lies in having a structured way to define, track, and analyze every action taken within your business. This is where a platform like Verbs.do: Action Management Platform becomes invaluable.

The Challenge of Optimizing Business Processes

Historically, understanding operational efficiency has been challenging. Processes are often documented in static diagrams or spreadsheets, and tracking the actual execution of these processes can be manual and disconnected. This makes it difficult to:

• Identify true bottlenecks: Where are the real slowdowns happening in your workflows?
• Measure the impact of changes: Did that new step in your onboarding process actually improve completion rates?
• Compare different approaches: Which version of your fulfillment process is more efficient and cost-effective?

Without concrete, action-level data, optimizing operations relies on assumptions and intuition, which can be hit-or-miss.

Introducing Action Management for Operational A/B Testing

Verbs.do provides a comprehensive platform for defining and managing all actions in your business by tracking operations performed to and by entities. By defining actions like Purchase, Ship Order, Process Refund, or Onboard User, you create a granular, data-capturing representation of your business processes.

This structured approach, where every action involves a subject (who performed the action), an object (what the action was performed on), and relevant properties, forms the foundation of an operational graph. This graph isn't just a visual representation; it's a live, data-rich model of how your business operates.

Here's how this action-centric view enables powerful A/B testing for your operations:

1. Define Process Variations as Action Sequences: Instead of relying on vague descriptions, you can define different versions of a process as distinct sequences of actions. For example, you might define two variations of a customer support ticket resolution process:

   • Variation A: Receive Ticket -> Assign Support Agent -> Agent Investigates -> Request More Info -> Provide Solution -> Close Ticket
   • Variation B: Receive Ticket -> Automated Initial Response -> Assign Support Agent -> Agent Investigates -> Provide Solution -> Close Ticket

2. Track Actions with Properties: As actions are performed within each process variation, Verbs.do logs each instance with its associated properties. For example, for the Agent Investigates action, you might track properties like timeSpent, issuesIdentified, or knowledgeBaseUsed.

3. Assign Entities to Variations: Just like assigning users to different landing page variants, you can assign specific entities (e.g., individual customer support tickets) to different process variations. This allows you to segment your operational data.

4. Analyze Action Data by Variation: With actions meticulously logged and categorized by the process variation they belong to, you can now analyze the performance of each variation based on objective metrics. You can compare:

   • Process completion rates: Which variation sees more entities successfully complete the entire action sequence?
   • Time taken for specific actions: Which variation has faster resolution times for key steps?
   • Frequency of certain actions: Does Variation A or B require more instances of a specific action, indicating potential inefficiency?
   • Resource utilization: Do certain variations require more input or resources for specific actions?
   • Conversion rates (operational goals): If your process aims to achieve a specific outcome (e.g., converting a lead to a customer), which variation has a higher success rate?

Building Your Operational Graph to Reveal Insights

Verbs.do's ability to connect every action to the entities that perform or receive them allows you to build a complete operational graph. This graph isn't just a static diagram; it's a dynamic representation of your business based on real-time action data.

By analyzing this graph across different process variations, you can effectively visualize and identify where inefficiencies lie. Are there unexpected loops in one variation? Are certain actions disproportionately frequent in one path compared to another? The operational graph provides a clear view of process flow and helps pinpoint areas for optimization based on the A/B test results.

Beyond Efficiency: Experimenting for Better Outcomes

A/B testing with action data isn't just about making processes faster. It can also be used to experiment with variations designed to improve other crucial business outcomes, such as:

• Customer Satisfaction: Which support process variation leads to higher customer ratings?
• Reduced Errors: Which order fulfillment process minimizes manual errors?
• Increased Employee Productivity: Which internal workflow variation allows employees to complete tasks more effectively?
• Cost Reduction: Which variation of a resource-intensive process requires fewer steps or resources?

Getting Started with Operational A/B Testing Using Verbs.do

By adopting an Action Management Platform like Verbs.do, you can transform the way you optimize your business. Start by:

1. Defining Your Core Actions: Identify the key operations performed within your business.
2. Modeling Your Entities: Define the subjects and objects involved in these actions (customers, products, users, etc.).
3. Mapping Existing Processes: Represent your current workflows as sequences of defined actions.
4. Identifying Areas for Experimentation: Pinpoint processes where you suspect inefficiencies or where you want to test alternative approaches.
5. Defining and Implementing Process Variations: Create the alternative action sequences you want to compare.
6. Assigning Entities to Variations: Use Verbs.do to route relevant entities through different process flows.
7. Collecting and Analyzing Action Data: Leverage Verbs.do's logging and analytics capabilities to compare the performance of each variation.

By treating your operational processes as opportunities for continuous experimentation, supported by granular action data, you can unlock new levels of efficiency, improve outcomes, and gain a deeper understanding of how your business truly operates. Verbs.do provides the foundation for this data-driven approach, enabling you to connect actions that drive measurable results.