CX-301e · Module 1

Adoption Velocity Measurement

3 min read

Adoption percentage tells you where you are. Adoption velocity tells you where you are going. Velocity is the rate of adoption change — how fast the adoption percentage is increasing (or decreasing) over time. An account at 30% adoption with increasing velocity is on a trajectory toward 60% or higher. An account at 50% adoption with zero velocity has plateaued and will not grow without intervention. Velocity is the leading indicator of the adoption outcome.

Do This

  • Measure adoption velocity weekly during the first 90 days — this is when the curve is forming and interventions are most effective
  • Compare velocity against the S-curve benchmark — is the account tracking to the expected acceleration phase?
  • Alert when velocity drops below the benchmark — a decelerating curve during what should be the acceleration phase is an early intervention signal

Avoid This

  • Measure adoption monthly during early deployment — monthly measurement misses the weekly velocity changes that indicate whether the curve is forming
  • Report adoption percentage without velocity — 40% at increasing velocity is healthy; 40% at flat velocity is stalled
  • Wait for the curve to flatten before investigating — by then the acceleration window has closed and catching up is exponentially harder