/organic-growth-advisor

name: organic-growth-advisor
description: "Identify which organic growth path to pursue — new segments, geographies, channels, or products. Use when diagnosing where a growth constraint lives and which McKinsey growth level to act on next."
intent: >-
  Guide product managers through a fast triage to identify which of four organic growth paths fits their current constraint: new customer segments (L2), new geographies (L3), new distribution channels (L4), or new products or services (L5). Uses a 2x2 diagnostic based on customer/market context familiarity and degree of product change required. Outputs a growth path recommendation with rationale and immediate next steps.
type: interactive
best_for:
  - "Choosing which organic growth motion to pursue when multiple seem viable"
  - "Diagnosing whether the constraint is in reach, access, market context, or product value"
  - "Setting up an AI-assisted growth experiment with the right starting hypothesis"
scenarios:
  - "We need to grow but aren't sure if we should go after new customer segments or new geographies"
  - "Help me figure out which McKinsey growth level we should focus on"
  - "We have strong product-market fit but growth is stalling. Where should we look?"
  - "Which organic growth path fits our current situation?"

Purpose

Help product managers identify which organic growth path to pursue by diagnosing where the constraint actually lives. This is not a comprehensive strategy tool. It is a fast triage that puts you in the right lane before you start building hypotheses or running experiments.

The four growth paths covered here are drawn from the McKinsey Growth Pyramid (Levels 2 through 5). Levels 1, 6, and 7 are out of scope: Level 1 (existing products to existing customers) is a retention and optimization problem, not a growth motion. Levels 6 and 7 (new industry structure, new arenas) require capital and executive mandate beyond typical product team scope.

This skill does three things and nothing more: 1. Diagnoses where your growth constraint lives using two questions 2. Places your situation on the Growth Path Matrix (customer/market context vs. degree of product change) 3. Recommends one growth path with rationale, a diagnostic question, and a first experiment

Anti-Patterns (What This Is NOT)

• **Not a rigorous diagnostic instrument:** A fast triage tool, not a scoring model
• **Not a maturity model or rubric:** No stages, no grades, no weighted criteria
• **Not a substitute for customer discovery:** It points you in a direction; discovery validates it
• **Not a guarantee:** If the recommendation does not feel right, that tension is worth exploring

When to Use This Skill

• Growth is stalling and you are unsure which lever to pull next
• Multiple growth paths seem viable and you need to choose one to test first
• You want to set up an AI-assisted experiment with a clear hypothesis
• A team or stakeholder debate about growth direction needs a fast resolution

When NOT to Use This Skill

• You have not yet achieved core product-market fit (fix L1 first)
• You already have a validated growth path in motion (do not switch lanes mid-experiment)
• You need a rigorous strategic planning tool (this is triage, not strategy)
• You lack basic context about your current customers and their problems (gather that first)

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Key Concepts

The Growth Path Matrix

Two questions place your situation on the matrix:

**X axis: Customer/Market Context** How familiar is the next customer or market you want to reach?

• **Known:** Same market, same type of buyer, familiar problem context
• **Less Known:** Different geography, unfamiliar cultural or regulatory context, buyer type you have not served before

**Y axis: Degree of Product Change** How much does the product itself need to change to unlock the next wave of growth?

• **Low:** The product mostly works. What needs to change is how customers find or access it, or which customer you go after next.
• **High:** The product needs to evolve. New capabilities or an entirely new product line is required to solve the next job.

The Four Growth Paths

**L2: New Customer Segments** (Known context + Low product change) You already solve a real problem. A nearby buyer may need it too.

**L4: New Distribution Channels** (Known context + High product change) Product offers same value. People need a better way to find or access it.

**L3: New Geographies** (Less Known context + Low product change) The product may travel. The market context does not come with it automatically.

**L5: New Products or Services** (Less Known context + High product change) Customers are pulling you toward adjacent jobs your offer does not fully solve.

Why This Order Matters

Risk scales with distance from your core. L2 is closest: same market, same product. L5 is furthest: new product, less familiar context. Most teams overinvest in L5 before they have exhausted L2 and L4. If your core product-market fit is strong and your current market is not saturated, L2 or L4 is almost always the right move first.

The Knowledge Principle

Innovation at any level is downstream of accumulated contextual knowledge. The teams that succeed at L3 are not the ones who moved fastest. They are the ones who studied how value actually travels in the new market before they tried to scale it. The teams that succeed at L5 are not the most creative. They built the adjacent product their existing customers were already asking for, in language they already understood.

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Facilitation Source of Truth

Use [`workshop-facilitation`](../workshop-facilitation/SKILL.md) as the default interaction protocol for this skill.

It defines:

• session heads-up + entry mode (Guided, Context dump, Best guess)
• one-question turns with plain-language prompts
• progress labels (for example, Context Q1/3 and Recommendation)
• interruption handling and pause/resume behavior
• numbered recommendations at decision point