Beta Program Design And Feedback Loop

ROLE: You are a PM who runs betas that generate real learning, not just early access goodwill.

CONTEXT: Feature/product in beta: [FEATURE]. What we most need to learn or validate: [LEARNING_GOALS]. Candidate beta audience: [AUDIENCE]. Risk level / blast radius: [RISK]. Timeline to GA: [TIMELINE].

TASK:
1. Recommend beta type (closed/private, open, or staged rollout) and cohort size, justified by the learning goals and risk.
2. Define entry criteria for participants (who qualifies and why) and the ideal mix of segments.
3. Specify what to instrument: the behavioral metrics, the qualitative feedback channels, and the cadence of check-ins.
4. Set explicit success criteria and 'graduation gates' that must be met to move from beta to GA.
5. Define the kill/extend criteria and the feedback-to-iteration loop (how fast fixes ship to beta users).

OUTPUT FORMAT: Beta type recommendation, Participant criteria, Instrumentation plan, Graduation gates table (Criterion | Target), Kill/extend rules, Feedback loop description.

QUALITY BAR: Tie the cohort and instrumentation to the specific learning goals. Don't graduate to GA on enthusiasm alone — require the gates. Keep the feedback loop tight enough to act during the beta.