Most developers are familiar with binary feature toggles. In fact, many may be using a home-grown solution right now. But like most home-grown technologies, the capabilities are often basic, and maintaining them creates a tax on developer time that could potentially be better spent delivering features to customers.
Feature management and experimentation (FM&E) solutions are commercial offerings that elevate the basic feature toggle from a binary on/off switch to a complete system for managing features, feature properties, target populations, and progressive delivery. For teams that are product-oriented, they provide the ability to test hypothesis with real customers using A/B, multivariate, and multiarmed bandit testing.
The FM&E market is rapidly evolving as these tools advance and become crucial for teams adopting a product-centric approach. With a diverse array of solutions ranging from small open-source to more established vendors (even some experience optimization vendors are throwing their hats in the ring), choosing one can be difficult.
Over the course of late 2023 and early 2024, we conducted a Forrester Landscape report on the available feature management and experimentation solutions in the marketplace. We compared vendors across geography, industry, use case, and size to help you understand the benefits you can expect from FM&E and decide which solution is right for your company.
Takeaways From The Feature Management And Experimentation Solutions Landscape, Q1 2024
- Use case matters. We found that use cases across FM&E solutions encompass a range of scenarios, including feature launch, testing in production, A/B testing, canary release, and multivariate testing. Vendor offerings can vary widely across use cases. Organizations should carefully evaluate the available use cases and select vendors that align with their business requirements.
- Teams are demanding integrated solutions — and vendors are listening. As product centricity takes over, the divide between product-centric teams and dev-centric teams is shrinking. Because of this, many vendors now have integrated offerings.
- AI is disrupting the FM&E market. AI-powered assistants (TuringBots) are set to take over the marketplace and transform FM&E feedback offerings on a massive scale, but investment in AI capabilities varies across vendors. Consider investment in AI and other emerging technologies when choosing vendors.
Included in the landscape are a breakdown of core and extended use cases, a matrix of key functionalities, and a comprehensive analysis of the FM&E market, as well as forward-looking analysis in this market to help decision-makers move forward with their adoption strategy.
Want to talk more about which FM&E solution is right for you? Schedule an inquiry to explore further.
