MAP GOALS → METRICS
Start from business goals: - Growth → activation + acquisition efficiency - Retention → returning usage + churn - Expansion → upgrades, seat growth, feature adoption Then pick 1–2 metrics per goal. If you have 20 “north stars,” you have none.
LEADING VS LAGGING INDICATORS
Lagging metrics (MRR, churn) confirm results late. Leading metrics predict outcomes earlier: - Activation events (aha action) - Time-to-value - Weekly active users in a key cohort - Feature adoption that correlates with retention Use leading metrics to steer weekly decisions; use lagging metrics to validate.
METRIC QUALITY: TRUSTWORTHY OR USELESS
A metric is only useful if: - It’s consistent (same definition everywhere) - It’s explainable (you can tell why it moved) - It’s actionable (you can influence it) Document definitions and align product + analytics + engineering. Otherwise teams debate numbers instead of improving the product.
THE “SMALL DASHBOARD” TEMPLATE
Keep a simple dashboard: - North star (one) - Activation rate - Retention by cohort (week 1/4/12) - Expansion (upgrade/seat growth) - Guardrails (refunds, NPS/support load) Add experiment panels per initiative; don’t overload the global dashboard.
