Define or refresh a product North Star metric + driver tree and produce a shareable North Star Metric Pack (narrative, metric spec, inputs, guardrails, rollout).
Chosen North Star Metric spec (definition, formula, window, segmentation, owner, data source)
Driver tree (leading input/proxy metrics + guardrails)
Validation & rollout plan (instrumentation checks, dashboard cadence, decision rules)
Risks / Open questions / Next steps (always included)
Templates: references/TEMPLATES.md
Workflow (8 steps)
1) Intake + constraints
Inputs: User context; use references/INTAKE.md.
Actions: Confirm product, customer, value moment, horizon, constraints, stakeholders.
Outputs: 5–10 bullet “Context snapshot”.
Checks: You can explain the customer value in one sentence.
2) Define the qualitative North Star (before numbers)
Inputs: Context snapshot.
Actions: Write a North Star statement and value model from the customer’s perspective.
Outputs: Draft North Star Narrative (template in references/TEMPLATES.md).
Checks: Narrative can act as a decision tie-breaker (“if we do X, does it move the North Star?”).
3) Generate 3–5 candidate North Star metrics (customer POV)
Inputs: North Star Narrative + value moment.
Actions: Propose metrics that measure delivered customer value (not internal activity). Include at least one “friction/absence of pain” option when relevant.
Outputs: Candidate list with definitions.
Checks: Each candidate is measurable, understandable, and not trivially gameable.
4) Stress-test and pick the North Star metric
Inputs: Candidate metrics.
Actions: Evaluate with references/CHECKLISTS.md and references/RUBRIC.md. Explicitly test:
Leading vs lagging (avoid “retention as the only goal”; pair lagging outcomes with controllable inputs)
Controllability within a quarter (proxy/input metrics you can move)
Ecosystem impact (what breaks if you optimize this?)
Checks: A cross-functional leader could agree/disagree based on definitions and evidence.
5) Write the metric spec (make it unambiguous)
Inputs: Chosen metric.
Actions: Define formula, unit, window, inclusion rules, segmentation, owner, source, latency, and example calculation.
Outputs:North Star Metric Spec.
Checks: Two analysts would compute the same number.
6) Build the driver tree (inputs + guardrails)
Inputs: Metric spec + product levers.
Actions: Decompose into 3–7 drivers; identify leading input/proxy metrics you can move in weeks/months; add guardrails to prevent gaming/harm.
Outputs: Driver tree table + guardrails list.
Checks: Every driver has at least 1 realistic lever (initiative/experiment) and 1 measurement.
7) Define validation + rollout
Inputs: Driver tree + constraints.
Actions: Plan validation (sanity checks, correlation to outcomes) and operationalization (dashboards, cadence, owners, decision rules).
Outputs:Validation & Rollout Plan.
Checks: Plan includes “who does what, when” and works with current instrumentation.
8) Quality gate + finalize pack
Inputs: All drafts.
Actions: Run references/CHECKLISTS.md and score with references/RUBRIC.md. Add Risks/Open questions/Next steps.
Outputs: Final North Star Metric Pack.
Checks: Pack is shareable as-is; key decisions and caveats are explicit.
Quality gate (required)
Use references/CHECKLISTS.md and references/RUBRIC.md.
Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.
Examples
Example 1 (B2B SaaS): “Define a North Star metric for a team collaboration tool.”
Expected: a pack that chooses a customer-value metric (e.g., weekly active teams completing the core value moment), plus a driver tree (activation → collaboration depth) and guardrails.
Example 2 (Marketplace): “Refresh North Star metric for a local services marketplace.”
Expected: a pack that measures delivered value (e.g., successful jobs completed with quality), plus input metrics for supply/demand balance and quality guardrails.
Boundary example: “Our North Star should be retention.”
Response: keep retention as an outcome/validation metric, and propose controllable input/proxy metrics (time-to-first-value, weekly value moments, repeat value delivery) as the operating focus.