Notice: This page requires JavaScript to function properly.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings or update your browser.
Impara North Star Metric and Supporting Metrics | Metric Frameworks
Business Analytics and Decision Making with Python

bookNorth Star Metric and Supporting Metrics

A North Star Metric is a single, critical metric that best captures the core value your product delivers to customers. This metric acts as a guiding light for your business, aligning cross-functional teams toward a shared goal. By focusing on the North Star Metric, you ensure that everyone—from product development to marketing and support—is working to drive sustainable growth and long-term value. Supporting metrics break down the North Star Metric into actionable components, helping teams understand the levers they can pull to influence the main goal.

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
import pandas as pd # Imagine a SaaS platform that provides project management tools # Sample user activity data data = { "user_id": [101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106], "active_days": [20, 15, 28, 10, 25, 18], "projects_created": [5, 3, 7, 1, 6, 4], "tasks_completed": [50, 30, 80, 10, 75, 40], "invited_team_members": [3, 1, 4, 0, 2, 2] } df = pd.DataFrame(data) # Define the North Star Metric: "Weekly Active Users" (WAU) north_star_metric = df[df["active_days"] >= 7].shape[0] # Supporting metrics: # 1. Average projects created per active user avg_projects_per_user = df["projects_created"].mean() # 2. Average tasks completed per user avg_tasks_completed = df["tasks_completed"].mean() # 3. Average team members invited per user avg_team_invites = df["invited_team_members"].mean() print("North Star Metric (Weekly Active Users):", north_star_metric) print("Supporting Metric - Avg Projects per User:", round(avg_projects_per_user, 2)) print("Supporting Metric - Avg Tasks Completed per User:", round(avg_tasks_completed, 2)) print("Supporting Metric - Avg Team Members Invited per User:", round(avg_team_invites, 2))
copy

When choosing a North Star Metric and supporting metrics, you should focus on those that reflect genuine, recurring value for your customers and the business. The North Star Metric should be a leading indicator of growth, not just a lagging outcome like revenue. Supporting metrics must be actionable and tightly linked to the North Star Metric, so improvements in these areas reliably drive the main metric forward. To validate your metrics, analyze historical data to confirm that changes in supporting metrics consistently lead to positive movement in the North Star Metric. This approach ensures your teams stay focused on activities that truly matter for long-term business success.

question mark

What is the primary purpose of a North Star Metric in a business analytics framework?

Select the correct answer

Tutto è chiaro?

Come possiamo migliorarlo?

Grazie per i tuoi commenti!

Sezione 6. Capitolo 1

Chieda ad AI

expand

Chieda ad AI

ChatGPT

Chieda pure quello che desidera o provi una delle domande suggerite per iniziare la nostra conversazione

Suggested prompts:

Can you explain why "Weekly Active Users" is chosen as the North Star Metric?

What are some examples of good supporting metrics for other types of businesses?

How can I validate if my chosen North Star Metric is effective?

bookNorth Star Metric and Supporting Metrics

Scorri per mostrare il menu

A North Star Metric is a single, critical metric that best captures the core value your product delivers to customers. This metric acts as a guiding light for your business, aligning cross-functional teams toward a shared goal. By focusing on the North Star Metric, you ensure that everyone—from product development to marketing and support—is working to drive sustainable growth and long-term value. Supporting metrics break down the North Star Metric into actionable components, helping teams understand the levers they can pull to influence the main goal.

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
import pandas as pd # Imagine a SaaS platform that provides project management tools # Sample user activity data data = { "user_id": [101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106], "active_days": [20, 15, 28, 10, 25, 18], "projects_created": [5, 3, 7, 1, 6, 4], "tasks_completed": [50, 30, 80, 10, 75, 40], "invited_team_members": [3, 1, 4, 0, 2, 2] } df = pd.DataFrame(data) # Define the North Star Metric: "Weekly Active Users" (WAU) north_star_metric = df[df["active_days"] >= 7].shape[0] # Supporting metrics: # 1. Average projects created per active user avg_projects_per_user = df["projects_created"].mean() # 2. Average tasks completed per user avg_tasks_completed = df["tasks_completed"].mean() # 3. Average team members invited per user avg_team_invites = df["invited_team_members"].mean() print("North Star Metric (Weekly Active Users):", north_star_metric) print("Supporting Metric - Avg Projects per User:", round(avg_projects_per_user, 2)) print("Supporting Metric - Avg Tasks Completed per User:", round(avg_tasks_completed, 2)) print("Supporting Metric - Avg Team Members Invited per User:", round(avg_team_invites, 2))
copy

When choosing a North Star Metric and supporting metrics, you should focus on those that reflect genuine, recurring value for your customers and the business. The North Star Metric should be a leading indicator of growth, not just a lagging outcome like revenue. Supporting metrics must be actionable and tightly linked to the North Star Metric, so improvements in these areas reliably drive the main metric forward. To validate your metrics, analyze historical data to confirm that changes in supporting metrics consistently lead to positive movement in the North Star Metric. This approach ensures your teams stay focused on activities that truly matter for long-term business success.

question mark

What is the primary purpose of a North Star Metric in a business analytics framework?

Select the correct answer

Tutto è chiaro?

Come possiamo migliorarlo?

Grazie per i tuoi commenti!

Sezione 6. Capitolo 1
some-alt