north-star-metric

Classify your business into one of three games (Attention, Transaction, or Productivity), then propose a single customer-centric metric and validate it against seven criteria: easy to understand, customer-centric, sustainable value, vision alignment, quantitative, actionable, and a leading indicator of success.

A North Star Metric is a single customer-centric KPI reflecting value delivered, while an OKR is a goal-setting technique. You can use Key Results within OKRs to express the expected change in your North Star Metric over time.

Input metrics are 3-5 leading indicators that directly drive the North Star Metric. They are easier to influence in the short term and help teams identify where optimization efforts should focus to move the North Star.

No. A North Star Metric must be customer-centric, reflecting the value customers get from the product rather than revenue or LTV. Revenue is a lagging business outcome, while the North Star should be a leading indicator of long-term success.

Avoid it when you need multiple departmental KPIs rather than one unifying metric, or when your product lacks a clear customer value proposition to measure. It works best for products with identifiable recurring customer value delivery.