Who This Helps
This is for product managers who sit in meetings where everyone has a different opinion on what to test next. You want to turn product questions into measurable decisions. The Metrics & Dashboards Basics program is built for exactly this moment.
Mini Case
Meet Maya. She manages a SaaS product with 20 tracked metrics. Her team wants to run three experiments next sprint. Maya has 7 days to pick one. She uses the Weekly Scoreboard mission from the program. She finds that one metric—trial-to-paid conversion—dropped 12% last week. That becomes her focus. She runs one experiment: simplify the onboarding email. Conversion goes up 8% in two weeks.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Pick your North Star metric. This is the one number that tells you if your product is healthy. Write it down. Keep it simple.
- List your top 3 supporting metrics. These are the levers that move your North Star. For Maya, trial-to-paid was one.
- Set a target for each. Don't guess. Use last month's average. Example: "Increase trial-to-paid from 20% to 25%."
- Build a weekly scoreboard. Every Monday, update these 4 numbers. No more. No less. This is your decision tool.
- Ask one question. Which metric is farthest from target? That's your experiment priority. Run one test. Measure for 7 days.
Avoid These Traps
- Tracking 20 metrics. You'll freeze. Pick 4 max.
- Changing targets every week. Stick with one target for at least 30 days.
- Running three experiments at once. You won't know what worked. Run one.
- Ignoring the scoreboard. If you don't look at it on Monday, you're guessing.
- Using vague definitions. "Active users" means nothing without a clear definition. Write it down.
Your Win by Friday
By Friday, you'll have a one-page scoreboard with your North Star, 3 supporting metrics, and targets. You'll know exactly which experiment to run next. No debate. No guesswork. Just a calm, data-backed decision.
And hey—you might even enjoy Monday morning meetings a little more.