Who This Helps
This is for you, Junior Analyst. You want to move from tracking 20 numbers to picking one that matters. You want to ship analysis that actually gets used. The Metrics & Dashboards Basics program is your shortcut.
Mini Case
Meet Maya. She's a Junior Analyst at a small SaaS company. Her team tracks 20 metrics every week. Maya feels stuck. She knows she should prioritize, but where to start? She decides to focus on one primary metric: the North Star Metric. She picks "Weekly Active Users" (WAU). Then she defines 3 supporting metrics: sign-ups, activation rate, and churn. She sets realistic targets: grow WAU by 12% in 7 days. Her first experiment? A simple onboarding tweak. Result? WAU jumps 8% in one week. Clean analysis. Clear recommendation. Her team loves it.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Pick your North Star Metric. Choose one number that captures the core value your product delivers. For Maya, it was WAU.
- Define 3 supporting metrics. These are the levers that move your North Star. Examples: sign-ups, activation rate, churn.
- Set realistic targets. Use past data or industry benchmarks. Aim for a 10-15% improvement in 7 days.
- Build a weekly scoreboard. Track your North Star and supporting metrics every week. Keep it simple: one page, 4 numbers max.
- Run one experiment. Pick the metric with the biggest gap to target. Test one change. Measure impact in 7 days.
Avoid These Traps
- Tracking too many metrics. Stick to 4 numbers max. More is noise.
- Vague definitions. "Active users" means nothing without a clear definition. Maya defined WAU as users who log in at least 3 times in 7 days.
- No targets. Without a target, you can't prioritize. Set a number.
- Analysis paralysis. Don't wait for perfect data. Start with what you have.
- Ignoring the scoreboard. Update it weekly. If you don't look, you won't act.
Your Win by Friday
By Friday, you will have:
- One North Star Metric with a clear definition.
- Three supporting metrics with realistic targets.
- A simple weekly scoreboard (paper or spreadsheet is fine).
- One experiment prioritized and ready to run.
You'll feel focused. Your team will see clean analysis. And you'll ship your first high-impact recommendation. That's a win. And hey, maybe you'll even have time for coffee. (Decaf is fine.)