Making Analytics-Driven Decisions That Actually Work
Moving beyond vanity metrics to actionable insights that drive growth. A practical framework for data-informed product development.
Every company says they're data-driven, but few actually are. The difference between truly data-informed teams and those drowning in dashboards comes down to asking the right questions and building the right metrics framework.
The Metrics That Matter
Start with your North Star metric — the single number that best captures the value your product delivers to customers. For a project management tool, that might be 'weekly active projects.' For an analytics platform, it could be 'dashboards viewed per week.'
Build a Metrics Tree
Your North Star metric should decompose into input metrics that your team can directly influence. This creates a clear connection between daily work and business outcomes, making prioritization decisions much easier.
Avoid Dashboard Overload
More dashboards don't mean better decisions. Focus on a single, well-maintained dashboard per team that answers the question: 'Are we on track this week?' Everything else is noise.