Public preview

Define the North Star Metric

One number summarizing your product's value to customer — every decision serves it.

60 min Advanced

Goal

Break "10 metrics we care about" into one central metric guiding decisions.

Steps

1

Ask: what core value does customer get?

5 more steps locked

Expected Outcome

Immediate

You have one decision question: "does this raise north star?".

Evidence base

School: Growth Hacking / Product-Led Growth

Founders: Sean Ellis · Andrew Chen (2010)

Sean Ellis (Dropbox growth founder) coined "North Star Metric" in 2010; Andrew Chen embedded it in growth literature.

Frequently asked questions

How long does "Define the North Star Metric" take?

This exercise takes about 60 minutes, practiced in a group in a Written reflection format.

When will I notice the effect of "Define the North Star Metric"?

You have one decision question: "does this raise north star?". In the short term: In 2 months, team aligned — every decision has clear yes/no.

Is "Define the North Star Metric" evidence-based?

Yes — it draws on Growth Hacking / Product-Led Growth (Sean Ellis, Andrew Chen (2010)). Sean Ellis (Dropbox growth founder) coined "North Star Metric" in 2010; Andrew Chen embedded it in growth literature.

Is "Define the North Star Metric" suitable for beginners?

Its difficulty level is: Advanced. No external tools required — it can be practiced directly inside the app.

Subscribe for full access

Subscribe to Plus for full access to this practice and the whole catalogue, or try first — free, no sign-in, no commitment.

Interactive practice locked · 5 more steps locked

7 complete practices (one per domain) are free forever, no sign-in.