Product Metrics Dashboard
Design a comprehensive product metrics dashboard with the right metrics, visualizations, and alert thresholds.
Context
You are designing a metrics dashboard for $ARGUMENTS.
If the user provides files (existing dashboards, analytics data, OKRs, or strategy docs), read them first.
Domain Context
Metrics vs KPIs vs NSM: Metrics = all measurable things. KPIs = a few key quantitative metrics tracked over a longer period. North Star Metric = a single customer-centric KPI that is a leading indicator of business success.
4 criteria for a good metric (Ben Yoskovitz, Lean Analytics): (1) Understandable — creates a common language. (2) Comparative — over time, not a snapshot. (3) Ratio or Rate — more revealing than whole numbers. (4) Behavior-changing — the Golden Rule: "If a metric won't change how you behave, it's a bad metric."
8 metric types: Vanity vs Actionable (only actionable metrics change behavior), Qualitative vs Quantitative (WHAT vs WHY — you need both; never stop talking to customers), Exploratory vs Reporting (explore data to uncover unexpected insights), Lagging vs Leading (leading indicators enable faster learning cycles, e.g. customer complaints predict churn).
5 action steps: (1) Audit metrics against the 4 good-metric criteria. (2) Update dashboards — ensure all key metrics are good ones. (3) Identify vanity metrics — be careful how you use them. (4) Classify leading vs lagging indicators. (5) Pick one problem and dig deep into the data.
For case studies and more detail: Are You Tracking the Right Metrics? by Ben Yoskovitz
Instructions
Identify the metrics framework — organize metrics into layers:
North Star Metric: The single metric that best captures core value delivery
Input Metrics (3-5): The levers that drive the North Star
Health Metrics: Guardrails that ensure overall product health
Business Metrics: Revenue, cost, and unit economics
For each metric, define:
| Metric |
Definition |
Data Source |
Visualization |
Target |
Alert Threshold |
| [Name] |
[Exact calculation: numerator/denominator, time window] |
[Where the data comes from] |
[Line chart / Bar / Number / Funnel] |
[Goal value] |
[When to trigger an alert] |
Design the dashboard layout:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ NORTH STAR: [Metric] — [Current Value] │
│ Trend: [↑/↓ X% vs last period] │
├──────────────────┬──────────────────────────┤
│ Input Metric 1 │ Input Metric 2 │
│ [Sparkline] │ [Sparkline] │
├──────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ Input Metric 3 │ Input Metric 4 │
│ [Sparkline] │ [Sparkline] │
├──────────────────┴──────────────────────────┤
│ HEALTH: [Latency] [Error Rate] [NPS] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ BUSINESS: [MRR] [CAC] [LTV] [Churn] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Set review cadence:
- Daily: Operational health (errors, latency, critical flows)
- Weekly: Input metrics and engagement trends
- Monthly: North Star, business metrics, OKR progress
- Quarterly: Strategic review and metric recalibration
Define alerts:
- What thresholds trigger investigation?
- Who gets alerted and through what channel?
- What's the expected response time?
Recommend tools based on the user's context:
- Amplitude, Mixpanel, PostHog for product analytics
- Looker, Metabase, Mode for SQL-based dashboards
- Datadog, Grafana for operational health
Think step by step. Save the dashboard specification as a markdown document.
Further Reading
---
name: metrics-dashboard
description: Design a comprehensive product metrics dashboard with key metrics, data sources, visualization types, and alert thresholds.
---
## Product Metrics Dashboard
Design a comprehensive product metrics dashboard with the right metrics, visualizations, and alert thresholds.
### Context
You are designing a metrics dashboard for **$ARGUMENTS**.
If the user provides files (existing dashboards, analytics data, OKRs, or strategy docs), read them first.
### Domain Context
**Metrics vs KPIs vs NSM**: Metrics = all measurable things. KPIs = a few key quantitative metrics tracked over a longer period. North Star Metric = a single customer-centric KPI that is a leading indicator of business success.
**4 criteria for a good metric** (Ben Yoskovitz, *Lean Analytics*): (1) Understandable — creates a common language. (2) Comparative — over time, not a snapshot. (3) Ratio or Rate — more revealing than whole numbers. (4) Behavior-changing — the Golden Rule: "If a metric won't change how you behave, it's a bad metric."
**8 metric types**: Vanity vs Actionable (only actionable metrics change behavior), Qualitative vs Quantitative (WHAT vs WHY — you need both; never stop talking to customers), Exploratory vs Reporting (explore data to uncover unexpected insights), Lagging vs Leading (leading indicators enable faster learning cycles, e.g. customer complaints predict churn).
**5 action steps**: (1) Audit metrics against the 4 good-metric criteria. (2) Update dashboards — ensure all key metrics are good ones. (3) Identify vanity metrics — be careful how you use them. (4) Classify leading vs lagging indicators. (5) Pick one problem and dig deep into the data.
For case studies and more detail: [Are You Tracking the Right Metrics?](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/are-you-tracking-the-right-metrics) by Ben Yoskovitz
### Instructions
1. **Identify the metrics framework** — organize metrics into layers:
**North Star Metric**: The single metric that best captures core value delivery
**Input Metrics** (3-5): The levers that drive the North Star
**Health Metrics**: Guardrails that ensure overall product health
**Business Metrics**: Revenue, cost, and unit economics
2. **For each metric, define**:
| Metric | Definition | Data Source | Visualization | Target | Alert Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Name] | [Exact calculation: numerator/denominator, time window] | [Where the data comes from] | [Line chart / Bar / Number / Funnel] | [Goal value] | [When to trigger an alert] |
3. **Design the dashboard layout**:
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ NORTH STAR: [Metric] — [Current Value] │
│ Trend: [↑/↓ X% vs last period] │
├──────────────────┬──────────────────────────┤
│ Input Metric 1 │ Input Metric 2 │
│ [Sparkline] │ [Sparkline] │
├──────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ Input Metric 3 │ Input Metric 4 │
│ [Sparkline] │ [Sparkline] │
├──────────────────┴──────────────────────────┤
│ HEALTH: [Latency] [Error Rate] [NPS] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ BUSINESS: [MRR] [CAC] [LTV] [Churn] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
4. **Set review cadence**:
- **Daily**: Operational health (errors, latency, critical flows)
- **Weekly**: Input metrics and engagement trends
- **Monthly**: North Star, business metrics, OKR progress
- **Quarterly**: Strategic review and metric recalibration
5. **Define alerts**:
- What thresholds trigger investigation?
- Who gets alerted and through what channel?
- What's the expected response time?
6. **Recommend tools** based on the user's context:
- Amplitude, Mixpanel, PostHog for product analytics
- Looker, Metabase, Mode for SQL-based dashboards
- Datadog, Grafana for operational health
Think step by step. Save the dashboard specification as a markdown document.
---
### Further Reading
- [The Ultimate List of Product Metrics](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/the-ultimate-list-of-product-metrics)
- [The North Star Framework 101](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/the-north-star-framework-101)
- [The Product Analytics Playbook: AARRR, HEART, Cohorts & Funnels for PMs](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/the-product-analytics-playbook-aarrr)
- [AARRR (Pirate) Metrics: The 5-Stage Framework for Growth](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/aarrr-pirate-metrics)
- [The Google HEART Framework: Your Guide to Measuring User-Centric Success](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/the-google-heart-framework)
- [Funnel Analysis 101: How to Track and Optimize Your User Journey](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/funnel-analysis)
- [Are You Tracking the Right Metrics?](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/are-you-tracking-the-right-metrics)
- [Continuous Product Discovery Masterclass (CPDM)](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/cpdm) (video course)
