---
title: "North Star Metric"
canonical_url: https://ampl.webclat.com/glossary/north-star-metric
description: "A north star metric is the single measure of delivered customer value that a product team aligns on - definition, selection criteria, and examples."
source: Webclat | Amplitude Solutions (official Amplitude partner, independent consultancy)
---

# North Star Metric

**Definition:** A north star metric is the single metric a product team treats as its primary measure of delivered customer value - chosen so that moving it requires genuinely helping users, not gaming a number. Classic examples: weekly active teams for a collaboration tool, orders delivered on time for a marketplace, hours listened for audio.

## What makes a good north star metric?

Three tests. It measures value received, not activity performed (logins fail this; completed core actions pass). It leads revenue rather than lagging it - if the metric grows, money follows within a quarter or two. And teams can influence it within a sprint's horizon through inputs they control. A metric failing any test produces theater instead of focus.

## How do input metrics fit?

The north star decomposes into input metrics each team can own: breadth (more users doing the core action), frequency (doing it more often), depth (doing more of it per occasion), and efficiency (succeeding faster). The decomposition tree - not the headline number - is what makes the framework operational.

> Example: a B2B SaaS picks 'weekly teams completing ≥3 reports' as its north star; growth decomposes into activation (breadth), report cadence (frequency), and time-to-first-report (efficiency) - each owned by a squad.

## FAQ

### Should the north star metric be revenue?

No - revenue is the lagging scoreboard, not the game. A value metric that leads revenue gives teams something they can move this sprint and protects against short-term revenue moves that damage long-term value (dark patterns pass a revenue north star; they fail a value one).

In practice: The free worksheet walks your team through choosing and decomposing a north star metric. (https://ampl.webclat.com/resources/north-star-metric-worksheet)