Startup Metrics

Make the decision and definition explicit before interpreting a number.

Workflow

1. Establish the business model, stage, decision, user journey, and natural value interval.
2. Read [metric-system.md](references/metric-system.md) to define metrics and sources before analysis.
3. When values appear inconsistent or are presented for comparison, keep them both, compare definition, entity, cohort, window, source, and as-of date, classify their relationship, and assign any necessary reconciliation.
4. Read [cohorts-experiments.md](references/cohorts-experiments.md) for retention, segmentation, or tests.
5. Read [pmf-evidence.md](references/pmf-evidence.md) before making a product-market-fit claim.
6. Return the diagnosis, confidence, limitations, missing instrumentation, proposed action, owner, and review date. If ownership is not established, use owner: unassigned; if a calendar date would be invented, use an evidence-based review trigger such as “after the cohort reaches the defined observation window.”

Boundaries

• A metric without a definition, source, and as-of date is provisional.
• Do not average values with different definitions or windows.
• Missing attribution or instrumentation is a finding and an owned corrective action, not permission to infer.
• Route unexplained customer behavior to customer-discovery, strategic implications to startup-strategy, and weekly commitments to founder-operations.
• Obtain authorization before changing production instrumentation, billing, live dashboards, or external reporting.