North Star Metric
A primary metric intended to represent the value customers receive from a product.
Plain English
The main number showing whether users get the core value.
In context
A north star metric aligns teams around durable customer value and is supported by input and guardrail metrics.
Example
“Weekly completed collaborations is our north star metric.”
When you'll hear this
- strategy
- roadmap planning
- business review
Common misunderstanding
It should not be selected only because it grows or is easy to measure.
Also known as
NSM
Commonly used by
Related terms
Updated: 2026-08-25
