Metrics Should Explain Value, Not Just Motion
Strong PMs use metrics to understand whether the product is helping the user and the business.
Useful metric categories often include:
<ul>
<li>a value metric or north star</li>
<li>supporting input metrics</li>
<li>guardrails to watch for side effects</li>
</ul>
One number rarely tells the whole story.

Which north star is strongest for a collaborative document product?

A useful north star metric should reflect delivered user value, not just internal team output.

Good Metrics Work as a System
Many PMs think in a metric stack:
<ul>
<li>outcome metric</li>
<li>leading indicators</li>
<li>guardrails</li>
</ul>
This helps the team see not just whether something changed, but how and at what cost.

Which metric set is strongest for an onboarding improvement?

One metric on its own is usually enough to fully understand product performance.

Avoid Vanity Metrics
A metric becomes dangerous when it looks impressive but does not guide action.
Examples can include:
<ul>
<li>announcement page views</li>
<li>raw impressions</li>
<li>broad counts with no relationship to real value</li>
</ul>
Ask: what decision would this metric help us make?

Which metric is most likely to be vanity in a product launch review?

PMs should be able to explain what product decision each important metric is meant to inform.