North Star Framework
Use it when you need one clear metric to align your team around your product's true value.
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What is it?
The North Star Framework is a simple yet powerful model for Product-Led Growth that zeroes in on a single, high-level metric reflecting the core value your product delivers.
Rather than drowning in dozens of KPIs, you pick one guiding star, like active subscriptions, time saved, or key engagement events, that ties directly to user success and long-term revenue. Underneath that metric sits a constellation of input metrics, your leading indicators of adoption, retention, and referral, that move the needle on your North Star.
By unifying everyone around this one number, you transform your roadmap, prioritize ruthlessly, and measure the impact of every experiment through a single lens. It solves the fundamental challenge of scattered goals and misaligned teams by offering a shared definition of success.
Why it matters?
Growth stalls when teams chase vanity metrics in silos. The North Star Framework forces you to focus on the one metric that ties user value to revenue, so every experiment you run, every feature you build, and every conversation you have is calibrated to make your product more indispensable and sticky. That alignment drives coherent strategies, faster decision-making, and measurable lifts in retention and expansion.
How it works
Growth co-pilot turns your toughest product questions into clear, data-backed recommendations you can act on immediately.
1
Identify Your Core Value
Run a cross-functional workshop to map out the primary benefit your users come back for, what problem do they solve with your product?
2
Choose Your North Star Metric
Pick the single metric that best captures that core value (e.g., weekly active users who complete a core action).
3
Map Input Metrics
List 3–5 leading indicators (acquisition rate, onboarding completion, feature usage) that directly drive your North Star metric.
4
Set Targets & Ownership
Assign clear OKRs or SLAs to each input metric and the North Star itself, define who's accountable and what success looks like this quarter.
5
Monitor, Analyze, Iterate
Use product analytics to track progress daily, diagnose deviations, and launch experiments on the input metrics that move your North Star most.
6
Revisit & Refine
Every 3–6 months, reassess whether your chosen North Star still reflects your core value as you add new features or shift markets.
Frequently asked questions
Growth co-pilot turns your toughest product questions into clear, data-backed recommendations you can act on immediately.
You've locked in your North Star metric, now expose the hidden friction points holding it back and design high-impact growth experiments with CrackGrowth's diagnostic toolkit.