Instrumentation Spec

An instrumentation spec defines what analytics events to track, when to fire them, and what properties to include. It serves as a contract between product and engineering, ensuring consistent data collection that enables accurate measurement. Good instrumentation specs prevent the "we can't answer that question because we didn't track it" problem.

When to Use

• Before engineering implements a new feature
• When defining analytics requirements for experiments
• When auditing existing tracking for gaps or inconsistencies
• When onboarding a new analytics tool
• Before launch to ensure measurement is in place

Instructions

When asked to create an instrumentation spec, follow these steps:

1. Define Analytics Goals Start with the questions you need to answer. What will you measure? What decisions will this data inform? This prevents over-instrumentation while ensuring nothing important is missed.