North Star Metric Selector

When to Use

You are a growth PM, head of growth, or founder at a post-PMF startup (Series A–B) and need to answer the question: what is the one metric that should orient all growth experimentation for the next 6–12 months?

This skill applies when:

• Your team is debating between several metrics and can't align on which to track
• You suspect the current orienting metric (DAU, total signups, GMV, pageviews) is a vanity metric that can rise while the business stagnates
• You are setting up your growth team and need a North Star before running the first experiment cycle
• You have PMF confirmed (40%+ "very disappointed" on the must-have survey, stable retention curve) and are ready to scale
• Someone on your team challenges whether the current metric captures real value delivery, and you need a structured argument

Do not use this skill before confirming product/market fit. Selecting a North Star before PMF creates false precision — you will orient a team around the wrong signal.

Context and Input Gathering