When it comes to driving product growth, input metrics are the key. Rather than focusing on output metrics—which measure the outcome, result, or impact you hope to achieve with your business—input metrics tell you which steps are necessary to ensure success from the start. This can be especially useful for product teams and stakeholders, as input metrics provide a roadmap for managing development efforts and understanding the goals of a product on launch and post-launch.
Input metrics can also help verify whether the goals and processes are on track, as they measure factors that are controllable and directly contribute to the desired outcome. Moreover, these metrics are transparent and unifying, so all parties have full visibility of the process and the role they play within it.
However, it is important that the correct metrics are chosen within a product team, as tracking too many metrics can lead to confusion and disturb the priority balance. To ensure that the right input metrics are chosen for a product development process, the desired outcome or goal should be broken into manageable tasks or functions and should be triggered by actionable steps.
For example, if the goal is to increase the product sales, one of the input metrics could be the number of customer interactions that align with the ideal persona. Or, if the goal is to improve the user experience with a product, one of the input metrics can focus on the percentage of customer tickets closed within a given time frame.
While any process requires a collaboration between teams, this factor should be taken into account when it comes to input metrics. It is important to understand what small (yet effective) steps you and the team can take to influence the product growth and account for unintended consequences of success in one metric influencing the success of another metric for an entirely different team.
When it comes to understanding which input metrics will help boost product growth, it is important to recognize that specific and actionable steps should be taken to reach a predetermined goal. To do so, stakeholders should consider defining the desired goal, identifying the key drivers behind an action, and ensuring that the metrics reward the desired behavior.
Ultimately, having the correct input metrics can provide direction and keep everyone on the same page to ensure a successful product launch.
Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company that was founded in 1973. It provides quality outdoor apparel, while also taking its environmental responsibility seriously. In fact, Patagonia has pledged to radically reduce its carbon emissions in order to minimize its environmental impact.
Yvon Chouinard is the founder of Patagonia. He is a seasoned entrepreneur who is committed to creating positive environmental change and building a sustainable brand. He is also a proponent of responsible investing and has published multiple works on sustainability and the outdoors.
