# How to Define North Star and Input Metrics with Skills

> Learn to define North Star and input metrics using the phuryn pm-skills repository's structured framework. Identify your key customer KPI and supporting metrics effectively.

- Repository: [Pawel Huryn/pm-skills](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-07-02

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**The North Star Metric skill in the phuryn/pm-skills repository provides a structured framework to identify a single customer-centric KPI and 3-5 supporting input metrics through business-game classification and seven-criterion validation.**

Defining a North Star Metric (NSM) and its associated input metrics is essential for aligning product teams around sustainable growth. The **pm-skills** open-source collection offers a codified approach to define North Star and input metrics with skills through the `pm-marketing-growth` toolkit. This guide explains the implementation based on the actual source files in the `phuryn/pm-skills` repository.

## Understanding the North Star Metric Skill

The North Star Metric skill is defined in [`pm-marketing-growth/skills/north-star-metric/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-marketing-growth/skills/north-star-metric/SKILL.md). Unlike generic KPI frameworks, this skill distinguishes a true NSM from concepts like multiple metrics, revenue-only indicators, or OKRs. According to lines 9-14 of the source file, an NSM must be a single, customer-focused indicator that predicts long-term business success rather than short-term revenue extraction.

## The Three-Part Framework for Metric Definition

The skill implementation follows a rigorous three-part architecture to ensure strategic alignment.

### Domain Context and Definition

Before selecting metrics, the skill establishes clear boundaries around what constitutes a valid North Star Metric. As implemented in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/SKILL.md) (lines 9-14), the framework explicitly excludes compound metrics or financial-only indicators, requiring instead a singular measure of customer value delivery that correlates with sustainable growth.

### Business-Game Classification

The skill requires classifying your business into one of three "games" that define how value is delivered to customers:

- **Attention Game**: Measures time spent using the product (e.g., Facebook, Spotify) — defined in lines 25-31 of [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/SKILL.md)
- **Transaction Game**: Counts the number of transactions or exchanges (e.g., Amazon, Uber) — defined in lines 29-31
- **Productivity Game**: Tracks efficiency of task completion (e.g., Notion, Loom) — defined in lines 30-32

This classification ensures your NSM aligns with your core value proposition rather than generic engagement metrics.

### Seven-Criterion Validation and Input Metrics

After selecting a candidate NSM, the skill validates it against seven essential criteria defined in lines 44-51: understandable, customer-centric, sustainable value, vision-aligned, quantitative, actionable, and leading indicator.

Once validated, you define **3-5 input metrics** (lines 53-57) that function as short-term levers. These leading indicators must be directly tied to the NSM and designed to be easier to move quickly than the long-term North Star.

## How to Invoke the North Star Command

The skill is exposed through the `/pm-marketing-growth:north-star` command, with the command interface defined in [`pm-marketing-growth/commands/north-star.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-marketing-growth/commands/north-star.md) and workflow integration shown in [`pm-product-discovery/commands/setup-metrics.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-product-discovery/commands/setup-metrics.md) (lines 2-8).

Invoke the skill via CLI with a business context description:

```bash

# Invoke the North Star metric command with a brief business description

pm-marketing-growth:north-star "We run a SaaS platform that helps remote teams collaborate on documents and real-time brainstorming."

```

The output includes:
- Business-game classification (e.g., Attention Game)
- Suggested NSM (e.g., Daily Active Users)
- 3-5 input metrics (e.g., New Teams Created, Avg. Session Length, Feature Adoption Rate)

For programmatic integration, render the skill template directly:

```python
from pm_skills import render_skill

skill_path = "pm-marketing-growth/skills/north-star-metric/SKILL.md"
business_context = "Our marketplace connects freelance designers with clients; revenue is commission-based."
result = render_skill(skill_path, arguments=business_context)
print(result)   # Structured response with classification, NSM, and input metrics

```

## Summary

- The North Star Metric skill in [`pm-marketing-growth/skills/north-star-metric/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-marketing-growth/skills/north-star-metric/SKILL.md) provides a structured framework for defining customer-centric KPIs
- Classify your business into Attention, Transaction, or Productivity games before selecting your NSM
- Validate your chosen metric against seven criteria including customer-centricity and leading indicator status
- Define exactly 3-5 input metrics as short-term levers directly tied to the North Star
- Access the skill via the `/pm-marketing-growth:north-star` command or programmatically using the `render_skill` function

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the difference between a North Star Metric and input metrics?

The North Star Metric is a single, long-term KPI that predicts sustainable business success, while input metrics are 3-5 short-term levers that directly influence the NSM and are easier to move quickly. According to the source code in lines 53-57 of [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/SKILL.md), input metrics must be explicitly designed to drive movement in the North Star.

### How do I choose between Attention, Transaction, and Productivity games?

Classify based on your core value delivery mechanism: use **Attention Game** for engagement-time products like Spotify, **Transaction Game** for marketplace exchanges like Uber, and **Productivity Game** for efficiency tools like Notion. This classification logic in lines 25-32 of [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/SKILL.md) ensures your NSM reflects actual customer value received.

### Can I use the North Star skill outside of the CLI?

Yes. While the command-line interface provides the `/pm-marketing-growth:north-star` command, you can import the `render_skill` function from the `pm_skills` package and call the underlying prompt template programmatically by referencing [`pm-marketing-growth/skills/north-star-metric/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-marketing-growth/skills/north-star-metric/SKILL.md) directly.

### Where are the validation criteria defined in the source code?

The seven validation criteria—understandable, customer-centric, sustainable value, vision-aligned, quantitative, actionable, and leading indicator—are defined in [`pm-marketing-growth/skills/north-star-metric/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/phuryn/pm-skills/blob/main/pm-marketing-growth/skills/north-star-metric/SKILL.md) at lines 44-51. These criteria ensure the selected metric truly serves as a reliable compass for product decisions.