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第四章 具体化 - 定义出你的北极星

目录

In this chapter, you will learn:

  • About the two parts of a North Star Metric, the name and the definition
  • How to define your North Star’s Inputs
  • How to test your Inputs

在这一章中，你将学到:

  • 关于北极星指标的两个部分，名称和定义
  • 如何定义你的北极星的投入
  • 如何测试你的输入

The Dance of Uncertainty

不确定的舞蹈

As teams converge on a North Star Metric, there is often a dance of uncertainty. Teams bounce among 「Yes, that metric idea makes sense,」 「But how would we measure that exactly?」 and 「Oh wait, I think what we really want is something else entirely.」 As the idea solidifies, the discussion slowly turns to how they could define the metric.

当团队收拢在北极星指标的讨论上时，经常会有一种不确定性的舞蹈。 团队在「是的，这个指标标准的想法是有道理的，」「但是我们如何准确地衡量它呢? 」 「哦，等等，我认为我们真正想要的是完全不同的东西。」 随着这个想法得到巩固，讨论慢慢转向他们如何定义指标标准。

Remember, Your North Star Will Evolve

Don’t get paralyzed by thinking that your North Star needs to be perfect. While it should be precisely defined, it will likely still change and evolve as you learn more. The key is to build a North Star that’s directionally accurate, and then adapt as you learn. Early stage startups (or companies new to the framework) might find themselves modifying their North Star Metric every six to 12 months. More established organizations shouldn’t need to change their North Star Metric that frequently. Every 12 to 36 months is more typical.

记住，你的北极星会进化

不要因为认为你的北极星需要完美而瘫痪。 虽然它应该被精确地定义，但是它仍然可能随着你学习的更多而改变和发展。 关键是建立一个方向准确的北极星，然后根据你的学习进行调整。 早期的创业公司(或者新进入框架的公司)可能会发现自己每6到12个月就要修改一次他们的北极星指标。 更成熟的组织不应该需要频繁地改变他们的北极星指标。 每12到36个月更为典型。

The Name and Definition

名称与定义

A North Star Metric and each of its Inputs should have both a name and a definition. While the name and definition are important for metric and Inputs alike, pay particular attention to the name and definition of the metric. The name of your North Star Metric should be engaging and descriptive, something pithy and punchy that inspires the organization. The definition should be precise and clear, explaining exactly how you’ll measure it.

北极星指标和它的每个输入要素应该有一个名字和一个定义。虽然名称和定义对于指标和输入同样重要，但要特别注意指标的名称和定义。你的北极星指标的名字应该是引人入胜和描述性的，简洁有力的东西，激励组织。这个定义应该是精确而清晰的，准确地解释你将如何衡量它。

When you define the metric, you are completing this template: Our North Star Metric is called X, which we define as Y.

当你定义这个指标时，你可以使用这样的模板: 我们的北极星指标被称为 x，我们定义为 y。

Andrew Chen, Silicon Valley investor, entrepreneur, and writer, emphasizes the importance of branding your North Star. 「You have to be able to explain it to other people,」 writes Chen. 「So make it dead simple to talk about, repeat it over and over, and generally simplify it to the point where a lot of your growth product roadmap is focused on moving the metric up.」

安德鲁·陈，硅谷的投资者，企业家和作家，强调了北极星的重要性。 「你必须能够向其他人解释清楚，」陈写道。「所以，让它变得非常简单，一遍又一遍地重复，并且通常将它简化到你的许多成长产品路线图都专注于提升指标标准的程度。」

Too Vague:
Our North Star Metric tracks subscribers who share our content.

太模糊:
我们的北极星指标跟踪分享我们内容的订阅者。

A Better Choice:
Our North Star Metric: Frequent Content Sharers (FCS). Definition: The number of unique subscribers who share an average of two or more articles per week during the previous 12-week period.

更好的选择:
我们的北极星指标: 频繁内容共享(FCS)。 定义: 在过去12周期间平均每周分享两篇或两篇以上文章的独立订阅者的数量。

The definition of your metric should cover both your product’s current market, functionality, and performance and its potential future. There will always be a healthy tension between what you are (the current state of your product) and what you want to be (some new reality you want to enable with your product). For a first pass, brainstorm the actual behaviors that might align with the concept behind your North Star Metric and Inputs. For example, if your product is designed to encourage regular meditation, you might observe prolonged streaks of daily meditation sessions.

指标的定义应该包括产品的当前市场、功能、性能及其潜在的未来。 在你是什么(你的产品的现状)和你想成为什么(你想用你的产品实现一些新的可能)之间总是存在着一种健康的紧张关系。首选的工作是，头脑风暴那些可能与你的北极星指标和输入背后的概念相一致的行为。 例如，如果你的产品是为鼓励定期冥想而设计的，你可能会观察到每天冥想时间的延长。

When converging on your North Star Metric and Inputs, consider the following questions:

  • How will changes in this metric impact your decision-making? What decisions are you hoping to inform? If you have historical data, 「try on」 the various changes in the metric over the months or years.
  • What doesn’t this metric tell you? Are any of those questions or uncertainties more important to address?
  • Assume that all product development activities stopped. Would the metric increase? For how long? Why?
  • In his talk, 「Performance… It’s for People! 」 Web Performance Consultant Andy Davies argues that, 「Your analytics are skewed. They’re biased towards visitors who’ll tolerate the experience you’re delivering.」 How does your chosen metric account for this?
  • Will you eventually be able to generate this metric continuously or frequently with minimal effort?
  • How is the metric affected by seasonality, day-of-the-week, and day-of-the-month effects?
  • Is it possible (and helpful) to compare this metric across various account and user cohorts? Ideally, there is value in viewing it in isolation and across cohorts.
  • What will be your signal to revisit this metric? Assuming you revisit it periodically, what tests will you run to determine that it is still useful?

当收敛到你的北极星指标和输入时，考虑以下问题:

  • 这个指标标准的改变将如何影响你的决策？ 你希望通知哪些决定？ 如果你有历史数据，可以「尝试」指标中在几个月或几年中的各种变化
  • 这个指标没有告诉你什么？ 这些问题或不确定性中有哪一个更重要？
  • 假设所有的产品开发活动都停止了。 这个指标标准会提高吗？ 要多久？ 为什么？
  • 在他的演讲中，「性能，这是为了用户」中，网络性能顾问安迪 · 戴维斯认为，「你的分析是扭曲的。 他们偏向于那些能够容忍你提供的体验的游客。」 你选择的指标标准是什么？
  • 你最终是否能够以最小的努力连续或频繁地生成这个指标？
  • 这个指标是如何受到季节性、每周一天和每月一天的影响的？
  • 重新考虑这个指标标准的信号是什么？ 假设你定期重新访问它，你将运行哪些测试来确定它是否仍然有用？
Don’t Get Bogged Down Trying to Find the Perfect Metric

Some teams get stuck believing that only a rigorous, statistically refined model will suffice for their North Star Metric, or that not having one points to an irreparable flaw in their business model. Not true! With most products—especially if you’re thinking about long-term impact—the relationship between the metric and long-term impact are rarely that clear cut. Asymmetric opportunities often lurk where there is uncertainty.

For example, Amplitude’s North Star Metric, Weekly Learning Users (WLUs), is defined as the count of active Amplitude users who have shared a learning that is consumed by at least two other people in the previous seven days (see 「North Star in Action: Amplitude’s North Star Metric and Inputs」). You might wonder how we came up with exactly two or more users. Did we just pull that out of thin air? Or did we have a bullet-proof case for those precise numbers? The reality is that these numbers aren’t magic. A learning consumed by two other people is great; three is even better; one is better than zero. We’re more confident about some things and less confident about others.

The important thing is to identify thresholds that are both aspirational and achievable. Once you’ve done that, don’t get too worried about whether you’ve selected the perfect threshold. The important thing isn’t the exact number, but the combination of customer behaviors that our North Star represents. It’s consistent with our strategy, and we’re open about our uncertainty.

不要陷入寻找完美指标的泥潭

一些团队坚信只有一个严格的，统计学上精确的模型才能满足他们的北极星指标，或者没有一个指向他们的商业模型中不可弥补的缺陷。 这不是真的！ 对于大多数产品，尤其是考虑到长期影响的产品，衡量标准与长期影响之间的关系很少那么明确。 存在不确定性的地方往往潜伏着不对称的机会。

例如，Amplitude 的北星指标，每周学习用户(WLUs) ，定义为 Amplitude 在过去七天里进行了至少两个其他用户使用了的分享的用户数量(参见「[北星在行动: Amplitude 的北星指标和输入要素]()」)。 你可能想知道我们是如何得到两个或更多的用户的。 我们是凭空想出来的吗？ 或者，我们有一个算法让我们可以算出这个准确的数字？ 事实上，这些数字并不神奇。 两个人都来使用的分享是伟大的，三个人更好，一个人总比零个人好。 我们对某些事情更有信心，而对另一些事情则不那么有信心。

重要的是确定既有抱负又可以实现的阈值。 一旦你这样做了，不要太担心你是否已经选择了完美的阈值。 重要的不是确切的数字，而是我们的北极星所代表的客户行为的组合。 这与我们的战略是一致的，我们对我们的不确定性持开放态度。

Getting Inputs Right

正确的输入要素

Inputs are the handful of factors that, together, produce the North Star Metric. They are as important to the North Star Framework as the metric is.

输入要素成就了北极星指标。 它们在北极星框架里的重要性不亚于指标本身。

Dana Levine, Amplitude product manager, explains why Inputs are so important. 「A big trap is when teams attempt to move the North Star Metric directly, rather than trying to move Inputs that roll up to the North Star.」 He continues, 「A good North Star Metric is the result of a combination of things that a team can do something about. Identifying those things, working on them, and seeing how the North Star Metric responds is far better than trying to game the North Star directly.」

Amplitude 产品经理 Dana Levine 解释了为什么输入是如此重要。 「一个大陷阱是，团队试图直接对北极星指标做动作，而不是试图通过在指标的输入要素上做工作来影响它。」 他继续说，「一个好的北极星指标输入要素是一个团队可以去解决问题来直接影响的要素。找出这些问题，努力解决这些问题，然后看看北极星指标是如何反应的，这比试图直接拿北极星开玩笑要好得多。」

Just like the North Star Metric, the Inputs should have both a name and a definition.

就像北极星指标一样，每个输入要素应该有一个名称和一个定义。

The following fill-in-the-blank template can help you determine the Inputs to your metric:

下面的填空模板可以帮助你确定你的指标输入:

I believe that < NORTH STAR METRIC > is a function of < X, Y, and Z >. I also believe that there is some independence between X,Y, and Z (e.g. movements in one aren’t immediately felt in the others).

我相信北极星指标是 x，y 和 z 的函数。 我也相信在 x、 y 和 z 之间有一些独立性(例如，一个人的动作在另一个人身上不能立即感觉到)。

Mind-mapping is a helpful technique for identifying Inputs and metrics. Start by noting your North Star Metric, or even just a candidate for it, on a whiteboard. Then collaboratively note relationships and concepts in clusters.

思维导图是一种识别输入和指标的有用技术。 首先在白板上注明你的北极星指标，或者只是一个候选指标。 然后协作记录集群中的关系和概念。

Your mind map will undoubtedly start out somewhat messy, like this:

毫无疑问，你的思维导图一开始会有点混乱，像这样:

image holder

Then, refine the map by combining related concepts, eliminating extraneous information, and reinforcing the relationships between elements, like this:

然后，通过组合相关的概念，消除无关信息，加强元素之间的关系来完善地图，像这样:

image holder

Spend time editing and clarifying the concepts in your mind map so that the metric is at the heart of it and the contributing factors are all neatly named and defined at a high level, like this:

花点时间在你的思维导图上编辑和澄清概念，这样指标就是它的核心，所有的影响因素都在一个高层次上被整齐地命名和定义，像这样:

image holder

Once you have your Inputs defined at a high level, you’ll find it much easier to tackle the challenge of defining an exact metrics for each Input.

一旦你在一个高层次上定义了你的输入要素，你会发现为每个输入要素定义一个精确的指标是非常容易的。

image holder

Testing Your Inputs and North Star

测试你的输入要素和北极星

If your Inputs are too broad or too lagging, you may struggle to focus your efforts and measure impact. On the other hand, if the Inputs are too specific and prescriptive, you may struggle to identify innovative solutions to address them. For example, an Input like 「Satisfied Customers」 may be too broad. An Input like 「Positive Reviews on Social Media」 may be too narrow.

如果你的输入要素过于广泛或过于滞后，你可能难以集中精力和衡量影响。 另一方面，如果输入过于具体和规定性，你可能难以找到创新的解决方案来解决它们。 例如，像「满意的客户」这样的输入可能过于宽泛。 像「社交媒体上的正面评论」这样的输入可能过于狭窄。

Here are a couple ways to test these Inputs:

以下是一些测试这些输入的方法:

Input Test 1: The Greenfield Test

输入要素测试1: 绿区测试

For this test, forget about current roadmaps, missions, or other restrictions. Instead, focus on generating new ideas. Pose this question to the team:

「How many opportunities can you come up with in two minutes to influence this Input?」

You can use this format:

We have an opportunity to improve [an Input] if we could [some change in behavior, outcome]. Potential interventions we might try to exploit that opportunity include [features, experiments, etc.].

If the team quickly runs out of ideas, then you might need higher level Inputs. If they are swimming in ideas, many of them overly broad, then you should get more specific.

在这个测试里，忘记当前的路线图，任务，或其他限制。相反，专注于产生新的想法。 向团队提出这个问题:

「你能在两分钟内想出多少可能来影响这个输入要素? 」

你可以使用以下格式:

如果我们能够(在行为和结果上做出一些改变) ，我们就有机会改进(一种输入要素)。 我们可能尝试利用这个机会的潜在干预措施包括[特征、实验等]。

如果团队很快就没有想法了，那么你可能需要更高层次的投入。如果他们有很多过于宽泛的想法，那么你应该更具体一些。

Input Test 2: The Roadmap Check

输入要素测试2: 路线图测试

For this test, do consider your current roadmap or work in progress. Make a list of current initiatives and discuss how they could influence the Inputs you have chosen. In many cases, you’ll see a clear link. Sometimes, the link is implicit and contains a host of assumptions worth chatting about. Have these discussions! In some cases, you can’t see the link between the roadmap item and the Input. This is a good signal that your set of inputs is missing some factor of your North Star—or that you’re working on something that isn’t actually valuable.

在这个测试里，请考虑你当前的路线图或正在进行的工作。列出当前的主动行动，并讨论它们如何影响你所选择的输入要素。 在许多情况下，你会看到一个清晰的联系。有时候，这个链接是隐含的，并且包含许多值得讨论的假设。 对这些假设进行讨论！在某些情况下，你看不到路线图项目和输入之间的链接。这是一个很好的信号，表明你的输入要素缺少了北极星的某些因素，或者你正在做一些实际上并不有价值的事情。

These Activities May Feel Circular! That’s Okay.

This process of defining a metric and its Inputs often goes back and forth, and you may not go in this exact order. That’s okay! This isn’t a linear process. First, you converge on the metric, but then defining it becomes difficult. So you go back to the metric and adapt it a bit. Then you add Inputs and realize that you’ve gotten too specific or too broad, so you refine the metric again. This is all perfectly normal and even healthy.

These Activities May Feel Circular! That’s Okay.

This process of defining a metric and its Inputs often goes back and forth, and you may not go in this exact order. That’s okay! This isn’t a linear process. First, you converge on the metric, but then defining it becomes difficult. So you go back to the metric and adapt it a bit. Then you add Inputs and realize that you’ve gotten too specific or too broad, so you refine the metric again. This is all perfectly normal and even healthy.

Sharing Your Work

分享你的工作

You’ve got a trove of material now: background research and data, decisions about the game you’ve played, notes from your workshop, and, most notably, your North Star Metric and its Inputs. To clarify the decisions you’ve made and discussions you’ve had so far, share your work with colleagues.

现在你已经有了宝贵的材料: 背景研究和数据，关于你从事哪种类型的行业的决定，你工作坊的笔记，最值得注意的是，你的北极星指标和它的输入要素。为了弄清楚你已经做出的决定和迄今为止的讨论，与同事分享你的工作。

A simple way to share is to present your North Star work at an all-company meeting. But beyond that, we suggest you socialize the North Star repeatedly, in all sorts of forums, both formally and informally—and encourage your co-workers to share it as well.

一个简单的分享方法是在全公司会议上展示你的北极星工作。 但除此之外，我们建议你在各种各样的论坛上，包括正式和非正式的论坛上反复推广「北极星」 ，并鼓励你的同事也分享它。

Organizing the work you’ve done, presenting it to colleagues, and discussing the North Star across your company will help you prepare for your next challenge: putting your North Star into action.

组织好你已经完成的工作，把它展示给你的同事，在你的公司讨论北极星将帮助你准备你的下一个挑战: 把你的北极星付诸行动。

Take Time to Celebrate

花时间庆祝

At this point, you and your team have defined a North Star, including both a metric and its Inputs. Congratulations! This is a good time to do something to thank your co-workers for their contributions and publicly celebrate your progress. We recommend cheese.

此时，你和你的团队已经定义了一个北极星，包括一个指标和它的输入要素。祝贺你！这是一个很好的时机去做一些事情来感谢你的同事的贡献和公开庆祝你的进步。我们推荐奶酪。

Chapter in Review

本章回顾

  • After your workshop, precisely define the North Star Metric and Inputs.
  • The metric should meet certain criteria; review the checklist to confirm you’ve selected a good metric.
  • The metric and Inputs should each include a name and a definition.
  • Inputs are the three to five factors that produce the North Star. The North Star acts like an equation or formula that is produced by these Inputs.

  • Be sure to share your North Star with colleagues and celebrate your successes.

  • 研讨会结束后，精确定义北极星指标和输入要素。
  • 指标标准应该满足一定的标准; 检查清单以确认你已经选择了一个好的指标标准。
  • 指标和输入要素都应该有一个名称和一个定义。
  • 输入要素是产生北极星的三到五个要素。 北极星就像一个由这些输入产生的函数方程。
  • 一定要和同事分享你的北极星，庆祝你的成功。

North Star in Action: Amplitude’s North Star Metric and Inputs

北极星在行动: Amplitude 的北极星指标和输入要素

Amplitude’s North Star is designed around a North Star Metric that Amplitude calls Weekly Learning Users (WLUs). Amplitude defines WLUs as 「the count of active Amplitude users who have shared a learning that is consumed by at least two other people in the previous seven days.」

Amplitude 的北极星是围绕一个北极星指标设计的，Amplitude 称为每周学习用户(WLUs)。 Amplitude 将 WLU 定义为「活跃Amplitude 用户的计数，这些用户分享了在过去七天内至少有两个其他人使用的学习内容。」

This North Star represents Amplitude’s most valuable user persona, the Advocate, who shares context to drive decisions and take action in an organization. Amplitude’s product strategy is to be learning-driven, providing insights to cross-functional teams. WLUs represent this strategy. The core belief underpinning this North Star Metric is that Amplitude brings forth deliberate learning that compounds with collaboration.

这个北极星代表 Amplitude 最有价值的用户角色，倡导者，谁共享的背景驱动决策和采取行动在一个组织。 Amplitude 的产品策略是学习驱动，为跨职能团队提供洞察力。 WLU 就是这种策略的代表。 支撑这个北极星指标的核心信念是 Amplitude 带来了深思熟虑的学习与合作的合成物。

Amplitude has identified three Inputs to WLUs that are related to activating customers and encouraging users to create and share their insights. Each Input is a key facet of Amplitude’s team-focused, learning-focused strategy.

Amplitude 已经确定了与激活客户和鼓励用户创建和分享他们的见解的有关对于 WLU 的有效的输入要素。 每个输入要素是 Amplitude 的以团队为中心，学习为中心的策略的一个关键方面。

These Inputs are:

  • Activated Organizations (AO). These are organizations that have exceeded five WLUs.
  • Broadcasted Learnings (BL). These are things like charts, dashboards, and notebooks consumed by two or more people in a seven-day period. In other words, the user 「broadcasts」 something they learned, and someone checks it out.
  • Consumption of Learnings (CoL). These describe the total reach of the BLs in an organization. Maybe that one notebook ends up being viewed by lots of people.

这些投入包括:

  • 活跃组织数(AO)。这些组织有超过五个 WLU。
  • 学习广播量(BL)。 广播出来的可能是图表、仪表盘和笔记本，两个或两个以上的人在七天内消费这些广播。 换句话说，用户「广播」他们所学到的东西，并且有人消费它们。
  • 广播消费量(CoL)。 这些指标描述了一个组织中 BLs 的总消费情况。 也许一个笔记本最终会被很多人看到。

Abbie Kouzmanoff, Product Manager at Amplitude, explains the value of the WLUs North Star like this:

「First, our North Star Metric focuses on customer value and the exchange of value. We experimented with using Weekly or Daily Active Users (WAUs or DAUs), but Active Users doesn’t really tell us anything about the value that was exchanged. Second, WLUs represent Amplitude’s unique product strategy. It is not generic. And finally, WLUs connect the customer value we are trying to create as a product team with the business impact that the executive team in our company ultimately cares about.」

产品经理 Abbie Kouzmanoff 这样解释了 WLUs 北极星的价值:

「首先，我们的北星指标关注客户价值和价值交换。 我们尝试使用每周或每日活跃用户(WAUs 或 DAUs) ，但活跃用户并没有真正告诉我们交换的价值。 其次， WLU 代表了Amplitude 公司独特的产品策略。 它不是一般化的。 最后，WLUs 将我们作为一个产品团队努力创造的客户价值与我们公司高管团队最终关心的商业影响联系起来。」

By using WLUs and its Inputs in the North Star Framework, Abbie’s team is better able to evaluate and prioritize feature requests and deliver a product that satisfies customers and builds Amplitude’s business. For example, after implementing WLUs as their North Star Metric, Abbie’s team evaluated a request for a 「Bulk Editing of Records」 feature, a common request in B2B products. Because of the North Star, they asked, 「How does this impact Broadcasted Learnings, Consumption of Learnings, and WLUs?」 By asking that question, they were able to see past the surface request to understand the deeper impact on how Amplitude’s users create and share insights.

通过在北星框架中使用 WLU 及其输入，Abbie 的团队能够更好地评估和优先化特性请求，并交付满足客户需求的产品，构建 Amplitude 的业务。 例如，在将 WLU 实现为北极星指标之后，Abbie 的团队评估了一个「批量编辑记录」特性的请求，这是 B2B 产品中的一个常见请求。 因为北极星，他们问，「这是如何影响广播学习，消费广播等输入要素的? 」 通过问这个问题，他们能够透过表面的需求，了解它们对 Amplitude 的用户如何创建和分享学习成果的更深层次的影响。

The team discovered they could solve the customer problem behind the bulk editing of records request and drive the Inputs to the North Star Metric with a new 「templating」 feature. This feature works for advanced users but also gives new users a starting point—a template—for creating new learnings, thus speeding up their journey to becoming a Weekly Learning User. In this way, the Amplitude product teams addressed the customer’s problem through product improvements that directly affected the Consumption of Learnings Input and therefore improved their North Star Metric.

团队发现他们可以解决批量编辑记录需求背后的客户问题，并通过一个新的「模板化」特性来作用于输入要素 CoL 并最终影响北星指标。 这项功能适用于高级用户，但也为新用户提供了一个创造新知识的起点ーー一个模板，从而加快了他们成为 WUL 用户的进程。 通过这种方式，Amplitude 产品团队通过直接作用于 CoL 的改进来解决客户的问题，从而改进了他们的北极星指标。