North star metric
A North Star metric is the single number that best captures the value customers get from your product — the one a whole team can align behind. It is usually broken into input metrics (the levers you can actually move) and pairs naturally with an Opportunity Solution Tree, where the North Star or an input metric becomes the outcome at the root.
Related terms
Assumption
A belief a solution depends on. If it turns out to be wrong, the solution fails — so the risky ones are worth testing first.
Assumption mapping
Plotting each assumption by importance and evidence to find which to test first — the high-importance, low-evidence ones.
Continuous discovery
The habit of weekly customer contact feeding product decisions, rather than a one-off research phase before a project.
Customer interview
A story-based conversation that uncovers real needs — you ask about specific past moments, not hypotheticals or opinions.
Opportunity
A customer need, pain, or desire — phrased as a problem (“I can’t tell which teams are active”), never as a solution.
Opportunity Solution Tree
A visual map connecting a measurable outcome to the opportunities, solutions, and assumptions you bet on to reach it.