Splitting the North Star
A North Star can only tell you "whether the whole is getting better" — not "what to do". Split it into paths you can act on separately, down to where every path has an owner and a number to watch, and the North Star stops being a slogan and becomes daily work.
What you'll run into
- 北极星定了，但没人知道这个月该做什么来推它
- 所有人都「对北极星负责」，等于没人负责
- 只有总指标，没有中间指标，涨了跌了都说不清是哪一环的功劳
Why one metric isn't enough
The North Star works as a "referee", not as a "task" — it answers "did this quarter go well", not "what do we do this week".
- The top-line metric is a result, not an action. "Weekly active users" won't tell you what to do next. A number you can only look at after the fact can't be a manual in advance.
- Results can only be reviewed; intermediate metrics are the handles. Went up — more new users or fewer churned? Only a split can answer that. Split apart, every link has something to do.
- Unsplit, nobody claims responsibility. A metric that everyone is responsible for is a metric no one is. Split into paths, and each gets a concrete owner.
How to split it
Split along the user's path — come, use, stay, return — and land one independently actionable metric per step:
| Step | The metric for this step | What actions can move it | Who's watching |
|---|---|---|---|
| Come | New activations | Add an entrance, tune a channel | Growth |
| Use | Core task completion rate | Fix onboarding, cut steps | Product |
| Stay | Week-two retention | Fix re-engagement, build a habit | User operations |
| Return | Post-return activity | Personalized content, recommendations | Algorithm |
- 把达成北极星的用户路径画出来。从来到用、留到回，画成一条可走的路。路径不画出来，拆解就是拍脑袋。
- 每一步落一个能单独看的指标。来的看渠道，用的看完成率，留的看次月留存，回的看唤醒。别让几条路径共用同一个数。
- 每条路径都要能被一个具体动作影响。「加一个入口」「改一个引导」「调一个提醒」——改得了才算路径，只能看着它涨跌的不算。
- 每条路径都要能独立埋点看数。没埋点，路径就只是个说法。埋点跟着功能一起上线，参见先埋点后上线。
Did you split it right
Run the split through three checks:
- 每条路径都能被单独影响。团队做一件事，能只影响这一条而不动别的——这样才谈得上针对性下手。
- 每条路径都有数据可看。没埋点、算不出来的路径不算路径。数据来源要跟路径一起确认。
- 每条路径都有人负责。有人负责的路径会前进，没人负责的路径只会出现在周报上。参见指标体系怎么搭。
And don't forget upstream: no matter how fine the paths are split, a wrong North Star still makes it all moot. The four conditions for choosing one, see One North Star.