Metrics dashboard template · 6 min read
PLG Metrics Dashboard Template: Formulas and Sources
A product-led growth dashboard follows the path from signup to revenue: activation, time to value, engagement, product-qualified leads, conversion, expansion and retention. For each metric below you get the standard formula, the system the data comes from and a suggested review cadence. Copy the layout, then fill in your own event names.
The formulas are standard; the choices inside them aren't. Decide up front whether each metric counts users or accounts, which cohort and time window it uses, and whether revenue is MRR or ARR, then keep those choices fixed so periods stay comparable. The cadences are starting points, not benchmarks.
Metric definitions and formulas
Each row is one dashboard tile. A formula either uses a cohort (users who signed up in the same period) or a period (activity within dates), so say which on the tile.
| Metric | Formula | Data source | Review cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activation rate | Users in a signup cohort who reached the activation event within the window / all users in that cohort x 100 | Product analytics (activation event) and signup records | Weekly, by signup cohort |
| Time to value (TTV) | Time of the first value event - time of signup, reported as the median for the cohort | Product analytics event timestamps | Weekly |
| N-day retention | Users from a cohort who were active on day N (or in week N) / users in the cohort x 100 | Product analytics activity events | Weekly for recent cohorts, monthly for trends |
| Stickiness (DAU/MAU) | Average daily active users in the month / monthly active users x 100 | Product analytics activity events | Monthly |
| Feature adoption rate | Active users who used the feature in the period / all active users in the period x 100 | Product analytics feature events | After each release, then monthly |
| PQL rate | New product-qualified leads in the period / new signups in the period x 100 | Product analytics (PQL criteria) and CRM | Weekly |
| PQL-to-paid conversion | PQLs that became paying customers within N days / PQLs in the cohort x 100 | CRM and billing system | Monthly |
| Free-to-paid conversion | Free or trial accounts that started a paid plan within N days / free or trial accounts in the cohort x 100 | Billing system and signup records | Monthly |
| Expansion MRR (expansion revenue) | Sum of MRR added in the period by existing customers through upgrades, extra seats, add-ons and cross-sells; new customers excluded | Billing system | Monthly |
| Net revenue retention (NRR) | (Starting MRR + expansion MRR - contraction MRR - churned MRR) / starting MRR x 100, for customers paying at the start of the period | Billing system | Monthly, plus a trailing 12-month view |
| Gross revenue retention (GRR) | (Starting MRR - contraction MRR - churned MRR) / starting MRR x 100, for the same customers; it can't exceed 100% | Billing system | Monthly, plus a trailing 12-month view |
| Customer churn rate | Customers lost in the period / customers at the start of the period x 100 | Billing system | Monthly |
The copyable dashboard layout
Arrange the tiles in the order a user moves through the product, so a drop shows up next to the stage that caused it.
PLG METRICS DASHBOARD: [Product name] Owner: [role] Unit: [users | accounts] Revenue basis: [MRR | ARR] Cohort window: [N] days Excludes: [internal, test and sample accounts] ROW 1: ACTIVATION (review weekly) - Signups this week [count] - Activation rate, last complete cohort [%] vs previous cohort - Median time to value [hours | days] ROW 2: ENGAGEMENT (review weekly and monthly) - Week-1 and week-4 retention by cohort [cohort table] - DAU/MAU [%] - Feature adoption, top 3 features [%] each ROW 3: CONVERSION (review weekly and monthly) - New PQLs and PQL rate [count] [%] - PQL-to-paid conversion [%] - Free-to-paid conversion [%] ROW 4: REVENUE AND RETENTION (review monthly) - Starting MRR > expansion, contraction, churn > ending MRR [bridge chart] - NRR and GRR, monthly and trailing 12 months [%] - Customer churn rate [%] NOTES - Event names: activation = [event], active = [event], PQL = [criteria] - Definition changes: [date] [what changed]
Definitions to agree before you build
Most dashboard arguments are definition arguments. Write these down next to the dashboard.
- Active user: the event that counts as activity. Logins or page views alone can overstate engagement, so a core product action is usually a better signal.
- Activation event: one value action with a time window, written as a sentence. The onboarding checklist template has a definition format.
- PQL criteria: the product behaviour, account attributes or both that make an account a product-qualified lead, agreed with sales.
- MRR movements: how upgrades, downgrades, discounts, refunds and reactivations are classified. Classify each movement once, so expansion, contraction and churn add up to the change in MRR.
- Cohort date: which date places a user in a cohort (signup, workspace creation or first payment) and which time zone that date uses.
Review cadence
Match the review rhythm to how quickly each metric can move.
| Cadence | Metrics | Question to answer |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | Signups, activation rate, time to value, PQL rate | Did the latest cohort reach value as quickly as the one before? |
| Monthly | Retention, stickiness, feature adoption, conversion, expansion MRR, NRR, GRR and churn | Is the product keeping and growing the customers it converts? |
| Quarterly | The definitions themselves | Do the activation event and PQL criteria still predict retention and revenue in our own data? |
How to do it with PLG OS
PLG OS isn't a billing system, so expansion MRR, NRR, GRR and churn still come from your billing data. It can supply the in-product side of the dashboard, with capabilities described on plgos.com.
Track the events behind the tiles
PLG OS plans list custom events, attributes and audience segmentation, so the events behind activation, adoption and PQL criteria can be recorded and compared across user groups. PLG OS pricing
Map onboarding interactions
The onboarding page describes user analytics that map user interactions with onboarding flows, which feeds the activation row. PLG OS onboarding
Show metrics inside your product
The SDK component library lists an Embedded Analytics component for showing data insights inside your own product. SDK components
Add the reason behind a number
In-app surveys can ask users who didn't activate what stopped them, which explains a drop the dashboard can only show. Feedback and surveys
Work on stickiness
The gamification page describes streaks and badges for improving daily active usage. Measure any effect with the stickiness and retention tiles rather than assuming it. Gamification
Common questions
What's the difference between NRR and GRR?
Both start from the recurring revenue of existing customers. NRR adds expansion and subtracts contraction and churn, so it can exceed 100%. GRR subtracts only contraction and churn, so it can't exceed 100%. New customers are excluded from both.
Should activation be measured per user or per account?
Per account when teams buy and use the product together, per user when individuals buy and use it alone. Pick one and label every tile with it.
Why report time to value as a median?
A few accounts that take months can pull the average far from the typical experience. The median shows what the middle user experienced; add percentiles if you need the spread.
What makes a lead product-qualified?
A PQL is a user or account whose product usage meets criteria you've agreed signal buying intent, such as reaching a usage limit or inviting several teammates. You define the criteria and test them against conversions.
Is expansion revenue the same as upsell revenue?
Upsells are one part of it. Expansion MRR covers all recurring revenue added by existing customers, including upgrades, extra seats, add-ons and cross-sells.
How often should metric definitions change?
Rarely, and on a schedule. Every change breaks comparisons with earlier periods, so record the date and the change on the dashboard itself.
Basis and scope
This template is a drafting aid built on commonly used definitions and illustrative placeholders. It is not a measured benchmark or a customer case study. Prepared with AI assistance. Check product-specific behaviour against current documentation and your own data.