Product Manager Metrics – Page 2

DAU Growth Rate is the percentage change in Daily Active Users (DAU) over a defined period. It measures how quickly an active user base is expanding and can indicate the effectiveness of sales and marketing efforts, product-market fit, and overall engagement health.

DAU/MAU Ratio (Daily Active Users to Monthly Active Users ratio) measures how active monthly users are on a daily basis. In other words, this engagement metric measures the number of days in each month that users performed an activity that qualifies them as active users. A higher DAU/MAU Ratio generally indicates high stickiness, meaning users consistently return to the app.

Email Soft Bounce Rate is the percentage of sent emails that fail to reach the recipient due to a temporary technical issue, such as a full inbox or an unavailable mail server.

Gross Monthly Recurring Revenue Churn Rate (Gross MRR Churn Rate) is the percentage of recurring revenue lost due to both cancellation and downgrades. Note that it is common to express this metric as a monthly rate, though it can also be expressed as Gross ARR Churn Rate.

Monthly Active Accounts is the count of unique accounts with at least one active user in a given month. It measures platform engagement at the account level, tracking how many accounts are actively using an application or service each month.

Monthly Active Users (MAU) is the count of unique users who interact with an application or platform at least once in a given month. MAU tracks engagement across both new and returning users, and serves as an early indicator of retention risk or growth momentum. Unique users are identified by username, email address, or user ID. Both paying and non-paying users count, including those on free trials.

Net Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) Churn Rate is the percentage change in MRR from existing customers due to expansions, cancellations, and downgrades. A negative Net MRR Churn Rate occurs when expansions exceed downgrades and cancellations and is a strong positive indicator of company health. This metric is typically expressed as a monthly rate, although it can also be calculated as an annual rate: Net Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) Churn Rate.

Net Promoter Score (NPS®) is a measure of a customer base's willingness to promote a product or service to colleagues and friends. It is based on the results of a current customer survey, which asks respondents to answer the following question: “how likely is it that you would recommend (brand or product X) to a friend or colleague?” Responses, with 10 being the highest, are grouped as follows: 10s and 9s are brand ‘Promoters’, 8s and 7s are ‘Neutrals’, and any responses below 7 are brand ‘Detractors’.

Open Opportunities (Weighted Revenue) is the expected revenue from active deals multiplied by the probability each deal will close. It gives sales teams a realistic view of pipeline value by weighting each opportunity according to its estimated close probability, producing a more accurate revenue forecast than raw pipeline totals alone.

Product Qualified Leads (PQL) measures the quality of potential customers by classifying them according to their actions and usage within the product platform. Certain actions in the scope of the product that indicate high intention to purchase are weighted higher and used to classify leads as PQLs.

R&D Productivity is a performance measure of how much new revenue is associated with dollars invested into R&D within a technology company.

The Research and Development to Revenue Ratio measures the percentage of total revenue that a company invests in innovation, product development, and technological advancement activities. This metric encompasses all costs associated with creating new products, enhancing existing offerings, conducting research initiatives, and maintaining technological competitive advantages. For finance leaders, this ratio represents a critical investment decision that balances current profitability with future growth potential, while for HR leaders, it reflects talent acquisition and retention strategies in technical disciplines that command premium compensation. The ratio serves as a strategic indicator of a company's commitment to innovation and long-term market viability. Unlike sales and marketing investments that typically generate near-term revenue returns, R&D investments often require longer payback periods but are essential for sustaining competitive differentiation and market position. For CTOs and VPs of Product/Engineering, this metric provides the financial framework within which they must deliver innovation outcomes, making it a crucial tool for resource allocation, team planning, and technology roadmap prioritisation.