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Metrics

Metrics are the definition of “how we count it.” Every measurable Goal type — Key Result, Measure, AARRR/HEART metric, North Star input, and others — can carry a metric: what unit you use, which way is good, how numbers roll up, and what you’re aiming at.

Overview

A metric in Hamster is the quantitative shape attached to a measurable node in your framework. You set it once per goal (or inherited type) so Results have a clear place to land each period: targets, actuals, and status all read against the same definition.

Hamster supports:

  • Unit — what you’re counting (users, dollars, NPS points, conversion rate, and so on).
  • Direction — whether increase, decrease, or maintain is “good” for that goal.
  • Aggregation — how raw inputs roll up across time or dimensions (sum, avg, last, max, min).
  • Baseline — an optional starting reference when you’re establishing a new line.
  • Target — the number the team is trying to reach (per period or as a standing target, depending on the framework).
  • Leading vs lagging (OGSM) — tag a measure as leading when it’s an early signal, or lagging when it reports outcomes.

Metrics inherit their measurable eligibility from the framework template — Key Results, OGSM Measures, AARRR/HEART Metrics, North Star and Input Metrics, and other types the template marks as measurable. You don’t attach a metric to a non-measurable goal type; the hierarchy enforces that for you.

How metrics connect to Goals and Results

  1. Framework → measurable goal — From your Goals hierarchy, open a goal type that supports measurement.
  2. Define the metric — Set unit, direction, aggregation, optional baseline, and target so everyone agrees how progress is computed.
  3. Results — Each reporting period (from the framework’s cadence) logs a target and actual against the same metric definition, plus status and optional confidence.

Changing a metric’s definition is deliberate — historical results stay tied to the definition they were recorded against where versioning applies, so reviews stay comparable.

How initiatives and briefs use metrics

Initiatives link to goals; the metrics on those goals are what “moving the number” refers to in planning and in chat. When the AI assistant proposes work, it can reference the same metric language your team used when defining the goal.

Roles and permissions

Creating and editing metrics on goals follows the same goals.manage permission as frameworks and results. Roles & Permissions cover who holds it.

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