How to balance input and output metrics?

Balancing input and output metrics is key to effective product management. Input metrics reflect user actions or processes that lead to results (output metrics). To balance them, you need to:

• Identify key input metrics that directly influence desired output metrics.
• Ensure that input metrics are sufficiently sensitive and controllable, meaning they can be influenced through product changes.
• Not focus solely on output metrics, as they often lag and can be affected by external factors.
• Use input metrics for early problem detection and hypothesis testing.

For example, if the output metric is conversion to purchase, input metrics could be: number of items added to cart, time spent on the product page, number of product card views. By changing the product, you influence input metrics, which ultimately reflect on the output.

Thus, balance is achieved through understanding causal relationships and constant monitoring of both groups of metrics.