SaaS KPIs

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KPITypeDescriptionWhen to UseExampleFormula
User Acquisition and Growth KPIs
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) GrowthGrowthMeasures the percentage change in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) over a specified period.Assess revenue growth and subscription performance.A MRR growth rate of 8% indicates an 8% increase in MRR.MRR Growth = [(Current MRR – Prior MRR) / Prior MRR] * 100%
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)AcquisitionMeasures the cost incurred to acquire a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses.Evaluate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of customer acquisition.A CAC of $500 means it costs $500 to acquire a new customer.CAC = Total Marketing and Sales Expenses / Number of New Customers Acquired
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)GrowthRepresents the predicted net profit generated by a customer over their entire relationship with the business.Assess the long-term value of customers.A CLV of $5,000 means a customer is expected to generate $5,000 in profit over their lifetime.CLV = (Average Purchase Value * Average Purchase Frequency) / Churn Rate
Product Adoption and Usage KPIs
Monthly Active Users (MAU)AdoptionMeasures the number of unique users who engage with the SaaS product in a given month.Assess user engagement and product adoption.A MAU of 10,000 users in a month.N/A
Daily Active Users (DAU)AdoptionMeasures the number of unique users who engage with the SaaS product in a single day.Monitor daily user activity and engagement.A DAU of 2,000 users in a day.N/A
User Churn RateAdoptionIndicates the percentage of users who discontinue their usage of the SaaS product over a specific period.Assess user retention and product satisfaction.A churn rate of 5% means 5% of users stopped using the product during a month.User Churn Rate = (Number of Users at Start – Number of Users at End) / Number of Users at Start
Customer Engagement KPIs
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)SatisfactionMeasures customer satisfaction based on their responses to a satisfaction survey.Assess overall customer satisfaction levels.A CSAT score of 85% indicates an 85% satisfaction rate among customers.CSAT = (Sum of Satisfaction Scores / Total Number of Responses) * 100%
Net Promoter Score (NPS)SatisfactionMeasures customer satisfaction and loyalty by asking customers how likely they are to recommend the business.Assess customer satisfaction and potential for referrals.An NPS of 40 indicates a positive customer sentiment, while -10 suggests negative sentiment.NPS = (% of Promoters – % of Detractors) * 100%
Customer Retention RateRetentionIndicates the percentage of customers retained by the SaaS product over a specific period.Assess customer loyalty and the effectiveness of retention efforts.A retention rate of 85% means 85% of customers were retained during a year.Customer Retention Rate = ((Number of Customers at End – Number of New Customers) / Number of Customers at Start) * 100%
Financial and Revenue KPIs
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)RevenueRepresents the average revenue generated from each user or customer in a given period.Assess revenue per customer and pricing strategies.An ARPU of $50 means each user generates an average of $50 in revenue.ARPU = Total Monthly Revenue / Total Number of Users
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) to CAC RatioRevenueCompares the customer lifetime value (CLV) to the customer acquisition cost (CAC), indicating ROI.Assess the effectiveness and ROI of customer acquisition efforts.A CLV/CAC ratio of 3 suggests that the lifetime value of a customer is three times the cost of acquisition.CLV/CAC Ratio = (Customer Lifetime Value / Customer Acquisition Cost)
Gross MarginProfitabilityRepresents the percentage of revenue retained as gross profit after accounting for the cost of goods sold.Evaluate profitability at the gross level.A gross margin of 60% means 60% of revenue is retained as gross profit.Gross Margin = (Gross Profit / Total Revenue) * 100%
Product and Development KPIs
Monthly New Feature Adoption RateAdoptionMeasures the percentage of users who adopt new product features or updates in a given month.Assess user engagement with new product enhancements.An adoption rate of 25% for a new feature.New Feature Adoption Rate = (Number of Users Adopting New Feature / Total Number of Users) * 100%
Average Response Time for Support TicketsSupportRepresents the average time it takes for the support team to respond to customer inquiries or issues.Assess the efficiency of customer support responsiveness.An average response time of 2 hours for support tickets.N/A
Sales and Marketing KPIs
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)Sales/MarketingMeasures the cost incurred to acquire a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses.Evaluate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of customer acquisition efforts.A CAC of $500 means it costs $500 to acquire a new customer.CAC = Total Marketing and Sales Expenses / Number of New Customers Acquired
Churn RateSales/MarketingIndicates the percentage of customers who discontinue their usage of the SaaS product over a specific period.Assess customer retention and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.A churn rate of 5% means 5% of customers stopped using the product during a month.Churn Rate = (Number of Customers at Start – Number of Customers at End) / Number of Customers at Start

Connected Analysis Frameworks

Failure Mode And Effects Analysis

failure-mode-and-effects-analysis
A failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a structured approach to identifying design failures in a product or process. Developed in the 1950s, the failure mode and effects analysis is one the earliest methodologies of its kind. It enables organizations to anticipate a range of potential failures during the design stage.

Agile Business Analysis

agile-business-analysis
Agile Business Analysis (AgileBA) is certification in the form of guidance and training for business analysts seeking to work in agile environments. To support this shift, AgileBA also helps the business analyst relate Agile projects to a wider organizational mission or strategy. To ensure that analysts have the necessary skills and expertise, AgileBA certification was developed.

Business Valuation

valuation
Business valuations involve a formal analysis of the key operational aspects of a business. A business valuation is an analysis used to determine the economic value of a business or company unit. It’s important to note that valuations are one part science and one part art. Analysts use professional judgment to consider the financial performance of a business with respect to local, national, or global economic conditions. They will also consider the total value of assets and liabilities, in addition to patented or proprietary technology.

Paired Comparison Analysis

paired-comparison-analysis
A paired comparison analysis is used to rate or rank options where evaluation criteria are subjective by nature. The analysis is particularly useful when there is a lack of clear priorities or objective data to base decisions on. A paired comparison analysis evaluates a range of options by comparing them against each other.

Monte Carlo Analysis

monte-carlo-analysis
The Monte Carlo analysis is a quantitative risk management technique. The Monte Carlo analysis was developed by nuclear scientist Stanislaw Ulam in 1940 as work progressed on the atom bomb. The analysis first considers the impact of certain risks on project management such as time or budgetary constraints. Then, a computerized mathematical output gives businesses a range of possible outcomes and their probability of occurrence.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

cost-benefit-analysis
A cost-benefit analysis is a process a business can use to analyze decisions according to the costs associated with making that decision. For a cost analysis to be effective it’s important to articulate the project in the simplest terms possible, identify the costs, determine the benefits of project implementation, assess the alternatives.

CATWOE Analysis

catwoe-analysis
The CATWOE analysis is a problem-solving strategy that asks businesses to look at an issue from six different perspectives. The CATWOE analysis is an in-depth and holistic approach to problem-solving because it enables businesses to consider all perspectives. This often forces management out of habitual ways of thinking that would otherwise hinder growth and profitability. Most importantly, the CATWOE analysis allows businesses to combine multiple perspectives into a single, unifying solution.

VTDF Framework

competitor-analysis
It’s possible to identify the key players that overlap with a company’s business model with a competitor analysis. This overlapping can be analyzed in terms of key customers, technologies, distribution, and financial models. When all those elements are analyzed, it is possible to map all the facets of competition for a tech business model to understand better where a business stands in the marketplace and its possible future developments.

Pareto Analysis

pareto-principle-pareto-analysis
The Pareto Analysis is a statistical analysis used in business decision making that identifies a certain number of input factors that have the greatest impact on income. It is based on the similarly named Pareto Principle, which states that 80% of the effect of something can be attributed to just 20% of the drivers.

Comparable Analysis

comparable-company-analysis
A comparable company analysis is a process that enables the identification of similar organizations to be used as a comparison to understand the business and financial performance of the target company. To find comparables you can look at two key profiles: the business and financial profile. From the comparable company analysis it is possible to understand the competitive landscape of the target organization.

SWOT Analysis

swot-analysis
A SWOT Analysis is a framework used for evaluating the business’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It can aid in identifying the problematic areas of your business so that you can maximize your opportunities. It will also alert you to the challenges your organization might face in the future.

PESTEL Analysis

pestel-analysis
The PESTEL analysis is a framework that can help marketers assess whether macro-economic factors are affecting an organization. This is a critical step that helps organizations identify potential threats and weaknesses that can be used in other frameworks such as SWOT or to gain a broader and better understanding of the overall marketing environment.

Business Analysis

business-analysis
Business analysis is a research discipline that helps driving change within an organization by identifying the key elements and processes that drive value. Business analysis can also be used in Identifying new business opportunities or how to take advantage of existing business opportunities to grow your business in the marketplace.

Financial Structure

financial-structure
In corporate finance, the financial structure is how corporations finance their assets (usually either through debt or equity). For the sake of reverse engineering businesses, we want to look at three critical elements to determine the model used to sustain its assets: cost structure, profitability, and cash flow generation.

Financial Modeling

financial-modeling
Financial modeling involves the analysis of accounting, finance, and business data to predict future financial performance. Financial modeling is often used in valuation, which consists of estimating the value in dollar terms of a company based on several parameters. Some of the most common financial models comprise discounted cash flows, the M&A model, and the CCA model.

Value Investing

value-investing
Value investing is an investment philosophy that looks at companies’ fundamentals, to discover those companies whose intrinsic value is higher than what the market is currently pricing, in short value investing tries to evaluate a business by starting by its fundamentals.

Buffet Indicator

buffet-indicator
The Buffet Indicator is a measure of the total value of all publicly-traded stocks in a country divided by that country’s GDP. It’s a measure and ratio to evaluate whether a market is undervalued or overvalued. It’s one of Warren Buffet’s favorite measures as a warning that financial markets might be overvalued and riskier.

Financial Analysis

financial-accounting
Financial accounting is a subdiscipline within accounting that helps organizations provide reporting related to three critical areas of a business: its assets and liabilities (balance sheet), its revenues and expenses (income statement), and its cash flows (cash flow statement). Together those areas can be used for internal and external purposes.

Post-Mortem Analysis

post-mortem-analysis
Post-mortem analyses review projects from start to finish to determine process improvements and ensure that inefficiencies are not repeated in the future. In the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK), this process is referred to as “lessons learned”.

Retrospective Analysis

retrospective-analysis
Retrospective analyses are held after a project to determine what worked well and what did not. They are also conducted at the end of an iteration in Agile project management. Agile practitioners call these meetings retrospectives or retros. They are an effective way to check the pulse of a project team, reflect on the work performed to date, and reach a consensus on how to tackle the next sprint cycle.

Root Cause Analysis

root-cause-analysis
In essence, a root cause analysis involves the identification of problem root causes to devise the most effective solutions. Note that the root cause is an underlying factor that sets the problem in motion or causes a particular situation such as non-conformance.

Blindspot Analysis

blindspot-analysis

Break-even Analysis

break-even-analysis
A break-even analysis is commonly used to determine the point at which a new product or service will become profitable. The analysis is a financial calculation that tells the business how many products it must sell to cover its production costs.  A break-even analysis is a small business accounting process that tells the business what it needs to do to break even or recoup its initial investment. 

Decision Analysis

decision-analysis
Stanford University Professor Ronald A. Howard first defined decision analysis as a profession in 1964. Over the ensuing decades, Howard has supervised many doctoral theses on the subject across topics including nuclear waste disposal, investment planning, hurricane seeding, and research strategy. Decision analysis (DA) is a systematic, visual, and quantitative decision-making approach where all aspects of a decision are evaluated before making an optimal choice.

DESTEP Analysis

destep-analysis
A DESTEP analysis is a framework used by businesses to understand their external environment and the issues which may impact them. The DESTEP analysis is an extension of the popular PEST analysis created by Harvard Business School professor Francis J. Aguilar. The DESTEP analysis groups external factors into six categories: demographic, economic, socio-cultural, technological, ecological, and political.

STEEP Analysis

steep-analysis
The STEEP analysis is a tool used to map the external factors that impact an organization. STEEP stands for the five key areas on which the analysis focuses: socio-cultural, technological, economic, environmental/ecological, and political. Usually, the STEEP analysis is complementary or alternative to other methods such as SWOT or PESTEL analyses.

STEEPLE Analysis

steeple-analysis
The STEEPLE analysis is a variation of the STEEP analysis. Where the step analysis comprises socio-cultural, technological, economic, environmental/ecological, and political factors as the base of the analysis. The STEEPLE analysis adds other two factors such as Legal and Ethical.

Activity-Based Management

activity-based-management-abm
Activity-based management (ABM) is a framework for determining the profitability of every aspect of a business. The end goal is to maximize organizational strengths while minimizing or eliminating weaknesses. Activity-based management can be described in the following steps: identification and analysis, evaluation and identification of areas of improvement.

PMESII-PT Analysis

pmesii-pt
PMESII-PT is a tool that helps users organize large amounts of operations information. PMESII-PT is an environmental scanning and monitoring technique, like the SWOT, PESTLE, and QUEST analysis. Developed by the United States Army, used as a way to execute a more complex strategy in foreign countries with a complex and uncertain context to map.

SPACE Analysis

space-analysis
The SPACE (Strategic Position and Action Evaluation) analysis was developed by strategy academics Alan Rowe, Richard Mason, Karl Dickel, Richard Mann, and Robert Mockler. The particular focus of this framework is strategy formation as it relates to the competitive position of an organization. The SPACE analysis is a technique used in strategic management and planning. 

Lotus Diagram

lotus-diagram
A lotus diagram is a creative tool for ideation and brainstorming. The diagram identifies the key concepts from a broad topic for simple analysis or prioritization.

Functional Decomposition

functional-decomposition
Functional decomposition is an analysis method where complex processes are examined by dividing them into their constituent parts. According to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK), functional decomposition “helps manage complexity and reduce uncertainty by breaking down processes, systems, functional areas, or deliverables into their simpler constituent parts and allowing each part to be analyzed independently.”

Multi-Criteria Analysis

multi-criteria-analysis
The multi-criteria analysis provides a systematic approach for ranking adaptation options against multiple decision criteria. These criteria are weighted to reflect their importance relative to other criteria. A multi-criteria analysis (MCA) is a decision-making framework suited to solving problems with many alternative courses of action.

Stakeholder Analysis

stakeholder-analysis
A stakeholder analysis is a process where the participation, interest, and influence level of key project stakeholders is identified. A stakeholder analysis is used to leverage the support of key personnel and purposefully align project teams with wider organizational goals. The analysis can also be used to resolve potential sources of conflict before project commencement.

Strategic Analysis

strategic-analysis
Strategic analysis is a process to understand the organization’s environment and competitive landscape to formulate informed business decisions, to plan for the organizational structure and long-term direction. Strategic planning is also useful to experiment with business model design and assess the fit with the long-term vision of the business.

Related Strategy Concepts: Go-To-Market Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Business Models, Tech Business Models, Jobs-To-Be Done, Design Thinking, Lean Startup Canvas, Value Chain, Value Proposition Canvas, Balanced Scorecard, Business Model Canvas, SWOT Analysis, Growth Hacking, Bundling, Unbundling, Bootstrapping, Venture Capital, Porter’s Five Forces, Porter’s Generic Strategies, Porter’s Five Forces, PESTEL Analysis, SWOT, Porter’s Diamond Model, Ansoff, Technology Adoption Curve, TOWS, SOAR, Balanced Scorecard, OKR, Agile Methodology, Value Proposition, VTDF Framework, BCG Matrix, GE McKinsey Matrix, Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model.

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