saas-metrics-dashboard

# SaaS Metrics Dashboard Skill Calculate every critical SaaS metric from raw subscription data and produce an investor-ready health snapshot. This skill guides Sam Ledger through computing MRR/ARR, churn, retention, unit economics (LTV/CAC), growth efficiency, and Rule of 40 scoring — then formats the output for board decks, investor updates, or feeding into **kpi-alert-system** threshold monitoring. --- ## When to Use This Skill **Trigger phrases:** - "What's our MRR / ARR?" - "Calculate churn rate for last quarter" - "Give me our LTV:CAC ratio" - "Build a SaaS metrics snapshot" - "Are we Rule of 40 compliant?" - "Show net revenue retention" - "Prepare metrics for the investor update" - "What's our quick ratio / magic number?" - "Track cohort retention" **Fits between:** - `startup-financial-model` — feeds historical actuals into the 3-statement model - `kpi-alert-system` — outputs threshold-ready metric values for alert monitoring - `investor-memo-generator` — supplies the metrics section of investor memos **NOT for:** - Businesses without recurring subscription revenue - Real-time live dashboards (needs a BI tool like Metabase/Looker) - Revenue recognition accounting (use `revenue-recognition-agent`) - QBO bookkeeping entries (use `qbo-automation`) --- ## Core Metric Definitions ### Revenue Metrics | Metric | Formula | Benchmark | |--------|---------|-----------| | MRR | Sum of all monthly recurring charges | — | | ARR | MRR × 12 | — | | New MRR | MRR from new customers this period | — | | Expansion MRR | Upsells + seat adds from existing customers | — | | Churned MRR | MRR lost from cancellations | — | | Contraction MRR | Downgrades from existing customers | — | | Net New MRR | New + Expansion − Churned − Contraction | Positive = growing | ### Retention Metrics | Metric | Formula | Benchmark | |--------|---------|-----------| | Logo Churn | Customers churned / Customers at start | <5%/yr for SMB, <2% enterprise | | Revenue Churn (GRR) | Churned+Contraction MRR / MRR at start | >80% GRR good | | Net Revenue Retention (NRR) | (Start MRR + Expansion − Churn − Contraction) / Start MRR | >110% excellent, >100% good | | Quick Ratio | (New + Expansion) / (Churned + Contraction) | >4 = excellent, >2 = healthy | ### Unit Economics | Metric | Formula | Benchmark | |--------|---------|-----------| | LTV | ARPU / Monthly Churn Rate | 3× CAC minimum | | CAC | (S&M Spend) / New Customers | — | | LTV:CAC | LTV / CAC | >3:1 healthy, >5:1 strong | | CAC Payback | CAC / (ARPU × Gross Margin%) | <12mo excellent, <18mo good | | Magic Number | Net New ARR / Prior Quarter S&M Spend | >1.5 = efficient | ### Growth Efficiency | Metric | Formula | Benchmark | |--------|---------|-----------| | MoM Growth | (MRR This Mo − Prior Mo) / Prior Mo | Top decile: 15%+ early stage | | Rule of 40 | ARR Growth Rate % + FCF Margin % | ≥40 = healthy | | Burn Multiple | Net Burn / Net New ARR | <1 = excellent, <2 = good | --- ## Data Inputs Required Minimum viable inputs: ``` Period: [month/quarter] MRR at start of period: $___ New MRR: $___ Expansion MRR: $___ Churned MRR: $___ Contraction MRR: $___ New customers acquired: ___ Customers churned: ___ Total customers at start: ___ S&M spend (period): $___ Gross margin %: ___ ARR growth rate (YoY %): ___ FCF or operating cash flow: $___ ``` Optional (for deeper analysis): ``` Cohort data (monthly signup + retention by cohort) Plan-level MRR breakdown Customer segment breakdown (SMB / Mid-Market / Enterprise) NPS or CSAT scores ``` --- ## Computation Walkthrough ### Step 1: Validate Inputs - Confirm all required fields are present - Check: New MRR + Expansion − Churn − Contraction = Net New MRR - Flag negative MRR values or impossible churn rates (>100%) ### Step 2: Calculate Revenue Metrics ```python net_new_mrr = new_mrr + expansion_mrr - churned_mrr - contraction_mrr arr = (mrr_start + net_new_mrr) * 12 ``` ### Step 3: Retention Metrics ```python logo_churn = customers_churned / customers_start grr = 1 - ((churned_mrr + contraction_mrr) / mrr_start) nrr = (mrr_start + expansion_mrr - churned_mrr - contraction_mrr) / mrr_start quick_ratio = (new_mrr + expansion_mrr) / (churned_mrr + contraction_mrr) ``` ### Step 4: Unit Economics ```python arpu = (mrr_start + net_new_mrr) / (customers_start + new_customers - customers_churned) ltv = arpu / (logo_churn / 12) # annualized to monthly churn cac = sm_spend / new_customers ltv_cac = ltv / cac cac_payback_months = cac / (arpu * gross_margin) magic_number = (net_new_arr) / prior_sm_spend ``` ### Step 5: Growth Efficiency ```python rule_of_40 = arr_growth_pct + fcf_margin_pct burn_multiple = abs(net_burn) / net_new_arr # only if burning cash ``` ### Step 6: Score & Grade Apply benchmark thresholds and assign health grades: - 🟢 Green: At or above benchmark - 🟡 Yellow: Within 20% of benchmark - 🔴 Red: Below benchmark threshold --- ## Output Format ### Snapshot Output (Markdown/Structured) ``` ═══════════════════════════════════════ SAAS METRICS SNAPSHOT — [Period] Company: [Name] | As of: [Date] ═══════════════════════════════════════ REVENUE MRR: $___,___ ARR: $___,___ Net New MRR: $___,___ (New: $X | Exp: $X | Churn: -$X) MoM Growth: X.X% [🟢/🟡/🔴] RETENTION NRR: XXX% [🟢/🟡/🔴] (benchmark: >110%) GRR: XX% [🟢/🟡/🔴] (benchmark: >80%) Logo Churn: X.X% [🟢/🟡/🔴] (benchmark: <5%/yr) Quick Ratio: X.X [🟢/🟡/🔴] (benchmark: >2) UNIT ECONOMICS LTV:CAC: X.Xx [🟢/🟡/🔴] (benchmark: >3:1) CAC Payback: XX mo [🟢/🟡/🔴] (benchmark: <18mo) Magic Number: X.X [🟢/🟡/🔴] (benchmark: >1.5) EFFICIENCY Rule of 40: XX [🟢/🟡/🔴] (benchmark: ≥40) Burn Multiple: X.X [🟢/🟡/🔴] (benchmark: <2) OVERALL HEALTH: 🟢 Strong / 🟡 Watch / 🔴 At Risk TOP RISKS: [1-3 specific metrics to address] ``` ### CSV/JSON Output (for kpi-alert-system) When feeding downstream systems, output as: ```json { "period": "2026-Q1", "mrr": 125000, "arr": 1500000, "nrr": 118, "grr": 87, "logo_churn_annual": 4.2, "quick_ratio": 3.1, "ltv_cac": 4.5, "cac_payback_months": 11, "magic_number": 1.8, "rule_of_40": 52, "burn_multiple": 0.9 } ``` --- ## Cohort Retention Analysis When cohort data is available, build a retention table: ``` Cohort Mo1 Mo2 Mo3 Mo6 Mo12 Jan-25 100% 89% 82% 74% 68% Feb-25 100% 91% 85% 77% — Mar-25 100% 88% 81% — — ``` Key outputs: - **Average Day-30 retention** (target: >85% for SMB, >90% enterprise) - **12-month retention** (logo) — critical for LTV calculation - **Revenue cohort retention** (expansion often offsets logo churn) --- ## Segment Benchmarks ### By Stage | Stage | ARR | NRR Target | Logo Churn | Rule of 40 | |-------|-----|-----------|------------|------------| | Pre-Seed | <$1M | >100% | <10% | N/A | | Seed | $1-5M | >105% | <8% | Growth-driven | | Series A | $5-20M | >110% | <5% | ≥20 | | Series B+ | $20M+ | >120% | <3% | ≥40 | ### By Customer Segment | Segment | NRR Target | Logo Churn | CAC Payback | |---------|-----------|------------|-------------| | SMB | >100% | <10%/yr | <6 months | | Mid-Market | >110% | <5%/yr | <12 months | | Enterprise | >120% | <2%/yr | <18 months | --- ## Integration with Other Skills ### → startup-financial-model Pass current-period actuals as seed inputs for the 3-statement model: - Use NRR to project expansion revenue - Use logo churn to model customer count trajectory - CAC payback informs S&M budget efficiency ### → kpi-alert-system Register thresholds for automated alerts: ``` NRR < 100% → CRITICAL alert (negative net expansion) Logo churn > 7% → WARNING alert (annualized) Quick ratio < 2 → WARNING alert LTV:CAC < 3 → WARNING alert Rule of 40 < 30 → INFO alert ``` ### → investor-memo-generator Feed the snapshot JSON into the metrics section of investor memos. Include MoM/QoQ trends, not just point-in-time values. --- ## Examples ### Example 1: Quick Snapshot **Input:** "Our MRR is $125K. We added $18K new, $12K expansion, lost $8K churn, $3K contraction. 210 customers, lost 7. Spent $45K on S&M. 75% gross margin. YoY growth 85%. Burning $80K/mo." **Output:** Full snapshot with grades, flagging Rule of 40 and burn multiple. ### Example 2: Investor Prep **Input:** "Prepare Q1 2026 SaaS metrics for our Series A data room" **Output:** Formatted snapshot + cohort table + segment breakdown + narrative summary with investor framing. ### Example 3: Board Deck Metrics Slide **Input:** "Give me the 6 most important metrics for our board deck" **Output:** MRR/ARR, NRR, Logo Churn, LTV:CAC, CAC Payback, Rule of 40 — each with prior period comparison and trend indicator. --- ## Red Flags to Surface Always flag proactively: - **NRR < 100%** — losing more than you're gaining from existing customers - **Quick Ratio < 1** — churn eating new growth - **LTV:CAC < 2** — acquiring customers unprofitably - **CAC Payback > 24 months** — severe capital efficiency problem - **Burn Multiple > 3** — burning too much per dollar of new ARR - **Logo churn > 15%/yr** — product-market fit concern --- *Precision. Integrity. Results. — PrecisionLedger*