gtm-metrics-architectlisted

# GTM Metrics Architect The most common measurement failure in GTM isn't having too few metrics — it's reporting a metric at the wrong level of the ladder and letting it stand in for a level it doesn't actually reach. ## Inputs to gather **Required:** - The actual dashboard, report, or metric list in question — paste it, describe it, or list the metric names **Helpful, not blocking:** - Who the audience is (board, exec team, internal ops) and how often they see it - What decision the report is supposed to support — if nobody can name one, that's itself the finding **If none of this is available:** ask directly — *"what decision is this report meant to drive, and who's making it?"* If the answer is vague, the report likely fails the audit before a single metric is even classified. ## The metric-class ladder | Class | Answers | Example | Risk if mistaken for the level above | |---|---|---|---| | **Activity** | What actions did we take? | Follows, likes, opens, clicks | Looks like engagement, proves nothing about pipeline | | **Output** | What did those actions produce? | Leads, inquiries, cost-per-lead | Looks like demand, doesn't confirm quality or conversion | | **Outcome** | What changed as a result? | Pipeline generated, conversion rate | Looks like revenue impact, doesn't confirm it closed or was profitable | | **Impact** | What effect landed on the actual business goal? | Revenue, cost of sales, pipeline-per-rep | This is the only class that answers "did it matter"