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 modelkpi-alert-system — outputs threshold-ready metric values for alert monitoringinvestor-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
net_new_mrr = new_mrr + expansion_mrr - churned_mrr - contraction_mrr
arr = (mrr_start + net_new_mrr) * 12
Step 3: Retention Metrics
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
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
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:
{
"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
