Community Forum with Indirect Value Chain

PART 1: OUTCOME-FOCUSED OKR

Objective

Increase user retention and platform loyalty through authentic peer support and community belonging

• Timeframe: Q1 2025
• Owner: Product & Growth Team
• Business Goal: Retention
• Why Outcome-Focused: This describes the business outcome (retention through community connection), not the feature (forum). Even if we build a world-class forum, we could fail if it doesn’t actually improve retention.

Critical Note on Indirect Value Chain: This feature has an indirect value chain: Forum participation -> Social connection -> Engagement -> Retention. Primary success metric must measure the END outcome (retention), not intermediate steps (posts, comments). Measurement period must be longer (60-90 days minimum).

Key Results

KR1: Increase 90-day retention rate from baseline to +15 percentage points (Lagging)

• Why this is an outcome: Measures whether community actually keeps users on the platform longer. Users could post extensively but still churn.
• How feature influences it: Social bonds and peer accountability create switching costs.

KR2: Increase average session frequency by 25% for users active in community (Lagging)

• Why this is an outcome: Measures behavior change (users returning more often), not just forum activity.
• How feature influences it: Forum notifications and peer discussions create reasons to return.

KR3: Achieve 30% of active users participating in community within 60 days (Leading)

• Why this is an outcome: Measures adoption of social behaviors, which predicts retention. Must be paired with retention metrics.
• How feature influences it: Onboarding prompts and peer group suggestions drive initial participation.

KR4: Achieve NPS increase of +10 points among community participants (Quality)

• Why this is an outcome: Measures whether community creates perceived value and advocacy.
• How feature influences it: Positive peer interactions create emotional connection to platform.

Output Traps Avoided

• Launch community forum with 1,000 posts/month - Post volume is activity, not retention outcome
• Build peer group matching with 500 active groups - Groups formed != retention value created
• Achieve 50% forum response rate within 24 hours - Response speed is nice-to-have, not business outcome

PART 2: METRICS & MEASUREMENT PLAN

Primary Metric (North Star)

90-Day Retention Rate (Community Cohort vs. Control)

Definition: % of users who remain active on platform 90 days after joining, measured separately for community participants vs. non-participants

Formula: 90-Day Retention = (Users active on Day 90 / Users who signed up 90 days ago) x 100%
Community Impact = Retention(participants) - Retention(non-participants)

Industry Benchmarks (2024-2025):

• EdTech platforms with community: 35-50% 90-day retention
• EdTech platforms without community: 20-30% 90-day retention
• Community lift: +10-20 percentage points typical for successful implementations

Target: +15pp for community participants vs. non-participants
Measurement Period: Minimum 90 days from launch (early signals at 30 days but less predictive)

Secondary Metrics

1. Average Session Frequency - STRONG METRIC (Lagging) - Target: 25% increase for community participants
2. Community Participation Rate - USE WITH CAUTION (Leading) - Target: 30% within 60 days
3. NPS Lift for Community Participants - STRONG METRIC (Quality) - Target: +10 points
4. Peer Group Engagement Rate - USE WITH CAUTION (Diagnostic) - Target: 40%+ monthly active

Vanity Metrics to AVOID

• Total Forum Posts/Comments (volume != retention value)
• Number of Peer Groups Formed (groups formed != groups that retain users)
• Forum Page Views (exposure != engagement or retention)
• Average Response Time (speed != value)
• Number of Likes/Reactions (low-effort signals != deep connection)

Analytics Events

• community_post_created (user_id, post_type, topic_category)
• community_first_participation (user_id, days_since_signup, participation_type)
• peer_group_joined (user_id, group_id, group_type, join_method)
• retention_milestone_reached (user_id, milestone: 30/60/90_day, community_participant, participation_level)
• nps_survey_completed (user_id, nps_score, community_participant)

Dashboard Structure

1. OKR Progress Dashboard - All 4 KRs with targets and 90-day tracking
2. Retention Deep Dive - Cohort curves comparing community vs. non-community
3. Community Participation Funnel - Viewed -> First Interaction -> Repeat -> Retained
4. Session Frequency & Engagement - Trend comparison by participation level
5. Peer Group Health - Active groups, engagement rates, group longevity

Review Cadence

• Daily (First 2 weeks): Monitor technical issues, moderation needs, extreme low participation
• Weekly (Weeks 3-12): Track 30-day retention early signals, participation trends, qualitative feedback
• Monthly (Months 2-4): 60-day retention analysis, NPS surveys, segment analysis
• Quarterly (90+ days): Full OKR assessment, statistical significance testing, ROI calculation

Critical Timeline Note: This feature requires minimum 90 days to measure primary success metric. Early signals helpful but less predictive.

Success Definition

OKR successful if (meet 3 of 4 KRs):

• KR1: 90-day retention +15pp for community participants
• KR2: Session frequency +25% for community-active users
• KR3: 30%+ participation within 60 days
• KR4: NPS +10 points for community participants

Rollback if: 90-day retention LOWER for community participants, session frequency decreased, NPS decreased, or high moderation burden without retention benefit

Key Considerations for Indirect Value Features

1. Indirect Value Chain: Community -> Connection -> Engagement -> Retention (each step has losses)
2. Long Measurement Horizon: 90+ days to see retention impact
3. Attribution Complexity: Correlation != causation; need cohort comparisons
4. Quality Over Quantity: High participation doesn’t guarantee value
5. Network Effects: Needs critical mass (20-30%) to create peer effects