A Simple Analytics Instrumentation Checklist for Founders

A practical instrumentation plan for fast-moving founders

If you are shipping with AI-assisted code, the hardest part of analytics is not tracking everything. It is deciding what to track so you can answer real product questions later without drowning in noise. A small, deliberate event plan will usually beat a long list of generic events.

Start with the questions you need to answer

• What action shows a user has found value?
• Where do new users drop off before activation?
• Which feature leads to retention or upgrade intent?
• What behavior signals frustration, confusion, or churn risk?

If an event does not help answer one of those questions, it is probably optional. That tradeoff matters because every extra event adds schema maintenance, duplicate names, and analysis overhead later.

Track outcomes before micro-actions

• Good core events: signed_up, created_project, invited_teammate, completed_onboarding, started_trial, upgraded_plan.
• Less useful unless tied to a question: button_clicked, page_viewed, card_hovered, menu_opened.
• Prefer events that represent progress, not every UI interaction.

A simple rule: if the event describes a meaningful business step, keep it. If it only describes that a control was touched, leave it out unless you truly need that detail.

Use properties to keep the event count low

• Attach plan, role, source, and feature name as properties instead of creating new event names.
• Use consistent values like free, trial, and paid rather than near-duplicates.
• Keep property names stable so future queries do not turn into cleanup work.

This tradeoff gives you flexibility: fewer events to maintain, but enough context to segment later. For example, one feature_used event with a feature_name property is usually better than a separate event for each feature.

A checklist for a clean first setup

• Define one activation event and one retention signal.
• Pick 5 to 10 core events max for the first version.
• Write plain-English names that match how the team talks.
• Document each event with a short definition and when it should fire.
• Add properties only when they change how you will analyze the event.
• Exclude passive noise like generic page views unless a page itself is the product.

Make future analysis easier now

• Use one source of truth for event names.
• Separate product events from admin or internal actions.
• Avoid reusing the same event name for different user intents.
• Keep onboarding events in order so funnels are easy to reconstruct.
• Store timestamps and user identifiers consistently from day one.

The goal is not perfect instrumentation. It is instrumentation you can trust when you want to compare cohorts, inspect funnels, or explain why activation moved after a release.

A minimal event plan for a new SaaS

signed_up { source }
completed_onboarding { plan, role }
created_project { project_type }
invited_teammate { team_size }
used_key_feature { feature_name }
started_trial { billing_cycle }
upgraded_plan { from_plan, to_plan }