The GASP Standard
Executive Operating Metrics
GAAP for SaaS.
Just as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles standardized financial reporting, the GASP Standard establishes consensus definitions for operating metrics. One set of definitions. One way to calculate. No ambiguity.
Foundation
The GASP Standard adopts and extends the SaaS Metrics Standards Board (SMSB) definitions for core financial metrics (ARR, NRR, GRR, CAC, etc.). SMSB was founded by industry leaders including Todd Gardner (SaaS Capital), Dave Kellogg (Host Analytics, Salesforce), and Alka Tandan (Gainsight) to standardize how SaaS companies calculate and report metrics.
GASP extends SMSB by adding:
- Operational metrics across all departments (Support, Engineering, Product, HR, etc.)
- Relationships between metrics showing cause and effect
- The One Page - a standard view of business health
- Practical implementation guidance
Where SMSB has published a standard, we adopt it. Where gaps exist, we define using industry consensus.
The Problem
Every SaaS company measures “churn” differently. Ask five companies for their NRR and you’ll get five different formulas. Boards, investors, and operators waste time debating definitions instead of acting on insights.
The GASP Standard ends this. It codifies how the industry actually measures performance - the consensus that already exists but hasn’t been written down.
What This Standard Provides
- Canonical definitions for every operating metric
- Exact formulas - no “it depends”
- Industry benchmarks for context
- Relationships between metrics - the system, not just the numbers
- The One Page - the standard view of business health
It is opinionated by design. These are not suggestions. This is the standard.
Scope
This standard covers: Subscription-based SaaS with recurring revenue. The universal building blocks that apply to all SaaS businesses.
This standard does not cover:
- Usage-based/consumption pricing - Product-specific, cannot be universalized
- Implementation edge cases - Downstream concerns for individual businesses
- Industry-specific variations - Vertical SaaS may have additional metrics
The goal is foundational metrics that any SaaS business can adopt. Daily is the atomic unit; weekly, monthly, and annual views are derived.
Principles
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Consensus over custom. These definitions reflect industry standard practice. Your business is not special enough to need different definitions.
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Precision over flexibility. Each metric has one formula. Not “it depends.”
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Outcomes over activity. We measure what matters to the business, not what’s easy to track.
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Connection over isolation. Metrics exist in relationship to each other. Understanding the system matters more than any single number.
Structure
Layers
| Layer | Purpose | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Core Metrics | Define overall business health | Board, Executives |
| Departmental Metrics | Function-specific performance | Department leaders |
| Diagnostic Metrics | Investigate problems | Analysts, Operators |
Documents
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Definitions | Canonical definitions for all terms - the source of truth |
| Relationships | How metrics connect and influence each other |
Departments Covered
| Department | Focus |
|---|---|
| Core | MRR, ARR, NRR, CAC, LTV - the fundamentals |
| Sales | Pipeline, win rate, quota, deal velocity |
| Marketing | Funnel, MQLs, CAC, demand generation |
| Customer Success | Health scores, retention, expansion |
| Support | Tickets, CSAT, resolution, efficiency |
| Onboarding | TTFV, completion, activation |
| Product | Usage, adoption, stickiness, delivery |
| Engineering | Uptime, DORA metrics, incidents |
| Finance | Margins, burn, cash, profitability |
| RevOps | Billing, collections, revenue recognition |
| People | Turnover, eNPS, hiring, engagement |
| Partnerships | Channel revenue, partner performance |
| Professional Services | Utilization, project delivery, margins |
Metric Categories
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Revenue | Money coming in: MRR, ARR, growth, expansion, contraction |
| Retention | Customers staying: churn, NRR, GRR |
| Acquisition | Customers arriving: CAC, conversion, pipeline |
| Engagement | Customers using: adoption, stickiness, health |
| Efficiency | Doing more with less: margins, payback, LTV:CAC |
| Operations | Running the business: support, uptime, delivery |
| People | The team: retention, engagement, capacity |
How to Use This Standard
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Read the Core Metrics first. Understand the numbers that define business health.
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Map your data sources. For each metric, identify where the input data lives in your systems.
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Implement exactly as defined. Do not modify formulas. Do not add caveats.
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Use the One Page. Let the standard surface what matters.
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Investigate with Departmental Metrics. When something is off, drill into the relevant domain.