# SaaS retention cohort worksheet

Choose one retention definition and comparable observation periods. Examples are fictional.

## Metric contract

- Decision and owner:
- Unit: account, user, or another defined entity:
- Starting cohort event:
- Entry period and timezone:
- Eligibility/exclusions:
- Meaningful return activity:
- Period activity, exact-day, or another explicitly defined method:
- Observation intervals:
- Cutoff and fully observed periods:
- Original denominator rule:
- Source, definition version, and collection gaps:
- Account merge/deletion handling:

## Cohort comparison

| Cohort | Eligible starting accounts | Period 1 count/rate | Period 2 count/rate | Period 3 count/rate or incomplete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |

Period retention = original cohort accounts with qualifying activity during that period / eligible original cohort accounts. Count an account once per period even if it completes several actions. This definition permits return after an inactive period; it is not uninterrupted survival or revenue retention.

## Fictional example

Entry: account enrollment month. Month 1–3: the next three calendar months. Qualifying activity: at least one completed report in a month.

| Cohort | Starting accounts | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April enrollment | 20 | 14 / 20 = 70% | 10 / 20 = 50% | 8 / 20 = 40% |
| May enrollment | 20 | 16 / 20 = 80% | 12 / 20 = 60% | Incomplete |

The Month 1 and Month 2 differences are two accounts, or ten percentage points. May Month 3 is not zero. Calendar enrollment can produce different within-month ages; use tighter age windows if required by the question.

## Investigation and action

- Comparable periods and maturity checked:
- Event and identity checks:
- Acquisition/product/support differences:
- Returning and inactive account observations:
- Hypothesis and alternative explanation:
- Proposed intervention:
- Customer-value/correctness guardrail:
- Population, window, owner, and next review:


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Original resource by Jon Bishop. CC BY 4.0. Illustrative examples are not customer results.