tracking-plan

Analytics Tracking Plan

Overview

Most companies have tracking — they just don't have a plan. Events fire into the void. Pixels fire twice (or never). Marketing attributes credit to the wrong channel. Product doesn't know what marketing tracks. Nobody trusts the data. The mistake: adding tracking ad-hoc without a unified plan. This skill covers the complete analytics tracking architecture for PLG and B2B SaaS: event taxonomy, pixel strategy, attribution architecture, CDP implementation, and the analytics stack that makes it all work together.

Authoritative Foundations

• Segment — Customer Data Platform (CDP) and Tracking Plan spec — Customer Data Platform (CDP) and Tracking Plan spec
• Amplitude — Product analytics and behavioral cohorts — Product analytics and behavioral cohorts
• PostHog — Open-source product analytics — Open-source product analytics
• Mixpanel — Event-based analytics — Event-based analytics
• Google Analytics 4 (GA4) — Web analytics and conversions — Web analytics and conversions
• Elena Verna (Reforge/Amplitude) — PLG analytics models — PLG analytics models
• Brian Balfour (Reforge) — Growth models and tracking — Growth loops — acquisition/retention loops, not funnel-only thinking.
• OpenView — PLG benchmarks and metrics — Expansion SaaS benchmarks — PLG, sales-assist, and GTM efficiency.
• Avo — Tracking plan governance and code generation — Tracking plan governance and code generation

When to Use

Trigger phrases: "tracking plan", "analytics plan", "analytics architecture", "event tracking strategy", "pixel strategy", "CDP implementation", "analytics for PLG", "SaaS analytics stack", "unified tracking plan", "marketing tracking", "product analytics implementation", "analytics audit"

The Unified Tracking Architecture

                    ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
                    │        YOUR SAAS PRODUCT          │
                    │  (Web App, API, Backend, Email)  │
                    └──────────┬──────────────────────┘
                               │
                    ┌──────────▼──────────────────────┐
                    │   CDP LAYER (Segment/Rudderstack) │
                    │   Event Collection + Routing      │
                    └──────┬───────────┬───────────────┘
                           │           │
         ┌─────────────────▼──┐   ┌───▼──────────────────┐
         │ PRODUCT ANALYTICS   │   │ MARKETING ANALYTICS   │
         │ Amplitude/Mixpanel  │   │ GA4 / Ads Pixels      │
         │ PostHog             │   │ Attribution Tools      │
         └─────────────────────┘   └───────────────────────┘
                           │           │
         ┌─────────────────▼──┐   ┌───▼──────────────────┐
         │ CRM + CS ANALYTICS  │   │ DATA WAREHOUSE        │
         │ HubSpot/Salesforce  │   │ Snowflake/BigQuery     │
         │ Intercom/Zendesk    │   │ + BI (Metabase/Looker) │
         └─────────────────────┘   └───────────────────────┘

Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1: The Tracking Plan Document

What it is: A single source of truth for every event, property, and destination in your analytics infrastructure. Every developer, marketer, and analyst references the same document.

The Tracking Plan template (Google Sheets / Notion / Avo):

TRACKING PLAN — [Company]

SHEET 1: EVENT CATALOG
| Event Name | Category | Trigger | Properties | Destinations | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signed Up | Account | POST /auth/signup | plan, source, referrer, utm_* | Segment→GA4,Amplitude,HubSpot | Eng | Live |
| Feature Used | Usage | Client-side click | feature_name, context | Segment→Amplitude | Product | Live |
| ... | | | | | | |

SHEET 2: PROPERTY CATALOG
| Property Name | Type | Example Values | Events Using | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plan | string | starter, growth, enterprise | Signed Up, Upgraded, Downgraded | Customer's subscription plan |
| source | string | google_ads, linkedin, referral | Signed Up | Acquisition channel |
| ... | | | | |

SHEET 3: DESTINATIONS
| Destination | Purpose | Events Routed | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amplitude | Product analytics — retention, funnels, cohorts | All usage + account events | Product |
| GA4 | Web analytics — traffic, conversions, ad attribution | Page views, signups, conversions | Marketing |
| HubSpot | CRM — lead scoring, lifecycle stages | Account events, email events | RevOps |
| Intercom | Event-triggered messaging | All usage + milestone events | CS |
| Data Warehouse | BI — cross-functional reporting | All events | Data |

SHEET 4: IDENTITIES
| Identity Type | How It's Set | When | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| anonymous_id | Auto-generated (cookie/localStorage) | First visit | uuid |
| user_id | Backend generates on signup | After authentication | user_abc123 |
| group_id | Workspace/account ID | After login (B2B) | ws_xyz789 |
| email | identify() call | After signup/login | [email protected] |

SHEET 5: UTM / ATTRIBUTION
| Parameter | Required | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| utm_source | Yes | google, linkedin, newsletter | Acquisition source |
| utm_medium | Yes | cpc, organic, email, social | Channel type |
| utm_campaign | Yes | q1_launch, black_friday | Campaign name |
| utm_content | Optional | variant_a, cta_hero | Creative variant |
| utm_term | Optional | cold+email+tool | Keyword (paid search) |
| referrer | Auto | document.referrer | Referring URL |
| landing_page | Auto | window.location.pathname | First page visited |
| gclid | Auto | Google Ads auto-tagging | Google Click ID |
| fbclid | Auto | Facebook auto-tagging | Facebook Click ID |

Phase 2: Event Taxonomy for PLG and SaaS

Build the event taxonomy in references/event-taxonomy.md when the task needs the full PLG/SaaS event library. In SKILL.md, capture only the chosen event groups, naming rules, owners, and QA gates.

Phase 3: Pixel Strategy (1P and 3P Tagging)

The progressive pixel architecture:

TIER 1: FIRST-PARTY (Essential — always on)
  └─ CDP (Segment/Rudderstack) — server-side SDK
     No ad blockers can block server-side events.
     Critical events (signup, payment, subscription) go server-side.

TIER 2: FIRST-PARTY (Product — always on)
  └─ CDP (Segment/Rudderstack) — client-side SDK
     Behavioral events. Some ad-blocker loss (~15-30%).
     Acceptable for product analytics (you don't need 100% of
     behavioral events — you need enough to see patterns).

TIER 3: MARKETING PIXELS (Conditional — consent required)
  └─ GA4 (Google Analytics)
  └─ Google Ads Conversion Tracking
  └─ LinkedIn Insight Tag
  └─ Meta (Facebook) Pixel
  └─ Twitter/X Pixel
  └─ Reddit Pixel
  └─ Quora Pixel
  └─ Microsoft (Bing) Ads UET

TIER 4: RETARGETING (Conditional — consent required)
  └─ Google Ads Remarketing
  └─ LinkedIn Matched Audiences
  └─ Meta Custom Audiences
  └─ AdRoll / Criteo (if using)

Pixel implementation hierarchy:

Server-side (via CDP) — PRIMARY:
  Segment/Rudderstack → Google Ads (enhanced conversions)
  Segment/Rudderstack → Meta CAPI (Conversions API)
  Segment/Rudderstack → LinkedIn CAPI
  These are ad-blocker resistant and privacy-safe.

Client-side (via GTM) — SECONDARY:
  Google Tag Manager (GTM) loads marketing pixels
  Consent management (Cookiebot/OneTrust) gates all marketing pixels
  GTM fires only when user has consented to marketing cookies

Server-side GTM (sGTM) — ADVANCED:
  GTM server-side container proxies all pixel requests
  Your server → sGTM → marketing platforms
  First-party domain for tracking (e.g., analytics.yourdomain.com)
  This is the gold standard for privacy-safe, ad-blocker-resistant tracking

Pixel audit checklist:

□ Every pixel has a purpose (no "we might use this someday" pixels)
□ Consent management gates all marketing pixels
□ Pixels fire ONCE (no duplicate firing from GTM + CDP)
□ Server-side tracking for critical conversion events
□ All pixels documented: what fires when, what data it sends
□ Regular audit: remove unused pixels (they slow down the page)
□ GDPR: marketing pixels only fire with consent
□ CCPA: "Do Not Sell" respected — data sharing pixels disabled

Phase 4: Attribution Architecture

Multi-touch attribution model:

FIRST-Touch: Which channel introduced them?
  → UTM params captured at first visit. Stored in cookie + user profile.

LAST-Touch: Which channel closed them?
  → UTM params at conversion. Overwrites first-touch for "last-click" view.

MULTI-Touch: Which channels touched them along the way?
  → Track every touchpoint: ad click, email click, organic visit, referral.
  → Model: linear (equal credit), time-decay (recent = more credit),
    U-shaped (first + last = most credit), W-shaped (first + MQL + SQL + close).

SELF-REPORTED: "How did you hear about us?"
  → Form field on signup/demo. Most reliable single data point.
  → Categorize responses: Search, Social, Referral, Podcast, Event, Other.

Attribution data flow:

TOUCHPOINT CAPTURE:
1. First visit → capture UTM + referrer → store in first-touch cookie
2. Subsequent visits → append to visit log (timestamp, source, medium)
3. Signup/Conversion → capture UTM + referrer → store in user profile
4. CRM → Sales tags opportunity source (can override self-reported)

ATTRIBUTION REPORTING:
- HubSpot/Salesforce: Original Source, Latest Source, Source Drill-Down
- GA4: Traffic Acquisition, User Acquisition reports
- BI Tool (Metabase/Looker/Mode): Custom multi-touch models
- Attribution tool (Dreamdata/HockeyStack/Attribution): B2B journey mapping

Phase 5: CDP Implementation

Use references/cdp-implementation.md for the full Segment/RudderStack/mParticle/warehouse routing patterns. In the main response, summarize chosen destination routing, identity policy, suppression rules, and QA checks.

Phase 6: PLG-Specific Analytics

The PLG funnel (measure every transition):

VISITOR → SIGNUP → ACTIVATION → ENGAGEMENT → CONVERSION → EXPANSION

Visitor → Signup: Signup conversion rate (target: 5-15%)
Signup → Activation: Activation rate (target: 40-60%)
Activation → Engagement: MAU/WAU/DAU ratios (target DAU/MAU > 20%)
Engagement → Conversion: Free-to-paid rate (target: 3-8%)
Conversion → Expansion: NRR (target: 110%+)

Key PLG metrics:

Metric	Formula	Target
PQL (Product-Qualified Lead) Rate	PQLs / Total Signups	10-20%
Time to Value (TTV)	Days from signup to activation	< 7 days
Free-to-Paid Conversion	Paid accounts / Trial starts	3-8%
DAU/MAU	Daily Active / Monthly Active	> 20% (sticky)
Feature Adoption Rate	Users using feature / Total users	> 30% (per core feature)
Viral Coefficient	Invites per user × acceptance rate	> 0.5 (viral if > 1.0)
Expansion MRR Rate	Expansion MRR / Starting MRR	> 3% monthly

PLG analytics stack:

Tool	Purpose
Amplitude	Product analytics — funnels, retention, cohorts, behavioral personas
Mixpanel	Alternative product analytics (simpler, event-stream focused)
PostHog	Open-source product analytics + session recording + feature flags
June.so	PLG-specific analytics (auto-generated reports for B2B SaaS)
Pendo / Appcues	In-app guides + product analytics
Heap	Auto-capture analytics (no manual event tracking)

Phase 7: The Analytics Governance Playbook

Tracking plan governance:

1. Document first, implement second. Every event goes into the tracking plan BEFORE a developer writes code.
2. Event dictionary is law. No untracked events. No undocumented properties. If it's not in the dictionary, it doesn't exist.
3. Breaking changes are forbidden. Properties can be added. Never removed. Events can be deprecated (stop sending). Never deleted.
4. Review cadence: Monthly with product + marketing + data. Quarterly full audit. Remove unused events. Consolidate near-duplicates.

Testing and validation:

• Segment: Source Debugger (real-time event stream)
• Amplitude: Event Explorer (verify events arriving)
• GA4: DebugView (real-time event debug)
• Avo: Code-generated type-safe tracking functions
• CI/CD: Test that events fire correctly on critical paths

Privacy and compliance:

• No PII in event properties (name, email, IP, phone — use user_id instead)
• Consent management gates all marketing pixels
• Data retention policies documented per destination
• GDPR: ability to delete all events for a user on request
• SOC2: event tracking infrastructure within compliance scope

Output Format

ANALYTICS TRACKING PLAN — [Company]

Version: [X.Y]. Last Updated: [date]. Owner: [name]

EVENT CATALOG: [link to sheet — 50+ events documented]

CDP: [Segment / Rudderstack]
  - Server-side SDK: [implemented / planned]
  - Client-side SDK: [implemented / planned]

DESTINATIONS:
| Tool | Purpose | Events | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amplitude | Product analytics | All usage + account | Live |
| GA4 | Web analytics + ads | Page views, signups | Live |
| HubSpot | CRM | Account events | Live |
| Intercom | Messaging | Usage + milestones | Live |
| Data Warehouse | BI | All events | Live |

PIXELS (consent-gated):
| Pixel | Purpose | Trigger | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | Conversion tracking | Signed Up, Subscription Started | Live |
| LinkedIn Insight | Retargeting | All pages (consent-gated) | Live |
| Meta CAPI | Conversion API | Signed Up (server-side) | Live |

ATTRIBUTION:
- Model: [Multi-touch — U-shaped / W-shaped]
- Tool: [HubSpot / Dreamdata / HockeyStack / Custom BI]
- UTM parameters: [enforced / not yet]

PLG FUNNEL METRICS:
| Stage | Current | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor → Signup | X% | Y% |
| Signup → Activation | X% | Y% |
| Activation → Paid | X% | Y% |

GOVERNANCE:
- Review cadence: [monthly / quarterly]
- Event dictionary: [link]
- Privacy: [GDPR consent, PII audit, data retention]

Implementation Checklist

• Tracking plan document exists (spreadsheet or Avo) — not just code
• Event taxonomy covers Account, Usage, Activation, Engagement, Revenue, Milestones
• CDP implemented (server-side for critical events, client-side for behavioral)
• All marketing pixels consent-gated (no pre-ticked boxes)
• Server-side tracking for signup, payment, subscription changes
• UTM parameters captured and persisted to user profile
• Attribution model documented (first-touch + last-touch + multi-touch)
• PLG funnel measured at every stage transition
• Event dictionary maintained — no undocumented events
• PII audit complete — no personal data in event properties
• Monthly tracking plan review on calendar

Quality Check

Before delivering, verify:

• Output matches the user's stated request
• Named frameworks or sources are reflected in the recommendation
• The deliverable is specific enough for an agent to execute
• Any assumptions, risks, or dependencies are explicit
• No unsupported claims, invented facts, or private/internal references are included

Common Pitfalls

1. Tracking without a plan. Events fire into the void. No one knows what "button_clicked_3" means. The data is worthless. Fix: Tracking plan document FIRST. Implementation second. Every event has a name, purpose, properties, destinations, and owner.

2. Client-side only. Ad blockers block 15-30% of client-side tracking. Critical events (signup, payment, subscription) are lost. Fix: Server-side tracking for revenue-critical events. CDP server-side SDK.

3. Duplicate events. Segment fires "Signed Up." GTM also fires "SignUp." GA4 shows 2x signups. Nobody knows which number is real. Fix: One source of truth per event. Audit for duplicates. GTM ONLY handles marketing pixels, not core events.

4. Marketing and product tracking disconnected. Marketing sees signups. Product sees activation. Nobody connects the two — can't answer "which marketing channel produces the most activated users?" Fix: Same event taxonomy. Same user_id. CDP routes to both marketing and product tools.

5. No attribution on signup. UTM params captured on visit but lost on signup. "Where did this customer come from?" = shrug. Fix: Capture UTM params on first visit. Persist to user profile on signup. Always.

6. PII in event properties. email: "[email protected]" tracked in every event. This is a privacy violation and a security risk. Fix: Use user_id. Store PII in your database, not your event pipeline. Only identify() call carries user traits — regular track() calls do not.

Execution Artifacts

• references/framework-notes.md — named frameworks, citation anchors, and operating assumptions
• templates/output-template.md — copy-paste deliverable structure for the user
• scripts/check-output.py — local checklist validator for required sections This skill includes lightweight artifacts the agent can load on demand: Use the artifacts when the user asks for an implementation-ready deliverable, a repeatable workflow, or a quality check rather than generic advice.

Related Skills

• event-analytics — Event taxonomy design, CDP architecture, event-driven GTM
• gtm-metrics — SaaS metrics and benchmarks
• campaign-analytics — Campaign performance, 6-layer metrics stack
• 1p-tagging-pixels — First-party pixel implementation
• attribution — Multi-touch attribution models
• a-b-testing — Experiment design and statistical significance
• cs-analytics-dashboards — CS health scores and dashboards