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What happens when your data team shifts from simply reporting numbers to mapping how your entire business grows? You get clarity—operational clarity.
That was the focus in a recent More than Numbers Live episode with Callum Ballard, Analytics Director at Omaze. Callum walked us through how he turned traditional reporting on its head using metric trees.
The result? A clearer view of what truly drives performance, faster problem-solving, and smarter prioritization across teams.
Here, we summarize the top five takeaways from our interview with Callum. If you’ve ever felt swamped by dashboards or unsure how one metric affects another, this one’s for you.
Founded in the U.S. and now operating in the UK, Omaze runs charity prize draws where participants can win luxury homes and experiences. The twist? A significant portion of revenue goes directly to charity partners.
When your metrics are tangled or siloed, it's easy to lose sight of what truly matters. Metric trees offered a way for Omaze to visualize and connect the dots.
Here are the key points Callum shared on how they did it.
Most businesses track sales, CAC, and retention—but few understand how those metrics connect. That’s the problem metric trees solve.
"The pain of not having operational clarity is having a long list of metrics without knowing how they interrelate," Callum said. "Metric trees contextualize them."
By breaking top-level metrics (like total sales) into component parts, teams can:
💡 Key takeaway: Context turns data into insight. Metric trees help you see how your business works.
At Omaze, Callum started with a classic BI stack (Snowflake, Fivetran, dbt) and layered on Count and ThoughtSpot. But the real unlock? A metric tree that traced sales down to individual drivers.
"You might have a fascination with a low-level metric like CAC," he explained, "but once you map everything, you might realize it’s not the highest-impact lever."
They used Count to design a canvas that couldn't be built with dashboards alone—visualizing how metrics like customer acquisition, average spend, and retention combine to drive revenue.
🚀 Pro tip: Start from your North Star metric and ladder down. Use tools that allow flexibility, not just charts in a grid.
With metric trees, the team can now trace underperformance through the tree:
"If sales are down, you can follow the thread," Callum shared. "You don’t just validate a hunch—you quantify it."
🚡 Lesson: Visual hierarchies reduce cognitive load. You move from guesswork to diagnosis.
Metric trees also helped Omaze align teams during planning.
"We used our tree during a strategy session," Callum said. "It framed ideation: What will move the needle most? Suddenly, we were thinking clearly about levers, not just ideas."
🙌 The result: Strategy grounded in data. Fewer distractions, more momentum.
When asked how to get other teams on board, Callum had simple advice:
"You don’t need to convince anyone upfront. Just build a v1. Show them something useful."
Even a 2-3 level tree using pen and paper can open eyes. It makes metric relationships visible and intuitive—no sell required.
🔧 Tip: Start with what you have. Most metrics already exist—just reorganize them.
Metric trees aren’t just a data visualization trick. They’re a mindset shift. One that transforms data teams from dashboard builders into growth enablers.
As Callum proved, when you help your business see itself, the right decisions follow.
Want to dive deeper? Watch the full webinar to see how Omaze put metric trees into action and the impact it had across their org.
