A useful event taxonomy starts with decisions

Event names are not a measurement strategy. A durable taxonomy begins with the decisions a product, growth, or operations team makes each week. List those decisions, identify the minimum signals needed, and only then define events and properties.

Begin with a decision register

For each decision, record its owner, cadence, threshold, and supporting evidence. A subscription team may need to understand where trial users stop progressing. That calls for a small set of journey events—not a capture of every tap.

Keep properties intentional

Each property should have a clear analytical use. Avoid free-text fields, direct identifiers, or values copied from user input. Prefer bounded categories and document their allowed values. This improves privacy and makes reporting more reliable.

Set an expiry date

Review events quarterly. Remove signals with no active owner or decision. A smaller taxonomy is easier to test, govern, and trust.