Event catalogue template
An event catalogue is a working list of the events a product captures to make user behaviour observable.
Use it to keep event names connected to behaviour, workflow steps, fire conditions, properties, metrics, and ownership.
Template
Event name:
[event.name]
Description:
[Plain-language description of what happened]
Related workflow:
[Workflow name]
Workflow step:
[Meaningful step the event relates to]
Purpose:
[Why this event is captured]
Fire when:
[Exact condition that should trigger the event]
Do not fire when:
[Conditions where the event should not be captured]
Required properties:
- [property_name]: [description]
- [property_name]: [description]
Related metrics:
- [Metric name]
- [Metric name]
Owner:
[Person, role, or team]
Implementation status:
[Not implemented / planned / implemented / needs review / retired]
Review status:
[Draft / active / needs review / retired]
Notes:
[Any useful context, assumptions, or known issues]
Example: registration form submitted
Event name:
registration.form_submitted
Description:
The user submitted the registration form.
Related workflow:
Register for an account
Workflow step:
Submit form
Purpose:
Show that the user attempted to submit their registration details.
Fire when:
The user submits the registration form and the submission request is sent.
Do not fire when:
The user clicks submit but client-side validation prevents submission.
Required properties:
- entry_point: where the user started registration
- device_type: device category used by the user
- workflow_version: version of the registration workflow
Related metrics:
- Form submission rate
- Drop-off before email verification
- Time to complete registration
Owner:
Account access product team
Implementation status:
Implemented
Review status:
Active
Notes:
This event should fire once per valid submission attempt.
When to use it
Use an event catalogue when a product has more events than people can reliably remember or explain.
It is especially useful when events are used across multiple dashboards, reports, teams, or metric definitions.
How to maintain it
Review an event when:
- the related workflow changes
- the workflow step changes
- the fire condition changes
- required properties are added, removed, or renamed
- a metric depends on the event
- confidence in the event drops
The catalogue should not become a list of event names. It should explain what each event means and whether it can still be trusted.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes include listing names without behaviour, omitting fire conditions, missing required properties, failing to link events to workflow steps, keeping duplicate events in active use, and treating implementation status as event quality.
Key takeaway
Use the event catalogue to make event data understandable, testable, and maintainable.