Key Performance Indicators, 4th Edition

CHAPTER 10Reporting Performance Measures

Overview

In order to get measures to drive performance, reports must be designed to accommodate the information requirements of the different levels in the organization (board, senior management team, middle management, and the staff).

KPI reporting needs to be performed 24/7, daily, or weekly, as appropriate to support timely decision making. This chapter displays some better-practice formats that will help speed up this vital step and outlines some advice from the data visualization expert Stephen Few.

The key learning points from this chapter are:

1. The common faults with reporting.
2. KPI team to have sole responsibility for performance report design.
3. For best practice graph design follow Stephen Few's advice.
4. Why Excel is not suitable for a reporting system.
5. Benefits of using 4,4,5-week periods instead of calendar months.
6. Templates for intraday, daily, weekly, and monthly reporting.
7. The importance of a one-page fanfold dashboard for the Board.

At least half of the KPIs should be reported each day (electronically) at 9 a.m. or constantly updated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Just like the need to follow a structured approach when designing measures, we also need to do likewise when reporting them. There are some well-respected rules around report design and timeliness that should be followed.

Develop the Reporting Framework at All Levels

The reporting framework has to accommodate the requirements of different levels in the ...