Indicator targets in KPI Details

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 3, 2023
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Indicator targets in KPI Details

    Indicator targets in KPI Details represent the goals your organization aims to achieve by comparing desired indicator values against actual scores on specific dates. Targets help track performance gaps and progress, with visibility options tailored to individual users or the entire organization.

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    Key Features

    • Personal vs Global Targets: Personal targets are user-specific and visible only to the creator, shown as light lines. Global targets are visible to all users and displayed as dark lines.
    • Visualization and Alerts: Global targets appear in various data visualizations, including time series and single score views, and dashboards can provide proactive alerts on target-related events.
    • Target Status Indicators: Icons indicate whether a target is On track, Off track, or Too early to track based on forecasted scores compared to targets. After the review date, the status updates to Met or Not met.
    • Gap Calculation: The gap represents the difference between the target value and either the actual or forecasted score, helping you monitor how close you are to achieving goals.
    • Target Lifecycle Management: Targets have start and review dates. When a target expires, new targets can be set and older targets remain visible for historical context.
    • Target Configuration: You can create and edit targets for specific indicator breakdowns and time series, including setting improvement-based targets relative to baselines.
    • Bulk Editing and Multi-Element Targeting: Multiple targets can be edited retroactively or added across several breakdown elements simultaneously.
    • Target Ownership: Users can be assigned responsibility for managing and tracking targets on specific KPI and breakdown combinations, ensuring accountability.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    Using indicator targets in KPI Details enables you to precisely define and monitor performance goals aligned with your organizational priorities. The ability to forecast progress and receive status alerts helps proactively manage outcomes. Target lifecycle management and editing flexibility ensure your metrics remain relevant over time. Assigning ownership supports clear accountability, enhancing the effectiveness of your Performance Analytics initiatives.

    Targets are goals your organization wants to achieve. They show the difference between the desired and actual scores of an indicator on a certain date.

    A target can be personal or global. A personal target is visible only to the user that created it and appears as a light line. A global target is visible to all users and appears as a dark line. Because you cannot share a personal target, it appears only in KPI Details and the Analytics Hub. Global targets can also appear in time series and single score data visualizations. Dashboards can alert viewers to events related to targets through proactive analytics insights cards.

    KPI Details with current target

    In the following example, one target has been set on the indicator. That target was set on 1 October, with a review date of 6 November. On 31 October, the score was 169. The gap on 15 March is calculated as Target value - Score on selected date. The gap is therefore 51, or 23.2%.

    KPI Details for Number of open incidents > Category: Network, showing target and that indicator is on track to be less than the target

    The card for the target in the Targets panel shows a different gap value. This gap is equal to Target value - Forecast score on the review date. If you enable Forecast in the Chart Options, you can see how this gap is calculated more clearly. In the following example, you see that the forecast score for the review date is 29 and the target is 30. The gap on the tile accordingly is one.

    KPI Details with Forecast on and the review date chosen in the chart, showing that the score is expected to beat the target by 2.

    An icon displays the status as On track, Off track, or Too early to track. This icon appears on both the chart and the Targets panel. The status is based on the predicted gap between target and score on the review date. Because the projected score is better than the target, the On track icon is displayed. Had it been worse than the target, the Off track icon would be displayed. If there hadn't been enough data to predict whether the target would be met, the Too early to track icon would be displayed.

    KPI Details with past target

    When a target reaches its review date, it becomes known whether it has been met. The On Track, Off track, and Too early to track icons no longer apply. Instead, either a Met or a Not met icon is displayed. In the following example, the indicator met its target on the review date by a margin of two. On the card, the Gap information is replaced by the final score on the review date. This score is visible regardless of which date is chosen on the chart. The chart still displays the gap between the score and the target on the selected date.

    KPI Details showing target that has been met.

    Past and current targets

    When a target reaches its review date, it is no longer active. Usually you want a new target to take effect. When you add a new target, the expired targets are still visible, both in the chart and on cards. Here, a new target is added to the indicator after the target from the previous example has expired. This target is based on a 10% improvement to the previous target, as described in Create a target in KPI Details. The chart shows information about whichever target is in effect on the selected date.

    KPI Details showing both an active and an expired target.