Target breakdowns
Summarize
Summary of Target breakdowns
Target breakdowns enable ServiceNow customers to divide a larger target into smaller, manageable periods such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly intervals. This helps in setting specific target values for each period and tracking progress accurately. Breakdown creation and planned values are automatically generated based on the target’s Check-in frequency and Target value distribution settings. Note that this feature is not supported for qualitative targets.
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Key Features
- Automatic creation of target breakdowns: Depending on the Check-in frequency (e.g., Monthly for a year-long target), corresponding breakdown records are created with planned values distributed as per the selected Target value distribution (e.g., equal split or linear spread).
- Flexible target value distribution: Supports non-cumulative tracking where each period’s actual values are summed to update the main target progress, and cumulative tracking where the latest breakdown’s actual value reflects total progress.
- Edit planned values: Planned target values for each breakdown can be modified individually to align with changing goals or conditions.
- Integration with target automation: When enabled, target automation updates actual values in breakdowns automatically based on check-in due dates and rolls them up to the main target, ensuring real-time progress tracking.
- Handling of targets with no check-in frequency: For targets with Check-in frequency set to None, no breakdowns are created, and cumulative actual values must be manually entered in the main target record.
Practical Use Cases
For example, if a yearly target of acquiring 1200 new customers is set with a Monthly check-in frequency and non-cumulative distribution, twelve monthly breakdowns are created each with a planned value of 100. Actual values are entered monthly and summed to track progress. In a cumulative scenario, planned values increase monthly (100, 200, ..., 1200), and only the latest monthly actual value is entered cumulatively to update progress.
Key Outcomes
- Breaks long-term targets into shorter periods for improved focus and progress tracking.
- Enables detailed reporting and monitoring by period, enhancing accountability and goal management.
- Allows dynamic adjustment of planned targets within breakdowns to reflect real-world changes.
- Supports both cumulative and non-cumulative tracking methodologies based on business needs.
- Ensures accurate roll-up of actual progress to main targets, improving visibility into goal attainment.
Breaking down a target into smaller periods (for example, Monthly) helps you set a target value for each month and focus on that specific monthly target. The target breakdowns are automatically created based on the Check-in frequency and Target value distribution set for the target.
- Example 1: Acquire 1200 new customers in the calender year 2025 (Track non-cumulatively)
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In this example, you want to achieve a target of acquiring 1200 new customers in the calender year 2025 and track the progress monthly (non-cumulatively), then you can set the target as the following:
- Set the start date and end dates to 2025-01-01 and 2025-12-31, respectively
- Set the start value and final target values to 0 and 1200, respectively
- Set the Check-in frequency for the target to Monthly
- Set the Target value distribution to Split equally across the time period (non-cumulative)
This Target value distribution means that the final target value is divided into 12 equal values (planned target value for each target breakdown) which aggregates to the final target value. You can edit the planned target value later from the respective target breakdown record as needed.
In this case, the application creates 12 target breakdowns (January, February,………, and December) for calender year 2025 and sets the Planned target value for each target breakdown to 100 (Final target value divided by the number of target breakdowns).
Because the application sums up the actual value entered in each monthly target breakdown, you must enter the actual value that is achieved in the particular month for the target breakdown. For example, you acquired 100 customers in January, then enter 100 as the actual value in the January target breakdown. And, you acquired another 100 customers in February, then enter 100 as the actual value in the February target breakdown. Similarly, if you acquired another 100 in March and 100 in April, then enter 100 as the actual value in both the March and April target breakdowns.
The application sums up the actual values entered in each monthly target breakdown and rolls up the sum value to the actual value of the main target. Then, the progress of the target and its goal are auto-updated.
- Example 2: Acquire 1200 new customers in the calender year 2025 (Track cumulatively)
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In this example, you want to achieve a target of acquiring 1200 new customers in the calender year 2025 and track the progress monthly (cumulatively), then you can set the target as the following:
- Set the start date and end dates to 2025-01-01 and 2025-12-31, respectively
- Set the start value and final target values to 0 and 100, respectively
- Set the Check-in frequency for the target to Monthly
- Set the Target value distribution to Spread linearly across the time period (cumulative)
This Target value distribution means that the final target value is divided linearly into 12 planned target values (such a way that the value for the last monthly breakdown is equal to the final target value). You can edit the planned target value later from the respective target breakdown record as needed.
In this case, the application creates 12 target breakdowns (January, February,………, and December) for calender year 2025 and sets the Planned target value for the January, February,………, and December breakdowns to 100, 200,…….., and 1200 respectively.
Because the application considers only the actual value entered in the latest monthly target breakdown, you must enter the cumulative actual value in the latest monthly target breakdown. For example, you acquired 100 customers in January, then enter 100 as the actual value in the January target breakdown. And, you acquired another 100 customers in February, then enter 200 as the actual value in the February target breakdown. Similarly, if you acquired another 100 in March and 100 in April, then enter 300 and 400 as the actual value in the March and April target breakdowns, respectively.
The application considers the actual value entered in the latest monthly target breakdown and rolls up to the actual value of the main target. Then, the progress of the target and its goal are auto-updated.
Benefits of target breakdowns
The target breakdowns feature helps you when you want to set a target for a period but want to track the progress of the target in smaller periods such as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. For example, you have set a target for a year with start value and final target values of 0 and 1200, respectively. Also, you want to set monthly targets of 100 for each quarter. In this case, you can break down the target into monthly targets and set a target value for each month so that you can focus on the specific monthly target and update your actuals against those monthly targets.
- Break down the long-term targets into short-term intervals such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly for a better tracking or reporting of your progress
- Set or modify a planned target value for each target breakdown as needed
- Update the actual value for each target breakdown and track the progress of the main target
- Focus on the specific short-term target (target breakdown) rather than the whole target
- Track the progress of your short-term and long-term targets cumulatively or non-cumulatively
How the actual value is calculated when the check-in frequency set to None
When the check-in frequency is set to None for a target, the actual value must be entered in the Actuals to date field in the main target record. The actual value entered must be cumulative irrespective of the time period of the target. Target breakdowns aren’t created when the check-in frequency is set to None.
Target breakdowns in target automation
If you’ve enabled the target automation feature for a target and set the check-in frequency and Target value distribution, the target automation feature automatically updates the actual value in the respective target breakdown based on the check-in due date. After the actual value of a target breakdown is updated, the value is rolled up to rolls up to the actual value of the main target. Then, the progress of the target and its goal are auto-updated.