Creating and Updating KPIs

Learn how to create, manage, and update your organization's KPIs.

Written by Tommy Mains

Updated at December 12th, 2024

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Table of Contents

What Are KPIs? Video Overview of the Data Tool Adding KPIs to Your Team's Scorecard Editing KPIs Adding Notes to a KPI's Entry Setting a Custom Goal Goal Forecasting Removing KPIs KPI Examples

What Are KPIs?

A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a quantifiable metric used to evaluate the success of an organization, team, or Seat in meeting agreed-upon performance objectives. While KPIs are metrics, not all metrics are KPIs. KPIs are only the most essential (or key) metrics. 

 

Video Overview of the Data Tool

 

Adding KPIs to Your Team's Scorecard

There are two ways to populate your team's Scorecard with KPIs:

  • Creating brand new KPIs.
  • Adding KPIs already created by your organization.

 

Creating New KPIs

To create a new KPI in a group:

  1. Click the New KPI button on the top right of the group's card.
  2. Select Create New KPI from the dropdown.
  3. Enter the title and other information.
  4. Click Save.

 

 

📖 Read this article to learn about smart KPIs.

 
 

Adding Existing KPIs

To add a KPI from another team's Scorecard or a previously created KPI to your team's Scorecard, click Add existing KPI at the bottom left of the card, or:

  1. Click the New KPI button on the top right of the group's card.
  2. Click Add Existing KPI.
  3. Search for and then click the KPI you wish to add.
  4. Click Add.
 
 

 

Editing KPIs

To edit an existing KPI:

  1. Click Data from the left navigation.
  2. Select a team from the dropdown.
  3. Click on a KPI's title to open its details card.
  4. Change any of the following details:
    1. Title
    2. Description
    3. Unit of measurement
    4. Goal information
    5. KPI owner and their Seat
    6. Make it smart
  5. Click Save.

 

Learn how to use your existing KPIs as variables to automatically calculate KPI data from the article below.

Read More

 

 

Adding Notes to a KPI's Entry

All licensed users can add notes to KPIs. Having notes available to provide extra context for a KPI's progress over time helps save time in meetings by having documentation readily available.

To add a note to a KPI:

  1. Click Data from the left navigation.
  2. Choose your team from the dropdown.
  3. Choose a Scorecard (Weekly, Trailing, Monthly, Quarterly, or Annual).
  4. Right-click a cell.
  5. Click Set custom Goal or note.
  6. Write your notes.
  7. Click Save.

 

Editing any instance of a KPI changes it on every Scorecard.

 

 

Setting a Custom Goal

You can create a custom goal on a KPI to account for absences, holidays, and other exceptions.

To customize a KPI's goal for a single reporting period:

  1. Click Data from the left navigation.
  2. Choose your team from the dropdown.
  3. Choose a Scorecard (Weekly, Trailing, Monthly, Quarterly, or Annual).
  4. Right-click a cell.
  5. Click Set custom Goal or note.
  6. Enter a custom goal number.
  7. Click Save.

 

Goal Forecasting

Modify the Date range dropdown to add forecasted targets for your KPIs. Either of the following date range options provides an opportunity to forecast goals (targets) for your KPIs:

  • Current Quarter
  • Current Year

Either selection adds additional blank cells to your Scorecard. On any cell representing a future date, you can enter a projected value for the KPI.

For example, on your weekly Scorecard, click the Date range dropdown and select Current Year. Then, each group on your Weekly Scorecard will have a cell for every week of the calendar year. When you click a cell of a future date, you can enter a custom goal for that reporting period; if the KPI's goal is a range, you'll enter a customized minimum and maximum goal for that reporting period.

 

Removing KPIs

There are two ways to remove a KPI from a Scorecard. 

  • Permanently delete a KPI
  • Remove a KPI from a single Scorecard

 

Permanently Delete

Only a KPI's owner can delete it. 

  1. Click My 90 from the left navigation.
  2. Right-click the KPI you want to delete.
  3. Click Delete KPI from Scorecard.
  4. Click I understand… Delete anyway.

Deleting a KPI removes it from each Scorecard it's on, any Processes it's linked to, and your Vision if it's used there.

 
 
 

Remove from a Scorecard

To remove a KPI from a Scorecard, any licensed user on the team can:

  1. Click on the checkbox of the KPI you want to remove.
  2. Right-click the KPI.
  3. Click Remove from group.
 
 

 

KPI Examples

Ninety's leadership team recommends having every Seat in the organization own 3-5 KPIs. While KPIs can look different depending on your industry and many other factors, we wanted to offer some examples.

 

Net profit example

To create a pre-calculated metric tracking your company's Net Profit, you can create a smart KPI using pre-existing KPIs tracking your Total Revenue and Total Expenses over a given time period.

Step 1

First, you'll need to decide the time scope for your Net Profit KPI by selecting one of the following Scorecards:

  • Weekly
  • Monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Annual

Step 2

Next, create KPIs for Total Revenue and Total Expenses.

  1. Click Data from the left navigation.
  2. Click the desired Scorecard to add the KPIs to (Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Annual).
  3. Click New KPI.
  4. Write the KPI's title.
  5. Add the KPI's owner using the person icon on the top left of the details card or with the corresponding dropdown.
  6. Write a goal for the KPI.
  7. Click Save.
  8. Populate any number of reporting periods for each KPI.

Step 3

Finally, create the Net Profit smart KPI.

  1. Click New KPI.
  2. Add a title, goal, and accountable team member.
  3. Toggle on Smart KPI.
  4. Click Add KPI.
  5. Click your Total Revenue KPI from the list.
  6. Click the minus (-) sign.
  7. Click Add KPI.
  8. Click your Total Expenses KPI from the list.
  9. Click Save.

The new KPI will automatically calculate your Net Profit for every reporting period, using data from the previous two KPIs.

 
 

Expenses as a percentage of revenue Example

To create a pre-calculated metric tracking your company's expenses as a percentage of revenue, you can create a smart KPI using pre-existing KPIs tracking your Total Revenue and Total Expenses over a given time period.

Step 1

First, you'll need to decide the time scope for your Expenses as a Percentage of Revenue KPI by selecting one of the following Scorecards:

  • Weekly
  • Monthly
  • Quarterly
  • Annual

Step 2

Next, create KPIs for Total Revenue and Total Expenses.

  1. Click Data from the left navigation.
  2. Click the desired Scorecard to add the KPIs to (Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Annual).
  3. Click New KPI.
  4. Write the KPI's title.
  5. Add the KPI's owner using the person icon on the top left of the details card or with the corresponding dropdown.
  6. Write a goal for the KPI.
  7. Click Save.
  8. Populate any number of reporting periods for each KPI.

Step 3

Finally, create the Expenses as a Percentage of Revenue smart KPI.

  1. Click New KPI.
  2. Add a title, goal, and accountable team member.
  3. Toggle on Smart KPI.
  4. Click Add KPI.
  5. Click your Total Expenses KPI from the list.
  6. Click the division (/) sign.
  7. Click Add KPI.
  8. Click your Total Revenue KPI from the list.
  9. Click the multiply (*) sign.
  10. Click Add Number
  11. Type in “100”.
  12. Click the check mark or press your enter/return key.
  13. Click Save.

The new KPI will automatically calculate your Expenses as a Percentage of Revenue for every reporting period, using data from the previous two KPIs.

 
 

 

 

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