Getting Started with Metrics

 What are Metrics and Why Do We Track Them?

Metrics are the ongoing, numerical measures of how your business is performing. Unlike Priorities — which track specific projects with a start and end date — Metrics run continuously, updated daily, weekly, or monthly, quarter after quarter.

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The Three Metric Types

When creating a Metric, you choose one of three tracking types. This determines how the system calculates progress and whether targets adjust automatically.

1. Count Metrics

Count Metrics add up actual values from zero each quarter, building toward a fixed quarterly target.

Examples: Revenue, Number of New Clients, Number of Qualified Leads.

Example in practice: If you track New Clients on a Monthly frequency with a target of 60 for the quarter, you start at zero and each new client is added to the running total. If you have 20 new clients in Month 1, and 25 new clients in Month 2, the Metric will reflect 45 for the quarter as of the end of Month 2. 

📝 Note: Because Count Metrics build toward a fixed total, future period targets do not adjust automatically. If a period's target needs to change, update it manually through the Rolling Target column. The Approved Target stays static as the original goal for reference.

2. Measurement Metrics

Measurement Metrics track a running balance that carries over between periods — they do not reset to zero each quarter.

Examples: Operating Cash, Total Subscriptions.

Example in practice: If you track Operating Cash starting at $100,000 with a quarterly goal of $150,000, each month shows where the balance stands — not how much was added.

⚠️ Important: Because Measurement Metrics track a value at a point in time, future targets adjust automatically based on the most recent actual. If Month 1 is targeted at $116,667 but comes in at $110,000, Month 2 automatically recalculates from that $110,000 — not the original plan.

3. Flat Metrics

Flat Metrics have a constant target where staying at or above it is the goal, often used with Metrics that track a percentage basis.

They are not cumulative and do not affect the quarterly total.

Examples: Net Promoter Score (NPS), Cash in the Bank, Headcount.

Example in practice: If your NPS goal is to stay above 80, any score below 80 signals a missed target — but this doesn't roll into a quarterly sum. If your Actual is 80 in one frequency and 85 in the next, they do not add together.

💡 Tip — Not sure which type to use?

Ask yourself: Does this Metric reset to zero each quarter? → Use Count

Does it carry over as a running balance and reforecast automatically? → Use Measurement

Does it need to stay at or above a constant value? → Use Flat

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Company vs. Individual Metrics

Every Metric is either a Company Metric or an Individual Metric.

This determines where it appears and who can see it.

   

 

 Example: A Sales function may track "Number of Calls" as an Individual Metric. Important for the team, but not necessarily a company-wide Metric.

📝 Note: To set an existing Metric as a Company Metric: click the Metric (highlights green), then click the star next to the Metric title in Properties. The gold star confirms it is now a Company Metric.

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Creating a Metric

Metrics are typically set up during quarterly planning sessions and should be finalized before the quarter begins — so that everyone knows what was agreed to and tracking starts from day one.

To add a new Metric, go to Metrics in the left navigation and click Add Metric. Work through each field:

1. Metric Title — use a clear, specific name (e.g., "Number of New Clients", not just "Clients").

2. Owner — the person responsible for tracking and updating this Metric. 

3. Company or Individual — sets where the Metric appears (see above).

4. Frequency — Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Quarterly. Match this to how often it will be reviewed. A Weekly Meeting should include Weekly-frequency Metrics. Daily Metrics roll up to show Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Annual totals for Count Metrics.

5. Measurement Type — Count, Measurement, or Flat. Choose carefully; this determines how the system tracks progress.

6. Quarterly Target — the goal for this quarter. Status colours activate once this is set.

7. Linked Scorecard — connects the Metric to the right function for accountability and KFFM visibility.

📝 Note: A blank Metric at the start of a new quarter is not an error — it simply means no target has been entered yet. Once a Quarterly Target is set, the status colour system activates.

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Setting Quarterly Targets and Status Colours

When you enter a Quarterly Target, Metronome automatically calculates target pace and assigns a status colour based on performance. Colours can update automatically or be set manually.

Default Status Percentages

 

📝 Note: You can edit the Super Green, Green, and Yellow percentages.

Red always recalculates automatically as anything below the Yellow lower bound — it cannot be set directly.

 

Good call — here's the revised and expanded section. This replaces the "Setting Quarterly Targets and Status Colours" section in Article 1:

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Setting Quarterly Targets and Status Colours

When you enter a Quarterly Target, Metronome automatically calculates target pace and assigns a status colour based on performance. Colours can update automatically or be set manually.

Default Status Percentages

Colour	Default Threshold	Manual Equivalent
🟢 Super Green	110% of target	Exceeding
🟢 Green	100% of target	On-track
🟡 Yellow	90% of target	Chance of Missing
🔴 Red	Below Yellow (auto-calculated)	Will Not Achieve

📝 Note: You can edit the Super Green, Green, and Yellow percentages. Red always recalculates automatically as anything below the Yellow lower bound — it cannot be set directly.

 

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How Status Percentages Are Calculated by Metric Type

The way Metronome calculates your status thresholds depends on which Metric type you're using. This matters because the same percentage can produce different Super Green values depending on the type.

Count and Flat Metrics: the percentage is applied directly to the Quarter Target.

Example: Quarter Target = 200. A 10% Super Green threshold means Super Green = 220.

Measurement Metrics: the percentage is applied to the difference between the Start Target and the Quarter Target — not the Quarter Target itself.

Example: Start Target = 100, Quarter Target = 200. The difference is 100. A 10% Super Green threshold applies to that 100, so Super Green = 210 (not 220).

This distinction matters most when setting up Measurement Metrics — the thresholds will look different from what you might expect if you're used to Count or Flat Metrics.

 

How Targets Update Automatically

Targets and status colours stay in sync across the platform automatically:

• Updating the Quarterly Target on the Metrics page updates the status target box, and vice versa.
• Changes made on the Rolling Metrics page (e.g., re-forecasting) automatically adjust the Super Green, Green, Yellow, and Red values on the Metrics page.
• Past periods stay unchanged when future targets are updated, preserving historical accuracy.

 

Updating Targets for a New Period

At the start of a new quarter, you have two options for entering targets:

• From the Metrics page: click the Metric and enter the value directly in the Quarterly Target box, or manually add in specific targets in the Table.
• From the Rolling Metrics page: set targets across multiple periods at once — useful for planning ahead. This only applies for Monthly and Quarterly frequency metrics.

 

Cascading Targets (Parent and Child Metrics)

When using a Parent/Child structure, targets on the Parent are never entered manually. They calculate automatically from the Child Metrics based on the roll-up type:

• Summation: the Parent target is the sum of all Child targets.
• Average: the Parent target is the average of all Child targets.

To check or change the roll-up type, click the Parent Metric and review the Properties panel on the right.

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Updating Your Metrics: What to Do Once a Metric Is Created

Creating a Metric is just the starting point. The real value comes from keeping it updated consistently so your team always has an accurate picture of performance.

Entering Actuals

Once a Metric is set up, the owner is responsible for entering the Actual value at each interval — this is what moves the status colour and shows real progress against the target.

To enter an Actual:

1. Go to the Metrics page and click the Metric.
2. Find the current period's row and enter the value in the Actual column (it highlights yellow).
3. The status colour updates immediately based on how the Actual compares to the target.

You can also enter Actuals directly from the Daily Dashboard without navigating to the Metrics page — click the Metric from your Status Card and update the value there.

 

How Frequency Affects When You Update

The Frequency you set when creating a Metric determines how often an Actual should be entered, and how the data rolls up:

Daily Metrics
Updated once per day. For Count Metrics, daily values add up to show a Weekly total, which rolls into the Monthly total, then into the Quarterly total, and finally the Annual total. This gives your team a real-time view of cumulative progress at every level.

Weekly Metrics
Updated once per week. Weekly values roll up to show Monthly, Quarterly, and Annual totals for Count Metrics. Well-suited for metrics reviewed in a regular weekly meeting cadence.

Monthly Metrics
Updated once per month. Monthly values roll up to the Quarterly and Annual totals. Best for metrics that are only meaningful at a monthly level, such as a P&L figure or headcount snapshot.

Quarterly Metrics
Updated once per quarter. No sub-period roll-up — the value reflects the full quarter only. Use sparingly, as quarterly metrics provide less visibility into how performance is tracking throughout the quarter.

💡 Tip: Match the Metric frequency to your meeting cadence. If your team reviews performance in a Weekly Meeting, use Weekly-frequency Metrics so the right data surfaces automatically in that meeting.

How Count Metric Roll-Ups Work

For Count Metrics specifically, Metronome adds up each interval's Actual to produce the cumulative total. This means:

• A Daily Metric with actuals entered Monday through Friday will show a weekly cumulative total by end of week which will then roll up to monthly and quarterly overviews.
• A Weekly Metric with actuals entered each week will show a monthly cumulative total by end of month which will then roll up to a quarterly overview.
• A Monthly Metric with actuals entered each week will show a monthly cumulative total by end of quarter.
• The Quarterly/Period total is one singular entry, usually on the last day of the quarter.

This roll-up happens automatically — you don't need to enter totals separately at each level.

Measurement and Flat Metrics

For Measurement Metrics, each Actual represents the current state of the running balance at that point in time — not an amount added. Metronome does not sum these. The most recently entered value is what appears as the current Actual.

For Flat Metrics, each Actual is the current value of the constant measure (e.g., this week's NPS score). Again, these are not summed — the current Actual is simply compared against the fixed target.

📝 Note: If you miss an update interval, the status colour will go blank for that period. Enter the Actual as soon as possible to restore visibility, or use Mark as Reviewed if no update is needed.