What it does
Metrics turn a framework's goals into measurable indicators. Each definition describes what is measured, how it's entered or calculated, what counts as green, yellow, or red, and which units it applies to. Recorded values are kept as dated snapshots with a status, so reviews can show where each target stands.
Who it's for
Administrators who manage a goal framework define its metrics and decide which institutions, programs, sites, departments, groups, or people each metric applies to. Everyone with access to the framework can read the definitions and their latest values.
How it works
Defining a metric. From a framework's KPIs tab, a metric records a name, description, unit, and the goal it attaches to. It also records how the value is captured — a percentage, a number, a Likert rating, a calculated value, a narrative, or evidence — and its direction: higher is better, lower is better, or a target range. Set green, yellow, and red thresholds, plus optional target and baseline values. For precision, add numerator, denominator, and exclusion definitions, a source system, and a refresh cadence from manual up to nightly.
Lifecycle. Metrics carry a status — draft, approved, published, locked, or retired — and can be locked to block further edits, recording who locked them and when. The KPI list can be filtered by status and searched by name.
Targets. A targets panel assigns each metric to the entities it measures: organizations, institutions, programs, sites, departments, groups, or individual users. Each target row can be marked required or optional, and ordered for display.
Benchmarks and values. A metric can carry a benchmark for comparison — an internal target, the prior cycle, a peer group, a national figure, or an accreditor benchmark — with its own source and value. Recorded measurements are stored as snapshots holding the value, unit, calculation date, sample size, confidence level, and a computed status of green, yellow, red, neutral, or unavailable. The KPI list shows each metric's latest value and status, plus how many targets and snapshots it has.
Before you start
You need management access on the framework to define, edit, or target metrics. Readers see definitions and latest values only.
Decide the metric's measurement type and direction before you set thresholds — they change which threshold fields make sense.
Know who the metric should measure. Targets can be organizations, institutions, programs, sites, departments, groups, or people.
Do this
Open the framework and select the KPIs tab → you should see the metric list with lifecycle filters and search.
Select Add KPI → the metric form opens on the Identity panel with Name, Description, Metric key, and Unit fields.
Fill in the identity fields, then set the Source domain and, if it applies to one goal, the Linked goal/outcome → the form moves to measurement settings.
On the measurement settings panel, choose Metric type and Direction, set the Lifecycle status, and pick a Refresh cadence → this determines how the value is captured and how fresh it needs to be.
Enter the Green, Yellow, and Red threshold values, and optionally a Baseline and Target value, then select Save → the metric appears on the KPIs tab with a neutral status until a value is recorded.
To assign it, open the ⋯ menu on the metric row and select Assign targets → the Assign targets sheet opens. Search for the organization, institution, program, site, department, group, or person, and select Add target next to each → the target appears as Added, then select Close.
You're done when
The metric appears on the KPIs tab with its thresholds and direction set.
Each intended organization, institution, program, site, department, group, or person shows under the metric's assigned targets.
Once a value is recorded, the KPI list shows the metric's latest value and a green, yellow, or red status instead of neutral.
Boundaries and limits
Defining, editing, targeting, and deleting metrics needs management access on the framework. Readers see definitions and latest values but cannot change them.
A person can always see metric targets that point at them directly, or at a group they belong to, even without broader framework access.
Metric definitions and targets are soft-deleted only; removing one hides it from lists but keeps the historical record.
A metric without green, yellow, and red thresholds reports a neutral status instead of guessing.
Every metric target row must stay scope-consistent with its framework — you cannot target an entity outside the framework's scope.
Common questions
Q: Can the same metric apply to some programs but not others? A: Yes. Targets are per-metric. Assign the metric only to the programs, sites, departments, groups, or people it should measure, and mark each target required or optional.
Q: What decides whether a value shows green, yellow, or red? A: The metric's thresholds combined with its direction. For a higher-is-better metric, values at or above the green threshold are green, and the yellow and red thresholds bound the lower bands. Target-range metrics use the thresholds as a band.
Q: Can we freeze a metric definition once it is agreed? A: Yes. Lock it from the KPI form; the lock records who locked it and when. You can also set the status to locked or retired as the definition ages out.
Q: Where do the values come from? A: Values are recorded as snapshots against the metric. Depending on its input type, they're entered by respondents during a review or calculated from a source system. Each metric documents its source and refresh cadence.
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