KPI dictionary template
and dashboard specification
Define it, and it comes into focus.
Try the dictionaryThe film is unavailable. You can read what it shows below.
What the film shows, in words
- Define it, and it comes into focus.
- Portfolio at risk. A source, a formula, an owner, a decision.
- New loans disbursed. 2 of 3 in focus.
- Customer satisfaction: ? ÷ ?. No owner. No decision.
- A formula and an owner. Still 2 of 3.
- 3 of 3 fully defined.
The demo: the worked example, one cell at a time
ExampleIllustrative example: KPIs for a microfinance branch network.
Top row: single numbers
- Customer satisfaction: 1 of 4 parts set. Three steps soft. Updated quarterly. Shown under Top row: single numbers.
Trends
- Portfolio at risk (30 days): 4 of 4 parts set. In focus. Updated weekly. Shown under Trends.
Comparisons
- New loans disbursed: 4 of 4 parts set. In focus. Updated monthly. Shown under Comparisons.
2 of 3fully defined
2owners
The bench for Customer satisfaction
- SourceSurvey
- Calculation? ÷ ?Needs a numerator and denominator
- OwnerNeeds an owner
- DecisionInforms no stated decision
Step 1 of 5
Three KPIs. Two are in focus.
3 KPIs, 2 of 3 fully defined, 2 owners. “Customer satisfaction” needs a numerator and denominator, an owner. “Customer satisfaction” informs no stated decision. One seat of four is filled.
Now your own KPIs, one name at a time.
Choose a name on the screen and fill its four seats. Each seat that is filled sharpens the name one step.
The dictionary, the check and the specification
Live| KPI | Decision | Unit | Calculation | Source | Owner | Updates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio at risk (30 days) | Where to send collection staff | Percentage | Outstanding balance of loans 30+ days late ÷ Total outstanding loan balance | Loan system | Head of credit | Weekly |
| New loans disbursed | Branch targets and staffing | Count | Loans disbursed in the period | Loan system | Operations manager | Monthly |
| Customer satisfaction | None stated | Percentage | ? ÷ ? | Survey | Missing | Quarterly |
Definition check
- Gap: “Customer satisfaction” needs a numerator and denominator, an owner.
- Check: “Customer satisfaction” informs no stated decision.If no decision depends on it, it may be a vanity metric.
Dashboard specification
Top row: single numbers
- Customer satisfaction
Trends
- Portfolio at risk (30 days)
Comparisons
- New loans disbursed
Refresh
- Weekly: Portfolio at risk (30 days)
- Monthly: New loans disbursed
- Quarterly: Customer satisfaction
| KPI | Source | Data as of | Definition | Owner | Chart | If data is late or missing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio at risk (30 days) | Loan system | Missing | Outstanding balance of loans 30+ days late ÷ Total outstanding loan balance | Head of credit | Hold: no date | Not stated |
| New loans disbursed | Loan system | Missing | Loans disbursed in the period | Operations manager | Hold: no date | Not stated |
| Customer satisfaction | Survey | Missing | Missing | Missing | Hold: no date, no definition, no owner | Not stated |
Before anything is drawn
- Gap: 3 of 3 KPIs are held back from the dashboard.A chart is drawn only when its KPI has a source, a date for its data, a definition and an owner.
- Check: 3 of 3 KPIs state no rule for late or missing data.Choose what the dashboard shows when data is late or absent. A gap is never drawn as zero.
- Note: A place in the specification is a plan, not a chart.The specification above lays the dashboard out. Nothing on it is drawn until its KPI has all four.
GKM Strategic Advisory & AI
KPI dictionary
Your organisation
- Portfolio at risk (30 days)
- New loans disbursed
- Customer satisfaction
2 of 3 fully defined2 owners
XLSX · 24 September 2026
Your editable template
KPI dictionary and dashboard specification, by email once delivery is connected.
KPI dictionary and dashboard specification (spreadsheet + DOCX)
Tool: KPI dictionary Result: 2/3 KPIs fully defined Request: please scope a dashboard build-and-teach (SVC-106).Send as a brief
Three rules, and their limits.
The rules are published so you can check them. Each one is a seat you have filled above.
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Percentages and rates must name a numerator and a denominator; every KPI needs a source and an owner.
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KPIs with no stated decision are flagged as possible vanity metrics.
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The dashboard groups KPIs by how they should be shown and how often they refresh.
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A KPI is drawn only when it has a source, a date for its data, a definition and an owner. Otherwise it is held back and what is absent is named. A place in the specification is a plan, not a chart.
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Data older than its own update rhythm on the date of the reading is marked stale, and each KPI states what the dashboard then shows: a gap, the last value with its date, or nothing.
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Two counts are taken from a pasted queue. Requests: one for each different id in the queue. Overdue: open, with a due date before the date of the reading. Each is set beside the figure the dashboard shows.
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Missing stays missing: a request with no due date or no status is not counted as overdue or as on time, and an empty box is never read as zero.
What it cannot tell you
- It defines the KPIs; building the dashboard is a separate step.
- It does not check the data quality in your systems.
- Targets and thresholds belong in the full dictionary.
- The queue is counted as pasted, in your browser. The tool connects to no register and cannot tell whether a line is true.
When the dashboard has to be built.
This tool defines the KPIs. Building the dashboard is a separate step, and a service.
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