Make Your Indicators Actionable
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Create a time period.
- Create an indicator performance period.
- Describe target and baseline values.
Set Time-Bound Targets to Track Results
Indicator definitions track what’s measured to evaluate your outcome or output, but how do you define when those measurements are taken?
In Outcome Management, the time period for results is tracked using the Indicator Performance Period object. This object works with the Indicator Definition, Indicator Assignment, and Indicator Result objects to track measurements and make sure that the measurements are time-bound. Everyone loves specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—or SMART—measurements, right?
Indicator performance periods also store the target and baseline values of an indicator for the time period. You learn more about target and baseline values later in this module.
Allie at HNMI is ready to set up an indicator performance period for her Increase High Food Security outcome and Average Weekly Missed Meals indicator definition.
At HNMI, the Average Weekly Missed Meals indicator is collected for participants twice a year. So Allie must create an indicator performance period record for the first half of the year and another for the second half of the year.
Follow along starting with Time Period, an object related to indicator performance periods.
Create a Time Period
The Time Period object defines specific periods of time that can be used across indicator performance periods and outcomes. You can set up a time period to represent a day, week, month, quarter, or any other span of time and associate it with many different indicator performance periods.
Because the indicator Allie is working on now is measured twice a year, she sets up a time period for the first half of the year, or H1.
- Select Time Periods from the navigation menu.
- Click
and then New.
- Specify these details:
- Name:
H1
- Start Date: January 1 of this year at 12:00 p.m.
- End Date: June 30 of this year at 12:00 p.m.
- Name:
- Save your work.
Allie also creates an H2 time period record, but you can skip that now.
Before you move on, know that you don’t have to track results only at the end of a time period. You could also set up a longer time period and track interim results. For example, Allie sets up a yearlong time period for another outcome. HNMI tracks interim results every month during that year and a final result at the end of the year. With these records, Allie and her team can see progress within a time period. This time period works well to track the progress of a specific group for a defined amount of time.
Review Target and Baseline Values
With her H1 time period created, Allie can create her indicator performance period for her Average Weekly Missed Meals indicator.
But before she begins, she considers her organization’s target and baseline values. These indicator performance period fields are optional but important. Take a moment to examine each.
-
Target Value is the goal value for the indicator performance period. In Allie’s case, the organization wants to reduce the number of average weekly missed meals for all participants to 2. Well, they really want to reduce it to 0, but experience has shown Allie and HNMI that that number isn’t entirely achievable. Achievable is the A in SMART goals, remember?
-
Baseline Value is the beginning or comparison value for the indicator performance period. Allie uses a baseline value of the same indicator result for the first half of last year to compare the two numbers. This field could also track the value for a comparison group not involved in a program, the value of the previous indicator performance period, or another value relevant to the indicator.
Ready to review what you've learned about target and baseline values? The knowledge check below isn’t scored—it’s just an easy way to quiz yourself. To get started, drag the example values in the left column next to the matching value type on the right. When you finish matching all the items, click Submit to check your work. To start over, click Reset.
Create an Indicator Performance Period
With her target and baseline values established, Allie is ready to create an indicator performance period.
- In global search, find and select the Average Weekly Missed Meals - Increase High Food Security indicator assignment you created earlier.
- Click Related.
- In the Indicator Performance Periods related list, click New.
- Specify these details:
- Name:
Average Weekly Missed Meals H1
- Time Period: H1
- Description:
Average participant-reported weekly missed meals during H1 of this year.
- Target Value:
2
- Target Progress: Not Started
- Baseline Value:
5
- Baseline Description:
Baseline value represents the result for H1 of the previous year.
- Name:
- Save your work.
You can now review your indicator performance period record.
Notice that Allie entered a name that includes the names of the indicator definition and time period for clarity. She also entered descriptions of both the indicator performance period and baseline value. Remember, these description fields are optional but help anyone reviewing these records understand what the records track and why.
Now that Allie set up her indicator performance period, it’s time to collect and enter results. You start there in the next unit.