To make the most of your reports, understanding the different charts and graphs is key. This guide explains how to interpret each chart type used in the report.
1. Boxplot with Leader, Laggard, P25, P75, Average, and Own Score
Boxplots provide an overview of your company’s performance distribution compared to industry benchmarks:
Leader: The highest benchmark value in the dataset.
Laggard: The lowest benchmark value in the dataset.
P25 and P75: The 25th and 75th percentiles represent the lower and upper quartiles of the data, showing the range within which most companies fall.
Average: The industry average benchmark.
Own Score: Your company's specific score, plotted as a distinct marker.
How to Use:
Compare your score to the average and quartiles to identify how competitive your company is.
Analyze whether you’re closer to the industry leader or laggard to spot opportunities or risks.
2. Spider Graph (Radar Diagram)
This graph displays your performance across various dimensions:
Dark Violet Area: Your company’s performance.
Light Grey Area: The peer group’s average for each dimension.
How to Use:
Identify areas where your company outperforms or underperforms peers by comparing the dark violet and light grey areas.
Larger areas in dark violet indicate strong performance, while smaller areas highlight gaps.
3. Bar Comparison Charts (Stacked or Non-Stacked)
These charts show your company’s values alongside peer comparisons:
Your Value: Highlighted in a distinct color.
Peer Value: Displayed in grey for comparison.
Types:
Vertical Bars: Used for single-variable comparisons.
Horizontal Bars: Often used for showing rankings or distributions.
Stacked Bars: Break down contributions of individual factors to the total value.
How to Use:
Compare your value to peers to see if you're above or below the benchmark.
Stacked bars help you understand the composition of total values.
4. Waterfall Charts
Waterfall charts illustrate how individual factors contribute to a total value (e.g., profit breakdown):
Starting from a base value, bars add or subtract amounts to reach the final total.
How to Use:
Identify which factors contribute positively or negatively to the total.
Use this for decision-making on improving key contributors.
5. Heatmap (Color-Coded Matrix)
Heatmaps show the performance of topics with color coding and comparison values:
Your Value: Displayed in the box.
Peer Value: Shown below your value for comparison.
Color Coding:
Dark Green: Outperforming.
Light Green: Good.
Yellow: Average.
Light Red: Underperforming.
Dark Red: Critical.
How to Use:
Look at the colors to quickly gauge strengths and weaknesses.
Use the peer value for detailed comparisons and spotting gaps.
Icons next to colors provide additional clarity for relative strengths and weaknesses.
6. Scatter Chart
Scatter plots display data distribution on two dimensions (X and Y axes):
Example: Maturity (X-axis) vs. Employees (Y-axis).
Each point represents a department or metric.
How to Use:
Observe clusters or outliers to identify patterns.
Use the positioning to evaluate relative impacts and focus areas.
7. Icon Indicators for Relative Strengths
Indicators complement color coding for easier understanding.
Useful for black-and-white printing to ensure data is still interpretable.
How to Use:
Check the icons alongside colors to quickly grasp strengths and gaps.
Final Note
These charts provide valuable insights into your company’s performance and benchmarks. Regularly analyzing them can help you identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and make data-driven decisions. For more detailed information, consult the report glossary.