Reporting Pyramid

Description

The purpose of a Measurement & Reporting Pyramid is to determine the nature of the reporting that is required for different stakeholders relating to a marketing initiative. Often, marketing reporting teams end up sharing the same ‘one size fits all’ reports with everyone that are not relevant or actionable. These reports are often ignored, as they do not provide a basis for decision-making. The Measurement & Reporting Pyramid helps you to determine what different teams or levels need to know early in the process so the proper tracking, dashboards, and communication pieces can be put in place. Completing the Pyramid also allows reporting teams to focus their valuable time and energy on the metrics that matter most.

‍Question

What reporting is required for different teams and stakeholders?

Steps

Review the goals, scope, and KPIs for the initiative that you are planning. If completing the framework as a team, ensure that everyone has a shared understanding of the initiative.
Identify the different people that need to be informed of the performance of the initiative. Large or complex initiatives will have many stakeholders, small and simple initiatives will have fewer.
For each stakeholder or team, identify the smallest number of metrics that they need to know to make decisions regarding the initiative. Include stakeholders in the process for input and alignment.
For each stakeholder or team, determine the ideal format and frequency of reporting. For example, the business sponsor may need to present the resulting sales numbers for a weekly management meeting.
Once drafted, review the completed Pyramid with the marketing reporting team. Validate that the people, processes, and tools are available to deliver on the reporting plan. Revisit if the reporting plan is not feasible.

Considerations

Remember why the framework is triangular, and share a roll-up of business metrics with senior teams.
Do not use this framework for identifying KPIs, use it for identifying how KPIs will be captured and shared.
Ensure you are reporting on metrics that guide decisions, avoid interesting but unactionable reports. ‍