One Chart to Really Understand Performance - XmR Chart Design 3.0

Just because a chart can display data does not mean it illustrates real performance or enables actionable decisions from your KPIs.

If you’re familiar with PuMP or have attended a PuMP workshop, you’ll remember that we use one specific type of chart to illustrate performance and tell the complete story of your performance measures and KPIs. 

The chart type isn’t new. It is an XmR chart and has stood the test of time monitoring performance in organizations around the world around for over 100 years.  One XmR chart for each of your KPIs answers all the questions you have when monitoring performance and deciding what action you might need to take:

• Where is performance right now?

• Is it getting better or worse?

• How far away from target is it?

• Is it possible for us to reach the target in time?

• What impact have our change initiatives had on performance?

• Do we need to take any action now?

Looking the XmR chart, we can easily

• see changes in performance over time (patterns of points relative to the blue average line and the shaded blue range of normal variation),

• gauge the size of those changes (the shift in the blue central line), and then

• see how far performance is from our desired target (the blue dot to the right).

The visual design of this XmR chart is actually the 2.0 version developed through a collaboration between Stacey Barr, creator of PuMP, and Stephen Few, the world-renowned expert in data visualization and information design.  This version was, and still is, an advance over most software-generated XmR charts in its visual appeal, ability to quickly draw the eye to the right comparisons, and ease of building in simple apps like Microsoft Excel.

But things can always be improved.

Recently Stacey Barr and Practical Reporting guru Nick Desbarats worked together to do just that and came up with  --  XmR Chart Design 3.0

It is easy to see notable changes that provide more context around the KPI and make visual interpretation even faster.

Stacey and Nick recorded this video in which Stacey provides a very brief refresher of XmR charts and the visual design choices behind the current 2.0 version, and Nick then reviews proposed improvements for version 3.0, along with data visualization and design rationale.

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XmR 3.0 will undergo some testing within our PuMP Community around the world before it’s finalized and incorporated as the official chart to display performance in PuMP.

What charts do you use to understand the real performance in your organization ?

Learn more about how to develop and use meaningful performance measures for your organization's operations and strategy.

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It's time to PuMP up your KPIs.

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Footnotes:

• This article is adapted from the original on the PuMP ACADEMY  Measure Up blog, by Stacey Barr and Nick Desbarats LinkedIn Article
  

• Stephen Few has influenced business intelligence, dashboard design, and data storytelling, with a focus on eliminating clutter and improving decision-making through better visual communication. His work has had a significant impact on how businesses and analysts present data in clear, meaningful ways.
  

• Nick Desbarats was the only person authorized by Stephen Few to teach his workshops on data visualization and dashboard design. Over time, Nick developed his own perspectives and methodologies, carrying forward and expanding beyond Few’s original teachings.