Interpreting Your Chart

Performance @ a glance allows you to track your performance against a target line so you can see whether you are on track or not. Your performance is visible at all times.

The final goal level is clearly indicated so you know what performance level you are aiming for. Also you can see how far you have progressed from your starting point, your baseline performance.

The importance of visual tracking.

Research has shown time and time again that strategies and plans fail not because they are poor plans, but because the implementation has been poor. Successful project managers, for example, understand that the critical period for a project's success is the initial stages” the fist few days or weeks depending on the length of the project. Ensuring you get off to a good start is the best insurance you have that you will actually meet your project target.

performance @ a glance provides you with an instant feedback system via its easy to understand performance tracking chart. You are always aware of your progress against baseline, target and goal. This instant feedback system means that you can respond to changes quickly, ensuring you stay on track.  

Behavioural Psychologists have identified that timeliness and accuracy of feedback are the keys to learning new skills and improving performance. Because the feedback method is built in via the graphical display performers have timely feedback to work from. The content is already in your plan so identifying areas for improvement or areas of high achievement is easy.  

Performance review meetings become easier to manage and take less time because the performance is there for all to see, no wading through lengthy reports.  

Progress: Slowgress and Nogress

As mentioned above visual tracking provides excellent feedback whether you are making progress or not.  
If you are making progress as in the chart above then yo are achieving your goals and are on track to achieve your final outcome within the desired time frame.

If you are not making progress this is also highlighted by a line, which seems to plateau (see chart below). This lack of performance or nogress can be attributed to a number of factors the most common being:

Too Broad
1.The shaping goals you have created are too broad, that is it covers too many activities and progress takes a long time to see.

The solution is to break down the shaping goals into smaller activities, this is known as increasing the granularity. Progress will become easier to see because you are accounting for all the activities and checking them off as you go along.

Not in your control
2.The shaping goals are not within your control. You may have included an activity that is not in your control or influence. Therefore achievement of that goal and the timeliness of the achievement lie with someone else.  

The solution is to alter the shaping goal to include only those activities that are in your control or influence.

Task Interference
3.You have not been able to make progress on your plan because other activities, which are not covered by your plan, are preventing you from making progress. This is known as task interference.

The solution is to engage your teammates and employer if possible to assist you in dealing with the task interference. Another solution is to highlight that in your plan in the comments column and review your and modify your plan if required. Make sure you get the appropriate sign offs and clearances with affected stakeholders if necessary.  

No reinforcement
4.You have not made progress on your plan because you get more satisfaction from doing other things. This is likely if you are not being reinforced for your efforts in achieving the goals set out in your plan.

The solution is to keep your plan and chart visible.  Post them up in your office so you can see what needs attention. Let your employer know what you are doing (I hope they should) and give them copies or involve them in monitoring your progress. If it's important enough for you to be working on it, it should be important enough for your employer too.