Business management only becomes steerable once you condense it to a few clear figures. This article belongs to layer 3 of the business-management guide – “measurable data” – and describes the cockpit of eight metrics: what each says, how they interact, and honestly: whether you reach them with teamspace.
What’s special: These metrics do not arise anew; they condense the metrics of the operational processes. Where a figure comes from is linked in each case – the cockpit is only as good as the data maintenance beneath it. And: it is not the single figure that counts but the interplay (high utilisation + low margin = lots of work, little return).
Three perspectives, three questions
The eight figures sort into three perspectives:
- Growth: Is enough coming through?
- Earnings: Do we earn on what we do?
- Substance: Are we productive and financially stable?
Growth – is enough coming through?
| Metric | What it says | With teamspace? |
|---|---|---|
| Order intake | A leading indicator for future revenue – what comes in as orders. | ✅ Direct – from orders and order values; visible in the financial reports or under Future revenue. |
| Pipeline value | Expected sales opportunities, weighted – the lead-in for the coming months. | ✅ Direct – the sales-opportunity analysis; see Key figures for sales. |
| Revenue forecast | A projection from open orders and pipeline. | ✅ Direct – the Future revenue report; see Key figures for billing. |
Earnings – do we earn enough?
| Metric | What it says | With teamspace? |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue (actual) | The central performance metric – realised revenue per period. | ✅ Direct – the Invoicing analysis of the financial reports. |
| Project margin | The profitability of projects – do we earn on the work? | ✅ Direct – the automatically calculated contribution margin; see Key figures for project delivery and for cost control. |
Substance – are we productive and stable?
| Metric | What it says | With teamspace? |
|---|---|---|
| Employee utilisation | Billable against available hours – the productivity benchmark (70–85%). | ✅ Direct – the Capacity analysis of the employee reports; see Key figures for the employee process. |
| Revenue per employee | Total revenue divided by headcount – a rough measure of productivity. | ⚠️ With analysis – teamspace knows revenue (invoicing analysis) and headcount; you form the ratio yourself, a ready-made metric is not guaranteed. |
| Liquidity | How many months of fixed costs are covered (benchmark 2–6). | ⚠️ Indicative only – the receivables balance and expected income provide pointers; real liquidity (bank balances, cash flow) belongs in financial accounting, not in teamspace. |
In short: what teamspace delivers – and what you contribute
- Straight from the system: order intake, pipeline value, revenue forecast, revenue (actual), project margin and employee utilisation. These figures condense the operational processes automatically.
- With a little analysis: revenue per employee – formed from revenue and headcount.
- Outside teamspace: real liquidity/cash flow belongs in financial accounting; teamspace delivers only receivables and forecast signals.
The common thread stays the same: the cockpit is only as reliable as the operational data maintenance beneath it – and only as effective as the consistency with which red is acted on. As maturity rises, the monthly Excel report turns into a live cockpit with early warning – see the maturity levels in the guide.
Related topics
- Business management in teamspace Business management Introduction
- Financial reports Controlling How-to
- Employee reports Controlling How-to
- Project controlling methods Controlling Concept