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. |
Common problems
Why is a cockpit figure wrong? These figures do not arise anew; they condense the metrics of the operational processes. If a figure is wrong, it is almost always the data maintenance underneath – the cockpit is only as good as the operational process the figure comes from. Where each number comes from is linked per row.
Why doesn’t teamspace show me real liquidity? The receivables balance and expected income provide pointers, nothing more. Real liquidity (bank balances, cash flow) belongs in financial accounting, not in teamspace – the cockpit figure “Liquidity” is indicative only.
One figure is good, yet things are going badly – why? It is not the single figure that counts, but the interplay: high utilisation with a low margin means a lot of work for little earnings. Always read the eight figures together, not in isolation.
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