Reporting cadence is the frequency with which individual indicators are evaluated and to whom they are presented. An incorrectly set cadence causes harm in two ways. Too frequent a cadence leads to reactions to random fluctuations – a campaign gets switched off after three days even though the learning phase is still under way. Too infrequent a cadence means a problem is addressed months after it arose. A proven combination has three levels: daily monitoring of only operational signals and anomalies, weekly monitoring of campaign performance and inquiries, and monthly business results, with quarterly trends and strategic decisions. For each level, determine who receives the report and what decision is made from it. A report from which no decision arises does not need to be sent. Add a short comment to every report on what changed and why, otherwise it turns into a list of numbers without a conclusion.
See also: KPIs for a marketer, Executive dashboard, Seasonality of demand.
