What this article covers: How to read and use the Key Metrics page in Pulse — understanding each column, the Spotlight status, KPI sections, and how to set targets for each metric.
The Key Metrics page is your real-time KPI dashboard. It organises your most important financial metrics into sections — Financial Performance, Cash & Liquidity, Efficiency, and Growth — and shows current performance against targets, prior periods, and trend signals, all in a single view.
Go to Pulse → Key Metrics from the left navigation. Use the period selector at the top to change the reporting month.
1. Understanding the Columns
Each KPI row shows up to nine data points across the following columns:
Column What it shows
MTD Month-to-date value for the selected reporting month
YTD Year-to-date cumulative value from the start of the fiscal year
Target The target value set for this KPI for the current month — set in the Section-Based KPI Target Setting editor
VS Target Variance between MTD and the monthly target — shown in value with a directional arrow. Green = favourable, red = unfavourable.
VS Target YTD Variance between YTD and the YTD target — tracks cumulative performance against plan
VS LM Variance versus last month — shows the month-on-month movement
VS LY Variance versus the same month last year — shows the year-on-year movement
Progress A horizontal bar showing how far the MTD value has progressed toward the monthly target — the percentage shown is MTD as a proportion of target
Spotlight An overall status signal for the KPI — see Section 2 below
? Tip: A dash (—) in a column means the value is not available for that KPI — either because no target has been set, or because the data required for that comparison is not yet loaded.
2. Spotlight Status
The Spotlight column gives each KPI an overall performance signal based on its progress toward target:
Status What it means
✓ On Track KPI is meeting or exceeding its target — performance is on plan
⚠ At Risk KPI is below target but within a tolerable range — monitor closely
✗ Critical KPI is significantly below target — immediate attention recommended
3. KPI Sections
KPIs are organised into sections — each section groups related metrics together. The default sections are:
Section KPIs included
Financial Performance Gross Profit %, Net Profit, Revenue, EBITDA, Operating Expenses
Cash & Liquidity Current Ratio, Cash Balance, Operating Cashflow, Working Capital
Efficiency Receivables Days, Payables Days, Cash Conversion Cycle
Growth Revenue Growth, Net Profit Growth, Expense Growth
You can customise which KPIs appear in each section and add your own sections — see Section 4 below.
4. Setting KPI Targets
Click the edit icon (pencil) in the top-right of the Key Metrics page to open the Section-Based KPI Target Setting editor. Here you configure which KPIs appear and what their targets should be.
Target Methods
For each KPI, choose how the target is calculated using the dropdown:
Method How the target is set
Use forecast data Uses projected values from your forecast as the target — keeps targets aligned with your financial plan automatically
Use last year data Bases the target on last year's actuals, then applies a percentage adjustment using the slider — e.g. last year + 20% for a growth target
Use rolling 3 months average Calculates the average of the last 3 months of actuals and applies a percentage adjustment — more responsive to recent trends
Use rolling 6 months average Calculates the average of the last 6 months of actuals and applies a percentage adjustment — smoother and more stable for volatile metrics
Percentage Adjustment
For the last year and rolling average methods, use the slider or type directly into the % field to set the adjustment percentage. For example, setting 20% on "Use last year data" sets the target at last year's value plus 20%.
? Tip: Use rolling averages for more stable targets, especially for metrics that are volatile month to month — the 6-month average smooths out seasonal spikes and gives a more realistic baseline.
Adding and Managing Sections and Metrics
Action How to do it
Add a section Click + Add Section to create a new KPI group — e.g. "Operational", "Customer Metrics"
Add a metric Click + Add Metric within a section to add a KPI from BrizoSystem's built-in library or your custom KPIs
Reorder metrics Drag the handle (⋮⋮) on the left of each metric row to reorder within a section
Remove a metric Click the red delete icon on the right of the metric row
Delete a section Click the red delete icon next to the section heading — this removes the section and all KPIs within it
Click Save when done. Changes take effect immediately in the Key Metrics view.