| Control Panel | |
|---|
The control panel displays both the user's contribution to the organisation's performance as well as the organisation's performance overall via a number of tabs and reports (figure 1 - click on the tabs below for more information). Performance progress is displayed using a combination of graphic, literal and colour coded icons (see control panel display below).
Figure 1: Example of a User's Control Panel displaying the dashboard showing several performance gauges and one performance chart. Click on a tab for more infomation on that tab.
Access to performance information will reflect user's responsibilities and privileges within the organisation as well as the posts they are assigned to and the number of staff (if any) assigned to report to those posts. All users will be able to view their own contribution and the organisation's complete strategy map but only users with administrative privileges will be able to view all aspects of the organisation's performance including those of the other users in the system.
On logging into the system the user will default to their control panel. If there are any due or over due measurement and/or validation tasks assigned to that user they will be displayed here on the control panel dashboard (figure 1).
Header Buttons
The 
button accesses
the system tool window displaying the tools available
to the user. Availability depends on the user's
access levels.
The 
button
allows switching between the current display mode and the classic view with
the tool menu options in the control panel on the left hand side. The classic
tool list depends on the user's access levels. Because this view preceedes the
creation of the system tool window the list only contains tool options available
before its creation. Clicking the button again will return the window to the
current view.
NOTE: This feature will be removed by release 5.0.
The 
button
returns the control panel view, for example if a user is in any of the tool
options and wishes to return straight to the control panel.
The button
returns the online help page relevant to the current window.
The control panel is comprised of a number of tabs: Tasks, Indicators, Reports, Staff, All Users, and Action Plans. The tabs displayed depend on the user's privileges and allocation of tasks and responsibilities within the organisation. For example, if the organisation doesn't set up action plans there won't be an action plan tab displayed for any users. Similarly, users with no staff assigned to them shouldn't see a Staff tab.
Dashboard: All users will have a Dashboard tab that is the default start up page when entering the control panel and displays organisation's main performance criteria selected by the user. Click on link for more information.
Tasks: All users will have a Task tab that displays the user's measurement, validation and / or action plan tasks due and/or overdue. Click link for more information.
Indicators: All users will have an Indicator tab that displays those indicators they are responsible for measuring. Click link for more information.
Reports: There are six report categories available (depending on the user's privileges and assignments): Executive/Overview, Administration, Group, Validator, Performance Indicator and Action Planning. These comprise both overviews of the organisation's performance as well as the user's contribution to the organisation's vision. The two most comprehensive organisation reports are the Corporate Performance Overview and the Corporate Performance Plan (both in Executive/Overview reports). The individual user's contribution to the entire vision in relation to others is clearly displayed in the My Strategy report (in Group reports). Click link for more information.
Staff: If a user has staff assigned on the system their control panel can be viewed from this tab. Click link for more information.
All Users: Administrators only. This allows access to all system user's control panels including staff (if assigned). Click link for more information.
Action Plans: This tab shows the existing organisation's action plans, their status and related items. If the organisation has not created any action plans this tab will be not be displayed. Click link for more information.
The display of these tabs can be controlled (depending on the user's privileges) using the Customise link in the top-right corner. Click on the link and select the tabs to be displayed and press "Save" (see figure 2).
Figure 2: Example of a customise control panel tab option. Option availability depends on the user's privileges..
(Note for administrators: the tabs a user can see can be set in the Users module).
The display of performance information in the control panel is based on a system of icons and colours (on a black and white printer the icons alone would provide the performance status information) but also incorporates text and graphical representation (see figure 3 for an example CPO report). See Traffic Lights below for the performance thresholds associated with these icons. Note: Escendency can vary these thresholds for user at user's request.
Figure 3: Example of a Corporate Overview report expanded to show some of the icons and colour coding used in the Escendency system. Note: strategy map items are selected from several options by the organisation administrators so the key above is not generally applicable for strategy maps.
Icons not in the status key above are identified with mouseovers:
 |
Performance measurement validation task due |
 |
Performance measurement validation task overdue |
 |
Caution! Task needs checking |
 |
Performance measurement due |
 |
Performance measurement overdue |
 |
Status improved since last measurement |
 |
Status declined since last measurement |
 |
Report drill down option - available only on measurable items in the tree |
The default Traffic Light values corresponding with the main status icons are as follows (note: system administrators can change these values by contacting Escendency):
| High is good | Low is good | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Performance target completed successfully | Performance target completed successfully |
 |
>110% of performance target/phase target | <110% of performance target/phase target |
 |
100% of performance target/phase target | 100% of performance target/phase target |
 |
80-99% of performance target/phase target | 101-120% of performance target/phase target |
 |
79% or less of performance target/phase target | 121% or more of performance target/phase target |
In addition, blue is used for over-achieving targets, for example in performance target displays:
Drill down options on many reports, additional status indicators and actions are also icon based:
 |
Organisation view |  |
Export report |
 |
Graph |  |
Action Plan |
 |
Measurement breakdown at post level |  |
Organisation item (see organisation help for full key of post icons) |
 |
Measurement breakdown at organisation level |  |
Report |
 |
Historic / Archived Performance Indicator values |  |
Directorate organisation item |
 |
Performance Indicator template |  |
Performanc target is currently in lower quartile |
 |
Performance Indicator definition |  |
Performance target is currently in upper quartile |
 |
Look up more details |  |
Documentation link (usually a URL) |
 |
Import to an Excel spreadsheet |  |
Task responsibility not accepted yet |
 |
Not approved (measurement and action plan validation) |  |
Task responsibility accepted |
Performance status is shown relative to the current indicator's phase target if there is one (or performance target if there isn't), and to the performance target's duration. Strategy map items with no active performance target (and subsequently no assigned performance indicator) have no status display.
Data for "range" performance targets will be inside the range (good) or outside the range (bad). Data for yes/no performance targets will be "yes" or "no":
A performance target's measurement type (high, low, range, date, yes/no, %, or numeric) is set when its relevant performance indicator is created.
Note: Both the colours used and the values/tolerances against which status is measured can be changed in the database by Escendency support on request.