Building KPI Trees

KPI trees are the core feature of Valtrics. They let you visually break down high-level business goals into measurable, actionable metrics. This guide covers everything you need to know about creating and managing KPI trees.

What Is a KPI Tree?

A KPI tree is a hierarchical diagram where:

• The root node represents a top-level business outcome (e.g., "Revenue Growth")
• Branch nodes break that outcome into contributing factors
• Leaf nodes are the most granular, directly measurable metrics

Each node can have a metric attached with targets and actuals, turning the tree from a static diagram into a live performance tracker.

Why Use KPI Trees?

Flat lists of metrics don't show how things connect. KPI trees answer critical questions:

• What drives this outcome? — Follow the tree downward from any node
• Where is the problem? — When a high-level metric is off track, drill into children to find the root cause
• What should I focus on? — Leaf nodes with the biggest gap between target and actual are your priorities

Creating a New Tree

1. Navigate to KPI Trees in the sidebar
2. Click Create KPI Tree
3. Enter a name (e.g., "Mobile App — Q1 Goals")
4. Select the product this tree belongs to
5. Click Create

You'll see a canvas with a single root node. This is your starting point.

Working with Nodes

Adding Nodes

To add a child node:

1. Click on any existing node to select it
2. Click the Add Child button that appears
3. Enter a name for the new node
4. The node appears as a child, connected by an edge

You can add as many children as needed at any level.

Editing Nodes

Click any node to open its detail panel on the right side. From here you can:

• Rename the node
• Add a description — Context about what this metric represents
• Attach a metric — Set target values, actual values, and time periods
• Change the node type — KPI, metric, or goal

Moving Nodes

Drag nodes on the canvas to rearrange the visual layout. The hierarchical relationships stay intact — you're just adjusting the visual position for clarity.

Deleting Nodes

1. Click the node to select it
2. Click Delete in the detail panel
3. Confirm the deletion

Deleting a parent node will also remove all of its children. If you only want to remove one node while keeping its children, reparent the children first.

Node Types

Valtrics supports different node types to help you categorize what each node represents:

Type	Purpose	Example
Goal	High-level business outcome	"Increase market share by 15%"
KPI	Key performance indicator that measures progress toward a goal	"Monthly Active Users"
Metric	A specific, measurable data point	"Daily signups from organic search"
Initiative	An action or project that influences a KPI	"Launch referral program"

Use Goals at the root and top levels, KPIs in the middle, Metrics at the leaves, and Initiatives to show what you're doing to move the numbers. This isn't enforced — it's a best practice for clarity.

Connecting Nodes

Edges (the lines between nodes) represent relationships. In a KPI tree:

• A parent-child edge means "this child contributes to this parent"
• Multiple children can contribute to the same parent
• Deeper trees show more granular breakdowns

To build the hierarchy:

1. Click on a parent node
2. Click Add Child in the node toolbar
3. Select the child node type and fill in the details
4. The connection line is drawn automatically

Best Practices for Tree Structure

Keep trees focused. Each tree should map to one clear business outcome. If you find yourself with a tree that has multiple unrelated root goals, split it into separate trees.

Aim for 3–5 levels of depth. Fewer levels may be too vague; more levels can become hard to manage. A typical structure:

Level 1: Business Goal
Level 2: Strategic KPIs (2–4 nodes)
Level 3: Tactical KPIs (2–4 per parent)
Level 4: Operational Metrics (2–3 per parent)

Balance breadth and depth. If one branch has 10 children while others have 2, consider grouping some into an intermediate node.

Leading vs. Lagging Indicators

A well-built KPI tree includes both types:

Lagging Indicators

• Measure outcomes that have already happened
• Found at higher levels of the tree (closer to the root)
• Examples: quarterly revenue, annual churn, customer lifetime value
• Useful for: Confirming results, reporting to stakeholders

Leading Indicators

• Predict future outcomes and are actionable now
• Found at lower levels of the tree (closer to the leaves)
• Examples: weekly signups, feature adoption rate, NPS score
• Useful for: Day-to-day decision-making, spotting issues early

The power of a KPI tree is making these connections visible. When a lagging indicator at the top is off track, you can trace down to the leading indicators to find what to fix.

Attaching Metrics to Nodes

Each node can have a metric with:

• Target — The value you're aiming for
• Actual — The current or measured value
• Time period — When this measurement applies
• Unit — How the value is expressed (count, %, $, etc.)

To attach a metric:

1. Click the node
2. In the detail panel, click Add Metric (or edit the existing one)
3. Fill in the target, actual, time period, and unit
4. Save

Nodes with metrics display a visual indicator of performance — green when on track, yellow when close, red when significantly behind.

Viewing and Navigating Trees

Canvas Controls

• Zoom in/out — Scroll or pinch to zoom
• Pan — Click and drag the canvas background
• Fit to screen — Click the fit button to see the entire tree
• Minimap — A small overview in the corner shows your current viewport

Tree List View

From the KPI Trees page, you can see all trees in your organization:

• Filter by product — Show trees for a specific product
• Search — Find trees by name
• Sort — By name, creation date, or last modified

Common KPI Tree Patterns

Revenue-Focused

Revenue Growth
├── New Revenue
│   ├── Lead Volume
│   ├── Conversion Rate
│   └── Average Deal Size
├── Expansion Revenue
│   ├── Upsell Rate
│   └── Cross-sell Rate
└── Retained Revenue
    ├── Renewal Rate
    └── Churn Rate

Product Engagement

Product Engagement
├── Activation
│   ├── Signup Completion Rate
│   └── Time to First Value
├── Adoption
│   ├── DAU / MAU Ratio
│   └── Feature Usage Depth
└── Retention
    ├── D7 Retention
    ├── D30 Retention
    └── NPS Score

Operational Efficiency

Operational Efficiency
├── Speed
│   ├── Cycle Time
│   └── Time to Market
├── Quality
│   ├── Bug Escape Rate
│   └── Customer Satisfaction
└── Cost
    ├── Cost per Feature
    └── Infrastructure Cost per User

Tips for Effective KPI Trees

1. Start with the outcome. What business result are you trying to achieve? Put that at the root.
2. Ask "what drives this?" repeatedly. For each node, think about what measurable factors contribute to it. Those become the children.
3. Make leaf nodes directly measurable. If you can't attach a number to it, break it down further.
4. Review quarterly. Products change, strategies shift. Update your trees to reflect current priorities.
5. Use one tree per major objective. Don't overload a single tree. Three focused trees are better than one sprawling one.
6. Involve your team. KPI trees work best when the people responsible for each metric are part of building the tree.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I link one tree to multiple products? A KPI tree is linked to one product. If you need shared metrics across products, create separate trees and use consistent naming.

Can I duplicate a tree? Not yet — this is on our roadmap. You can create a new tree and manually recreate the structure.

Is there a limit to the number of nodes? There's no hard limit, but trees with more than 50 nodes can become difficult to navigate. We recommend keeping trees focused and splitting large ones.

Can I export a KPI tree? Export functionality is coming soon. For now, you can use your browser's screenshot capability on the canvas view.

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