Control · C62
Compare planned and actual marketing performance
Does the observed variance come from volume, schedule, cost, quality or scope?
Direct answer
An indexed series separates pace variances from economic variances and flags the first month in which drift becomes material.
01Tolerate, correct, rephase or reforecast depending on the nature and persistence of the variance.
02The rule, the evidence and the next review date stay visible.
How to use this
Move from the question to the deliverable.
Does the observed variance come from volume, schedule, cost, quality or scope?
Tolerate, correct, rephase or reforecast depending on the nature and persistence of the variance.
Planned–actual comparison
Original chart · SQ-62
Spot the month when a variance becomes a drift
A monthly variance can be noise. An indexed series shows its persistence and avoids confusing a pace delay with an economic loss.
Fictitious pipeline planned and delivered over six months, indexed on the monthly plan set at 100.
- 01Align
Compare the same cohorts, periods and value conventions.
- 02Index
Express the actual as a percentage of the plan to read the trend.
- 03Qualify
Separate volume, conversion, cost, timing and change of scope.
- 04Trigger
Act after two months below 90 or one month below 80.
Actual / plan index over six months
The drift becomes material in May: two consecutive months fall below the threshold of 90.
Monthly index = actual pipeline ÷ planned pipeline × 100| Month | Planned | Actual | Index | Dominant cause | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | €420k | €424k | 101 | Pace | None |
| February | €450k | €441k | 98 | Minor delay | Monitor |
| March | €480k | €456k | 95 | Volume | Correct acquisition |
| April | €520k | €473k | 91 | Conversion | Test qualification |
| May | €560k | €470k | 84 | Persistent conversion | Reforecast |
| June | €600k | €468k | 78 | Enterprise segment | Reallocate |
01March does not yet trigger a reforecast: the cause is actionable and the index stays at 95.
02May confirms a conversion drift; the annual plan is no longer the best forecast available.
03June calls for a reallocation away from the enterprise segment and a new documented target.
Fictitious series. The thresholds of 90 and 80 are illustrative steering rules.
Coherence controls
Minimum conditions before validation.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
Usable deliverable
Planned–actual comparison
Explore the decision further with an interactive control, or start from a structured template to produce your deliverable.