Look for the channels, pages or campaigns included, dates, time zones and comparison period. Note budget, offer, seasonal or operational changes that could affect interpretation.
Guide / comparison
Read the report for the next decision.
A useful report separates delivered work, platform activity, suitable inquiries and business outcomes, with enough context to interpret each.
01 / Guide / comparison
Check the scope and period first
02 / Guide / comparison
Read a report with its definitions and gaps
| Field / metric | Value / definition | Decision / caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Period / timezone / freshness | Illustrative October cohort; declared timezone and last sync required | Refresh time differs from the data period. |
| Raw form events | 20 events | Not 20 customers. |
| Distinct inquiries | 16 under a declared identity/exclusion rule | Investigate the four-event discrepancy and reason codes. |
| Qualified inquiries | 6 confirmed under a versioned business rule | Unknowns and unreviewed requests remain separate. |
| Won outcomes | 2 business-confirmed cohort outcomes | Cohort age, sales lag and missing attribution limit interpretation. |
| Cost lines | Media, fees, tools and other costs separately supplied | Do not add incompatible spend/count scopes or invent missing zeros. |
| Next decision | Investigate discrepancy; owner and next review to name | Observation → uncertainty → interpretation → proposed test. |
03 / Guide / comparison
Write a decision from the evidence
This blank worksheet stays in the page. Use roles and non-sensitive examples. Unknown values identify decisions to resolve; they are not a score.
Use roles and hypothetical examples. These fields stay in this page; no information is submitted or saved.
Label incomplete or stale data.
Do not combine incompatible channel totals.
Correlation does not establish causation.
One-time and recurring obligations are distinct.
Set a business-relevant question, not a vanity-score target.
04 / Guide / comparison
Keep different stages separate
- Activity
- Work delivered, ads served or pages changed.
- Discovery and response
- Visibility, clicks and recorded actions under their source definitions.
- Qualified opportunities
- Inquiries reviewed against the agreed fit definition.
- Sales or delivery
- An authoritative business record, with the relevant attribution limits.
05 / Guide / comparison
Ask what is missing or uncertain
Attribution and tracking can be incomplete. An unavailable source is not zero performance. A platform’s reported conversion and a CRM stage can differ legitimately; the report should explain the definition and reconciliation.
06 / Guide / comparison
Put spending beside the relevant work
Distinguish provider fees, platform spend, software and one-time preparation where relevant. Compare like periods and scopes, and keep any assumptions visible.
07 / Guide / comparison
Look for a decision log
A useful explanation identifies the observation, its likely meaning, what was changed and the next review or test. “Numbers went up” is less useful than a specific question the next action will resolve.
08 / Guide / comparison
Use a blank review worksheet
- What was delivered and how was it checked?
- Which definitions and sources produced these figures?
- What changed in the business or measurement setup?
- What can this evidence not establish?
- What decision, owner and follow-up test come next?
09 / Guide / comparison
Automate assembly only after the definitions work
A repeatable source and metric plan can reduce manual work. It should preserve reconciliations, freshness and exceptions rather than hide them.
If a different decision is blocking you: Choose another question in this topic