A dashboard only works when everyone agrees what its numbers mean. Retail execution reports often combine activities (visits completed), observations (products present), outcomes (issues fixed) and commercial impact (sales or margin). These measures should never be treated as interchangeable.
The essential dictionary
| Metric | Suggested operational definition | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|
| Visit coverage | Eligible scheduled visits completed / eligible scheduled visits due | Freeze rules for cancellations and reschedules |
| Priority-store coverage | Priority stores visited at required frequency / priority stores due | Don't reward visits to easy, low-priority stores |
| Observed on-shelf availability | Available eligible SKU-store observations / all eligible SKU-store observations | Point-in-time sample, not continuous availability |
| Ranging compliance | Authorized SKUs observed ranged / authorized SKUs evaluated | A listed item may still be out of stock |
| Planogram compliance | Applicable placement checks passed / applicable checks inspected | Requires an agreed reference layout |
| Promotion execution | Eligible stores meeting every mandatory campaign condition / eligible stores evaluated | Define deadline and proof requirements |
| Issue closure rate | Due issues with verified resolution / issues due in period | Closed is not the same as marked complete |
| Repeat issue rate | Resolved issue categories recurring within defined window / resolved issue categories observed | Keep severity and exposure comparable |
| Evidence acceptance | Submitted records meeting quality policy / submitted records assessed | Quality must be independently sampled |
| Data timeliness | Visits uploaded within agreed interval / visits expected to be uploaded | Distinguish no visit from delayed sync |
These are recommended working definitions, not a single universally mandated industry specification. Record the date, population, exclusions, accountable metric owner and data source beside every definition.
Separate observation from estimate
A representative who sees 9 of 12 eligible SKUs physically present on a shelf has an observed OSA of 9/12 = 75% at that visit. It does not establish that the store had 75% availability throughout the week. ECR emphasizes availability at the time and place the shopper expects to purchase. Use shelf observations alongside POS, inventory and replenishment data where available, while acknowledging each source's limitations.
Prevent denominator errors
Four situations need explicit policy:
- Not ranged/not authorized: exclude from an availability score based on authorized assortment, but report distribution gaps separately when relevant.
- Not applicable: document why a check was excluded; an N/A is neither a pass nor a fail.
- Not observed: preserve as missing, and report completion separately. Do not convert missing observations into successes.
- Duplicate observations: define whether you aggregate by visit, store-day, SKU-store-day or latest verified observation.
A score cannot fairly compare two regions if one region observes all eligible products and the other records only those that are easy to find.
A three-layer leadership dashboard
Outcome layer: availability, promotional compliance, material commercial effect, recurring exceptions.
Execution layer: priority-store coverage, task completion, corrective actions verified, activity performed within campaign windows.
Data confidence layer: synchronization timeliness, sample completeness, evidence quality and unresolved discrepancies.
The third layer matters most: a green KPI based on incomplete or late data is not a reliable result.
Set targets responsibly
Avoid declaring an industry-wide "good" OSA or store score. The right target depends on category, perishability, retailer expectations, measurement method and the consequences of failure. Begin with a trustworthy baseline, set a target with an accountable owner, then review both the result and the cost of achieving it.
Where FieldKo fits
Visit and product observations captured in FieldKo are Salesforce records you can report on. Agree your metric definitions before you build the dashboard, and set up reports to show the numerators, denominators and exclusions behind each percentage.
See how FieldKo supports this →Further reading
- ECR: OSA and OOS definitions
- ECR Retail Loss: inventory accuracy measurement
- McKinsey: consumer goods commercial excellence
Next: Learn to design a useful field survey | Store-health template
Reviewed October 26, 2026. Examples, scores and thresholds are illustrative, not benchmarks. See the research and sources library for independent references.