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The
metrics feature in Achieve Planner allows you to track
values for a particular variable or measure over time.
For example, you could use a metric to keep track of
your weight each week, the number of pages or words
you've written each day, or the amount of money you are
saving in your investment account each month.
You can associate metrics with goals,
dreams, or just use them as stand alone measurements.
Main Metrics View
The Metrics view (available from the
Go menu) allows you to see all your metrics at a glance,
add tracking values, and view performance graphs for
each of them.
You can also add and/or delete metrics
directly from this view.
The following metric-related commands
are available from the Actions menu:
» View Performance
Graph - View the performance graph for the selected
metric based on all the data entered so far
» Add Tracking Entry
- Add a tracking entry to the selected metric
The goal and dream
information forms also contain tabs for metrics
associated with the dream/goal.
You can open individual
metric rows (double-click on the row, or use the
File->Open->Open Selected Items command) to show the
metric information form.
Metric Information Form
The following fields are available:
» Title - A brief title
for the metric
» Owner - Identifies the
Goal or Dream that owns the metric (or None if it is a
standalone metric.) You can use the Set button to
change the owner.
» Category -
User-definable category value for each metric to aid in
grouping
» Recurrence - You can
specify a recurrence pattern for the metric to help you
remember when to take the measurements. Use Set
Recurrence to create the pattern.
» Has Reminder - If you
want to be reminded of the metric when the recurrence
dates arrive, check the box, otherwise leave it
unchecked.
» Reminder Time -
Determines what time the reminder for the metric is
displayed on the dates of the recurrence.
» Description - Enter a
description for the metric
» Reason - You can
describe the reasons why you are keeping track of this
metric. The better the reasons you are tracking it, the
more motivated you will be to keep it current.
The tracking tab allows you to specify
the type of metric you are tracking, set objective
and/or contribution targets, and modify the individual
tracking entries.
» Active - Specifies
whether the metric is currently active or not
» Question - Use the
question to help you describe what it is that you are
measuring. For example, your question could be 'How many
times did you exercise this week?', 'How many miles did
you run this week?' or 'What is your current weight?'
» Units - If applicable,
you can describe the units of measure. Examples include
pounds, miles, dollars, minutes, etc.
» Type - Selects the type
of metric that you want to use. The following metric
types are supported:
-
Cumulative - In a cumulative metric, each new
tracking value adds to the growing total. For example, if
you are trying to save money towards some goal, you
would use a cumulative metric so that your
contributions each week are added to the growing
total.
-
Total - In a total metric, each new tracking
value represents the new total for the metric. For
example, if you are keeping track of your weight,
you would use a total metric so that your entry each
week represents your new total weight.
-
Instance - In an instance metric, each new
tracking value represents a completely independent
instance. For example, if you want to measure how
many miles you run each day, you would use an
instance metric since each entry is independent of
the others.
» Objective target - If
you have a target you want to reach, check this box and
enter the target value in the 'Value' textbox
» Contribution target -
For cumulative and instance metrics, you can define
contribution targets in addition to any objective
targets. The contribution target is your target for each
new tracking entry.
For
example, if your goal is to save $200 a month in order
to go on a $2000 vacation, your objective target would
be $2000, and your contribution target would be $200.
The
following values are available:
-
None - Don't use a contribution target
-
Default - Use the default contribution target
for each tracking entry
-
By
Weekday - Specify a different contribution
target depending on the day of the week where the
metric is measured
-
Automatic - The new contribution target is
automatically determined based on previous
contribution targets (see below)
Automatic
contribution target fields:
» Auto-increase type -
Indicate whether to increase/decrease by percentage or
amount
» Auto-increase amount -
Indicate the amount to increase/decrease (either
percentage or actual amount). Use negative values for
decrease.
» Auto-increase from -
Indicate the value to use to generate the new target
(either the previous target or actual contribution)
» Min - The automatic
target should not be below this value
» Max - The automatic
target should not be above this value
Tracking
values - You can use the tracking values grid to add,
delete, or edit tracking values for the metric. Each
tracking value can specify the date of the entry, the
target (if any), and the actual amount being measured.
Tracking
entry target values are meaningful for contribution and
instance metrics, where you have an individual target
for each entry.
They are
not as useful for total metrics where you just record
the new total in each new entry. |
