Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Meta-Skill
Convert the business plan from a static document into an active management tool with measurable KPIs, reporting cadences, and accountability structures.
When to Use
Invoke AFTER the plan is complete and scored. This skill creates the operational infrastructure for plan execution tracking.
What to Generate
1. KPI Dashboard
Define KPIs for each business function:
Financial KPIs
- Monthly revenue / MRR
- Gross margin %
- Net burn rate
- Cash runway (months)
- Revenue growth rate (MoM)
Customer KPIs
- New customers acquired
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
- Customer lifetime value (CLV)
- Churn rate
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Operational KPIs
- Fulfilment rate / delivery time
- Product defect rate
- Employee productivity
- Uptime / availability
Marketing KPIs
- Lead conversion rate
- Cost per lead
- Marketing ROI by channel
- Website traffic / engagement
KPI Definition Template
KPI: [Name]
Category: [Financial / Customer / Operational / Marketing]
Definition: [Exactly what is measured]
Formula: [How it is calculated]
Data source: [Where the data comes from]
Frequency: [Daily / Weekly / Monthly / Quarterly]
Target: [Specific target value]
Threshold: [Minimum acceptable value]
Owner: [Who is responsible]
Action if below threshold: [What to do]
2. Reporting Framework
| Report | Frequency | Audience | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flash report | Weekly | Leadership | Top 5 KPIs, blockers, decisions needed |
| Monthly review | Monthly | Management | Full KPI dashboard, variance analysis |
| Board report | Quarterly | Board/investors | Financial performance, milestones, outlook |
| Annual review | Annually | All stakeholders | Full plan vs. actual, strategy refresh |
3. Review Meeting Structure
Monthly review agenda (60 minutes):
- KPI dashboard review (15 min)
- Variance analysis — what missed target and why (15 min)
- Milestone progress update (10 min)
- Decisions and resource allocation (10 min)
- Action items for next month (10 min)
4. Plan vs. Actual Tracking
| Metric | Plan | Actual | Variance | Variance % | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $X | $X | +/- $X | +/- X% | On/Off track |
5. Early Warning System
Define triggers that signal the plan is going off track:
GREEN: All KPIs within 10% of target
AMBER: 1-2 KPIs off by 10-25%, corrective action initiated
RED: Any KPI off by >25% or cash runway < 3 months
Generation Process
- Extract key metrics from all plan sections (04, 07, 08, 10, 13)
- Define 15-20 KPIs across all business functions
- Set targets aligned with financial projections
- Build reporting templates for each cadence
- Design review meeting structure
- Create early warning system with trigger thresholds
- Assign ownership for every KPI
Quality Criteria
- KPIs are specific and measurable (not "improve customer satisfaction")
- Targets align with financial projections in section 10
- Reporting cadence is practical for the team size
- Early warning triggers are actionable
- Every KPI has a clear owner