Compare performance against targets and find the biggest gaps
Compares actuals against targets for every KPI, sizes each gap, and ranks the gaps that matter most so you know where to focus.
The prompt
Compare our performance against the stated targets and identify the biggest gaps.
Data: [PASTE KPIs with actuals and targets - by team, region, product, or period if available]
Period: [month / quarter / year to date]
How the targets were set: [OPTIONAL - e.g. "budget set in November", "stretch goals"]
What matters most this year: [PRIORITY OUTCOMES]
Steps:
1. For each KPI calculate: variance (actual minus target), variance % of target, and whether higher or lower is better. Mark on track / at risk / off track (use my thresholds, or within 5% / 5-10% / over 10% if I give none).
2. If year-to-date or trend data is given, project year-end versus target at the current run rate.
3. Rank gaps by impact, not just by percentage: a 3% miss on revenue can matter more than a 30% miss on a minor metric. Explain the ranking.
4. Break the biggest gaps down by team, region, product, or period to show where the gap sits.
5. Flag targets that look unrealistic or badly set, and metrics where the data looks incomplete.
Return:
1. A scorecard table: KPI | Target | Actual | Variance | Variance % | Status | Projected year-end.
2. The top 3-5 gaps ranked, with where each sits and its business impact in one line.
3. Bright spots where we beat target and why that might be.
4. Questions to investigate next.
Use only my data and show your math. Do not guess at causes yet; label any explanation as a hypothesis.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Data & Analysis prompts
What to fill in
- month / quarter / year to date
- OPTIONAL - e.g. "budget set in November", "stretch goals"
- PRIORITY OUTCOMES
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RTF structure (Role, Task, Format). RTF tells the model who to be, what to do and what shape the answer should take. It is the quickest structure that still gives noticeably better results than a bare request.
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