This articles defines the key terms which are used to describe organizational data:
- Nodes
- Properties
- Values
- Measures
- Dimensions
Nodes are the smallest ‘thing’ we have information about. In the example below, each Node is an employee, seen in the rows of a Worksheet slide in Orgvue.
Properties are the information we have about Nodes. In the example below there are six Properties, shown as columns in the worksheet.
- In addition to your source data properties, Orgvue automatically includes Generated Properties to accelerate your analysis. For example, ‘Span’ is automatically calculated through employee IDs and Manager IDs, and the Span value updates when structural changes are modelled
Values describe a Node. These are found at the intersection of Nodes and Positions.
Nodes, Properties and Values are individual-level, raw data.
Measures are generated by performing calculations using properties. These are typically simple operations such as adding values to create a (sum) total, or creating averages and percentages. Examples include:
- Sum: e.g., total workforce size; total compensation costs
- Average: e.g., average span of control, average bonus value
- Percentage: e.g., percentage of female employees.
Measures are reported as aggregate data; they are always based on aggregations – groups – of Nodes. Often, every node is included in the aggregation to provide a headline total for the whole organization. However sub-group comparisons are needed to understand differences across the organization.
Dimensions are properties used to create subgroups so we can look at Measures across different parts of the organization. For example, different functional departments, geographic locations, or business units. ‘Slicing and dicing’ Measures by Dimensions enables sub-group comparisons so we can identify where action needs to be focused.
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