This article provides a step-by-step guide to add a Grade Reporting Distance property, enabling analysis of the organization structure which advances beyond spans and layers.

Grade Reporting Distance can be added as a Dataset Property or as a Pack Property:

• As a Dataset Property it will be available in any pack opened with the dataset;

• As a Pack Property it will be available when the pack is opened with any dataset containing your grade property.

   

Recommended preparation

The standard expression provided in the following section needs to be adapted to reference:

• Your grade property key; 
• Your grade property values;
• The number of grade levels defining ‘stretched’ reporting.

The property key and grade values entered in the expression need to match your dataset exactly, respecting character case and spaces.  The following steps are optional, but strongly recommended to reduce the risk of error:  Exporting your grade data equips you with the property key and values which can be copied and pasted into the expression to ensure accuracy.

1. Export your grade data from Orgvue:
   1. Add a chart slide and select your grade property as the property to ‘Group By’.
   2. Select ‘Export Canvas Content’.
   3. Select ‘CSV’.
   4. Select 'Download' (with ‘Current’ selected at the ‘Slides’ option).

• The downloaded file contains:

1. The property key for your grade property;
2. The values for your grade property.

2. Order and number your grade values

• Order the rows of your worksheet in ascending order of seniority.
• Number each grade, starting with a value of 1 for the most junior grade.

In this example there are 8 Grade values:  “SM2” is the most senior grade; “A” is the most junior.
 
 

3. Define the number of grade levels which will categorize reporting relationships as "on-target", and “stretched” (see an illustration of these categories).  Each row in the worksheet is one grade level. 
   1. When a direct report’s grade is within [ X ] levels of their manager’s grade, the reporting relationship will be categorized as “on target”;
   2. When a direct report’s grade is [ X ] or more levels below their manager’s grade, the reporting relationship will be categorized as “stretched”.
   • The number at 3b must be one greater than the number at 3a.

Adapt the standard expression

Copy and adapt the standard expression to reference:

• Your grade property values:
  • Ensure your most junior grade value is entered in the first line.
  • If you have more than 8 grade levels, copy and add a line of the expression and adjust the accompanying numbers so that these run consecutively in order of seniority.  Ensure the final line references your most senior grade and there is no comma after the final number. 
  • If you have fewer than 8 grade levels, delete a line of the expression and adjust the accompanying numbers so that these run consecutively in order of seniority.  Ensure the final line references your most senior grade and there is no comma after the final number. 
• The property key for your grade property.
• The number of grade levels which define “stretched” reporting (see 3b, above). 
  • Reporting relationships will be categorized as "stretched" when the number of grade levels between a direct report and their manager is equal to or greater than this number.
  • If the default number of levels (3) is changed, the accompanying default label needs to be adapted with the value from 3a, above.
• An additional option is to customize the labels for each grade reporting category.  
  • Note that the prefix number in each label sets the order of these categories when included in slides.

Do not change any plain black text, including spaces, characters and symbols.

let gradeOrder = {
    "Enter Most Junior Grade Property Value": 1,
    "Enter Grade Property Value": 2,
    "Enter Grade Property Value": 3,
    "Enter Grade Property Value": 4,
    "Enter Grade Property Value": 5,
    "Enter Grade Property Value": 6,
    "Enter Grade Property Value": 7,
    "Enter Most Senior Grade Property Value": 8
}

const positionGrade = gradeOrder[node.enterYourGradePropertyKey]
const managerGrade = gradeOrder[node.p.enterYourGradePropertyKey]

const gradeDelta = managerGrade - positionGrade

is.some(
    is.eq(1)(node.depth),
    is.blank(positionGrade),
    is.blank(managerGrade)
)() ? "5. No Reporting" :
    gradeDelta >= 3 ? "1. Stretched Reporting (>2)" :
        gradeDelta >= 1 ? "2. On-Target Reporting (1 to 2)" :
            gradeDelta == 0 ? "3. Compressed Reporting (0)" :
                gradeDelta < 0 ? "4. Reversed Reporting (<0)" :
                    null

Test the adapted expression

• Using a tree or worksheet slide

1. Select ‘Gizmo Editor’.
2. Paste your adapted expression.
3. Select 'Run'.

With no nodes selected, the expression will return the value for the top position in the structure.  This will always be “No reporting” as the top node is not a direct report.  The illustration above shows the expected outcome for a position with “Stretched Reporting”.

Tip:  Select different positions and run the expression to check the intended values are returned.

When the expression is seen to return the intended results, you can save Grade Reporting Distance as a Pack Property, or as a Dataset Property.

Save the expression 

Saving Grade Reporting Distance as a Pack Property

• After following the approach outlined in the previous section for testing the adapted expression:

1. Select ‘Save as property’.
2. Enter a name for the property (‘Grade Reporting Distance’ in this example).
3. Retain the default options (‘Text’ for the Data Type and ‘Pre-filter’ for Calculate).
4. Select ‘Save’.
5. Reload Orgvue.

The property is saved in the pack, and is available when the pack is used with any dataset containing your grade property.

 

Saving Grade Reporting Distance as a Dataset Property

Note:  Only Admins, Dataset Owners and Users with ‘Modify’ dataset permission can create dataset properties

1. Open ‘Manage Properties’ from Workspace or Settings.

1. From Settings:
   1. Select your dataset.
   2. Select ‘…’.
   3. Select ‘Manage properties’.
2. From Workspace:
   1. Select ‘Data’.
   2. Select ‘Manage Properties’.

2. Select the ‘Add’ icon.
3. Select the ‘Property’ tab.
   1. Enter a Display Name for the new property (e.g., ‘Grade Reporting Distance).
   2. Enter a Key for the new property (e.g., reportingGradeDistance)
   3. Select ‘Text’ as the Type.
4. Select the ‘Values’ tab.
   1. Select ‘Populate values using an expression’.
   2. Select the arrow to expand the ‘Expression’ option.
   3. Enter the adapted expression.
   4. Retain the default Run options (‘All Nodes’, ‘Pre-filtering').
5. Select ‘Save’.
6. Close the ‘Manage Properties’ window.
7. Reload Orgvue.

The property is saved in the dataset, and is available in any pack opened with this dataset.

 

This property can be used, for example to:

• Visualize the proportion of people/ positions in each category with a Chart slide
• Visualize the organization landscape with tree slides to identify where inefficient grade reporting relationships are found in the structure

Related articles:

• Introduction to Grade Reporting Distance analysis
• Best practices for organizational analysis
• Example Key Measures