An overview of the Business Performance Dashboard (BPD)
What is the Business Performance Dashboard?
This report pulls together data from Fergus and Xero so you can track performance on key business metrics in a way that's easy to understand. You can use the simulator component to test scenarios in a safe environment and to analyse how better cost control, improvements or other business changes could impact your bottom line.
How to use this report?
The report is designed to be used as high-level indicator of your business performance. It highlights potential challenge areas or issues in your business that you may want to resolve. It acts as a springboard, off which you can work out and discover steps you can take to improve or optimise the business.
Important Prerequisite
This report is currently available for Professional Plan and to Xero Connected Fergus customers only. The accuracy of the numbers shown relies on your Xero accounts being mapped to the correct Fergus accounts. If you are unsure of the mapping, your accountant will be able to help you.
How often does the Business Performance Dashboard update?
The data is updated once a month, on the first day.
What do the different metrics mean?
Here you'll find a definition of the different metrics visible on the report.
Sales Revenue
This is the amount the company made from labour and material sales. This excludes any discounts, refund or credit notes.Cost of Labour and Materials
This the direct cost associated with materials purchased and labour cost of the workers performing the work. It excludes distribution costs or any other indirect costs.Gross Profit
This the profit amount the company makes after deducting the costs associated with labour and materials from the Sales Revenue.
Overheads
Are ongoing business expenses not including or related to direct material or direct labour. A company pays overhead on an ongoing basis, regardless of how much or how little the company is selling. Examples include are rent, utilities, accounting fees, office admin wages, security, etc.Net profit
This is the amount the company makes at the end of a period after operating expenses and all other costs including taxes, interest and depreciation have been deducted from total revenue. If the amount is negative, it means the company is incurring a net loss. This is an important measure of how profitable the company is.Chargeable rate percentage %
This is the percentage of paid hours that are chargeable to the client based on the time entered on jobs; excludes uncharged time.Margin on Materials percentage %
This is the Margin on Materials (average margin calculated on all materials purchased and then sold within the same period) divided by revenue. This figure excludes labour, overheads, or any costs other than direct materials.Overheads %.
This is the percentage representation of overheads compared to sales revenue for the same period.
Concept definitions:
Performance Report
This tab provides the actual performance of the business based on the data in Fergus and Xero. Consequently, it is important that the Xero accounts have been imported to Fergus and mapped accurately.Performance Simulator
This tab allows business owners to safely change the values of the 3 key metrics: Chargeable Rate, Overheads % and Margin on Materials %. These scenarios allow business owners to identify how the changes may impact the performance of the business.Historical Overview displays the performance trend over the last 12 months. This provide insights into the performance on a monthly basis.
Key Metrics are calculated from the data imported from Xero and existing Fergus computations.
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