Matrix: Reporting

How the figures reach users: reports, journeys, user-created content, distribution, integration, speed, accessibility.

≈ 11 min readReading

In brief

8 dimensions, levels 0 to 5, 111 criteria.
Tool: run an assessment by choosing “Reporting”.
Levels and criteria: original synthesis, references cited at the bottom of the page.

On this page

Overview
Report design
1. Templates and readability
2. Journeys and navigation
Usage and distribution
Quality of experience
Sources and verification

Scope

What users see and receive: reports and dashboards, navigation, creation by users, distribution and alerts, integration with other tools, display speed, accessibility, perceived reliability of the figures. The definition of measures belongs to the “Abstraction layer” theme, the preparation of the data to the “Processing” and “Storage” themes.

8 dimensions, six levels (0 to 5) and 111 observable criteria. To place your product: open the assessment for this theme. The calculation rules are here.

Overview#

Each cell is the level’s signature for the dimension.

Dimension	0 · Handcrafted	1 · Locally tooled	2 · Shared	3 · Industrialized	4 · Integrated and governed	5 · Autonomous
Templates and readability	Each report is built in its own way, depending on its author.	A few common habits.	Style guide.	Representation rules.	Common notation and review.	Design checked automatically.
Journeys and navigation	Reports scattered, found by word of mouth.	List of reports.	Single entry point.	Guided navigation.	Journeys by profile.	Journeys adapted to usage.
Creation by users	Every analysis request goes through the technical team.	Exports for free-form analysis.	Exploration within the tool.	Supervised creation.	Governed creation.	Assisted creation.
Distribution and alerts	Figures are sent by hand, case by case.	Recurring mailings.	Subscriptions.	Distribution under control.	Targeted distribution.	Distribution driven by events.
Integration into work tools	Figures can be viewed only in the BI tool.	Manual copies.	Spreadsheet access.	Links and mobility.	Application integration.	Reporting within the business workflow.
Display speed	Speed not known; slowness is reported by users.	Slowness known.	Targets and fixes.	Systematic optimization.	Performance under control.	Adaptive performance.
Accessibility	Accessibility is not addressed.	First precautions.	Design rules.	Standard adopted.	Compliance checked.	Accessibility built in.
Perceived reliability of figures	Figures differ from one report to another, with no explanation.	Differences known.	Common source.	Certified figures.	Evidence accessible.	Trust measured.

Link with the global model

Dimensions of the global model most concerned: Usage, Integration, Documentation and traceability and Availability and performance. On the organization’s adoption side, see the adoption roadmap.

Report design#

Templates and readability#

Do reports look alike, and can they be read without explanation?

Level	Signature	Criteria to meet
0 · Handcrafted	Each report is built in its own way, depending on its author.	Starting point: no criteria.
1 · Locally tooled	A few common habits.	Reports on the same theme have a similar presentation. Titles, units and periods are shown on each report.
2 · Shared	Style guide.	A style guide (colors, fonts, formats) is defined and applied. A starter template is provided for creating a report. The labels and formats of measures are identical from one report to another.
3 · Industrialized	Representation rules.	Written rules say which type of chart to use for which need (comparison, trend, share). Variances, actuals and forecasts are always represented in the same way. Each page answers an identified question, stated in its title.
4 · Integrated and governed	Common notation and review.	A reference notation is adopted for management reports (for example IBCS). A new report goes through a design review before publication. Reports are readable on the intended screen sizes (desktop, tablet, mobile).
5 · Autonomous	Design checked automatically.	Automatic checks detect deviations from the style guide and the representation rules. Readability is verified with users through regular trials. Templates evolve based on measured usage.

Effect on the user

The user reads a new report like the previous ones: they look for the answer, not the instructions.

Journeys and navigation#

Does the user find the right report, and move from the general to the detail without getting lost?

Level	Signature	Criteria to meet
0 · Handcrafted	Reports scattered, found by word of mouth.	Starting point: no criteria.
1 · Locally tooled	List of reports.	Reports are catalogued in a list known to users. Each report has an explicit name.
2 · Shared	Single entry point.	A single entry point gives access to all reports. Reports are classified by theme or by business area. Reference reports are flagged.
3 · Industrialized	Guided navigation.	Links make it possible to go from a summary report to its detail while keeping the filters. Common filters are placed in the same spot and behave in the same way. A navigation aid (menu, buttons, home page) is present in each report.
4 · Integrated and governed	Journeys by profile.	Each user profile sees first the reports that concern it. Search makes it possible to find a report or a measure by its name or description. Obsolete reports are removed or marked.
5 · Autonomous	Journeys adapted to usage.	The most useful reports per profile are suggested based on actual usage. A question asked in everyday language leads to the report or figure concerned. Abandoned journeys are identified and reworked.

Effect on the user

You go from a figure to its explanation in a few clicks, without asking the way.

Usage and distribution#

Creation by users#

Can users build their own analyses on reliable data?

Level	Signature	Criteria to meet
0 · Handcrafted	Every analysis request goes through the technical team.	Starting point: no criteria.
1 · Locally tooled	Exports for free-form analysis.	Users can export data to analyze it themselves. The provenance of an export is indicated.
2 · Shared	Exploration within the tool.	Users can filter, sort and group in the tool without going through an export. The data made available is described (name, definition, update). Users who explore cannot modify the reference reports.
3 · Industrialized	Supervised creation.	Users can create their reports from a certified data model. Personal creations are kept separate from reference reports. Training or a guide presents how to create reports.
4 · Integrated and governed	Governed creation.	Each creation has an owner, a scope and a date of last use. A useful creation can be proposed for certification, through a defined process. Users can share their creations with a group, under the same access-rights rules.
5 · Autonomous	Assisted creation.	An assistant helps build an analysis from a question. The most used creations are identified and offered to everyone. Unused creations are archived automatically after a defined period.

Effect on the user

A new question does not require a project: the user explores it themselves, on certified figures.

Distribution and alerts#

Do the figures reach the people concerned, at the right time and in the right form?

Level	Signature	Criteria to meet
0 · Handcrafted	Figures are sent by hand, case by case.	Starting point: no criteria.
1 · Locally tooled	Recurring mailings.	Recurring mailings (file, email) exist for some reports. The list of recipients is kept up to date.
2 · Shared	Subscriptions.	Users can subscribe to a report at a frequency of their choice. A subscription respects the access rights of its recipient. A printable or paginated report is available for record-keeping needs.
3 · Industrialized	Distribution under control.	Distribution is triggered by the data update, and not by the clock alone. Threshold alerts can be configured by users. Failed mailings are detected and reported.
4 · Integrated and governed	Targeted distribution.	Each recipient receives their own version (scope, language, format). The use of mailings is measured, and those that are not read are reviewed. Mailings outside the organization follow written access-rights rules.
5 · Autonomous	Distribution driven by events.	An alert is issued on an anomaly or a significant change detected by the product. Distribution triggers actions in other tools (task, message, workflow). The frequency and channel of sending adapt to the observed reading.

Effect on the user

Important information comes to the user; they do not have to remember to go and look for it.

Integration into work tools#

Are the figures available where people work?

Level	Signature	Criteria to meet
0 · Handcrafted	Figures can be viewed only in the BI tool.	Starting point: no criteria.
1 · Locally tooled	Manual copies.	Figures can be copied or exported to a spreadsheet or a document. Exports keep their labels and formats.
2 · Shared	Spreadsheet access.	A spreadsheet can connect directly to the data model, with the user’s access rights. Refreshing a connected spreadsheet requires no re-entry.
3 · Industrialized	Links and mobility.	A report or a figure can be referenced by a stable link, including with its filters. Key reports can be viewed on mobile. Reports can be embedded in collaboration tools (portal, messaging).
4 · Integrated and governed	Application integration.	A report can be embedded in a business application with the user’s context. The model’s data is accessible through a documented interface (API, queries). Authentication is single between the application and the reports.
5 · Autonomous	Reporting within the business workflow.	Figures are displayed in the context of a task (customer record, order) without leaving the application. Users can act from a report (data entry, approval, triggering a workflow). The outcome of the actions feeds the next figures.

Effect on the user

The user does not switch tools to view a figure: they find it in their daily work.

Quality of experience#

Display speed#

Does a report display fast enough, in a stable way, at peak times?

Level	Signature	Criteria to meet
0 · Handcrafted	Speed not known; slowness is reported by users.	Starting point: no criteria.
1 · Locally tooled	Slowness known.	Slow reports are identified. A display time target is stated for key reports.
2 · Shared	Targets and fixes.	Display times of key reports are measured regularly. Each page limits the number of visuals and filters the data by default. Reports that miss the target are fixed or justified.
3 · Industrialized	Systematic optimization.	A report performance analysis tool is used during design. Heavy calculations are prepared upstream and not at display time. The load at peak times is known.
4 · Integrated and governed	Performance under control.	A regression in display time is detected before a modified report goes into production. Users’ actual display times are tracked, by report and by profile. Compute capacity is sized from the measured load.
5 · Autonomous	Adaptive performance.	The most requested calculations are prepared automatically based on measured usage. Capacity adjusts to load without intervention. A performance threshold is part of a report’s acceptance criteria.

Effect on the user

The user consults the figures during the meeting, not after.

Accessibility#

Are the reports usable by everyone, including people with disabilities?

Level	Signature	Criteria to meet
0 · Handcrafted	Accessibility is not addressed.	Starting point: no criteria.
1 · Locally tooled	First precautions.	The contrast of text and colors is checked on key reports. Information is not conveyed by color alone.
2 · Shared	Design rules.	Accessibility rules (contrast, text size, reading order) are part of the style guide. Charts have a title and a text alternative. Reports can be navigated with the keyboard.
3 · Industrialized	Standard adopted.	A compliance standard is chosen (for example WCAG 2.2, RGAA) and the target level is set. Key reports are verified with a screen reader. A procedure makes it possible to report an accessibility defect.
4 · Integrated and governed	Compliance checked.	The compliance of each new report is checked before publication. An accessibility statement indicates the compliance status and the exemptions. Affected users take part in trials.
5 · Autonomous	Accessibility built in.	Accessibility checks are automated in report delivery. Each user’s preferences (contrast, size, theme) are respected by default. Reported defects are fixed within a defined time and tracked.

Effect on the user

Everyone can consult the figures, whatever their eyesight, motor ability or equipment.

Perceived reliability of figures#

Can the user trust a figure, and know where it comes from and how recent it is?

Level	Signature	Criteria to meet
0 · Handcrafted	Figures differ from one report to another, with no explanation.	Starting point: no criteria.
1 · Locally tooled	Differences known.	Differences between reports are explained in writing when they are known. The date of the data is shown on reports.
2 · Shared	Common source.	Reports on the same subject rely on the same data source. The definition of each measure is accessible from the report. The date of the last update is displayed on each report.
3 · Industrialized	Certified figures.	Certified reports and measures are flagged as such. The same figure gives the same result in all certified reports. A procedure exists to report a doubtful figure.
4 · Integrated and governed	Evidence accessible.	A figure can be drilled down to the rows that make it up (detail analysis). The status of quality checks is displayed next to the figures. A change to the definition of a measure is announced to users before it goes live.
5 · Autonomous	Trust measured.	Differences between certified reports are detected automatically. A figure whose quality is degraded is flagged at display time. Users’ trust is measured (surveys, reports) and tracked.

Effect on the user

The same figure is the same everywhere; in case of doubt, the user can check for themselves.

Origin of the criteria

The dimensions are inspired by the references cited below; the levels and the criteria are an original synthesis, not a reproduction of a framework. They are offered to be discussed and adapted, not as authority.

Sources and verification#

Microsoft Learn — Optimization guide for Power BI — optimizing at four levels (sources, model, visualizations, environment); filter as tightly as possible, limit the number of visuals per page
W3C — Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 — recommendation of December 12, 2024: four principles (perceivable, operable, understandable, robust) and three conformance levels A, AA, AAA
RGAA — Référentiel général d'amélioration de l'accessibilité (French general accessibility improvement framework) — French standard; version 4.1.2 with 106 criteria at the time of verification
IBCS Association — International Business Communication Standards — notation and composition of management reports, SUCCESS formula in seven principles; aligned with ISO 24896 according to the site
Microsoft Learn — Fabric adoption roadmap: maturity levels — adoption by users and self-service governance