Every KPI in elyvate has a type - and the type defines how your data is visualized. In a task force environment, the right chart tells the story at a glance. The wrong one creates confusion and forces explanations that should not be necessary.

Choose your KPI type carefully. It cannot be changed after the KPI is saved.

Best for: Comparing values across calendar weeks, shifts, or plants.

Use a bar chart when you want to compare multiple series side by side - for example, actual vs. target, or performance across different lines or suppliers. Available as clustered, stacked, or 100% stacked.

Example: Weekly output per production line across CW 1 to CW 4 - three lines displayed as clustered bars. Deviations are visible immediately.

Choose vertical orientation for time-based comparisons. Choose horizontal when your category labels are long.

Best for: Tracking a metric's development over time.

Line charts show how a value moves across periods. Use them when the direction of change matters - whether a metric is improving, deteriorating, or flat.

Example: PPM development over calendar weeks. A rising line signals an escalation. A falling line confirms that your countermeasures are working.

Line charts work well with two or three series when you want to compare how related metrics move in parallel.

Best for: Connecting volume and rate in a single view.

The combined chart overlays bars and a line in one chart. Use it when two metrics belong together but have different scales or units.

Example: Production volume per week as bars, defect rate as a line. The bars show what was built - the line shows at what quality level.

Use the combined chart when the relationship between the two metrics is the point. If the metrics stand on their own, use two separate KPIs instead.

Best for: Comparing multiple suppliers or plants across three dimensions at once.

Each bubble is one data point. Its x-position, y-position, and size each represent a different value. Use it to surface outliers and prioritize where to focus.

Example: Supplier overview - OTIF on the x-axis, quality rate on the y-axis, order volume as bubble size. Large bubbles in the bottom left immediately flag your highest-risk suppliers.

Keep the number of data points manageable. Too many bubbles overlap and lose their impact.

Best for: Showing how a total is distributed across categories.

Use a pie chart when composition matters more than trend. It answers the question: what share of the whole does each category represent?

Example: Defect distribution by type - assembly errors, material defects, and transport damage as a percentage of total defects in the current week.

Keep it to five segments or fewer. Pie charts are not suited for tracking change over time - use a bar or line chart for that.

Best for: Explaining step-by-step how a value builds up or breaks down.

A waterfall chart makes cumulative change visible. Each bar shows one addition or subtraction on the way to a final total. Use it when you need to show not just the result, but why it changed.

Example: Available parts at the end of the week - starting inventory plus new production, minus scrap, minus customer returns equals final stock. Every factor is visible as its own step.

Best for: Displaying structured data across multiple categories without a visual chart.

Use a table when exact values matter more than visual patterns. Tables are ideal for tracking several metrics in parallel - across suppliers, plants, or work packages - where you need to read and compare precise numbers directly.

Example: Supplier scorecard with columns for delivery rate, quality rate, and open claims - one row per supplier. Every value is visible at a glance, with no chart interpretation needed.

Best for: Visualizing timelines, milestones, and task sequences.

A Gantt chart displays tasks or measures along a time axis. Use it when sequencing and timing matter - to show what runs in parallel, what depends on what, and where delays are building up.

Example: Ramp-up plan for a new production line - each work package as a bar from start to end date, with milestones marked. Slipping timelines are visible immediately without a status meeting.

Best for: Bringing a chart that already exists outside elyvate into your work package.

Sometimes the visualization already lives somewhere else - an export from another system or a chart from a supplier. Upload it as a static image and it sits alongside your other KPIs on the One Pager and in the KPI Collection.

A static image doesn't update itself: replace it when the underlying data changes.

Best for: Tracking a KPI's expected improvement trajectory toward a defined target - driven by concrete measures.

The Glidepath connects your KPI directly to your measures. When you define a measure, you assign it an expected impact and a target date. The Glidepath plots these commitments as a trajectory line, showing the expected path from today's value to the end target.

Once a measure is completed, elyvate replaces the expected impact with the actual result achieved. If a measure was planned to reduce the defect rate by 1% but only delivered 0.5%, the Glidepath updates accordingly. The gap between planned and actual improvement becomes immediately visible - and shows exactly which measures are on track and which are falling short.

Example: A defect rate KPI with a target of 500 PPM by end of quarter. One measure is defined with an expected impact of -1% by a specific date. The Glidepath shows that step as part of the trajectory. Once the measure is completed and the actual improvement is logged as -0.5%, the chart adjusts - and the remaining gap to target becomes visible directly in the Glidepath.

Use the Glidepath when you need to make your improvement plan transparent and hold the team accountable - not just track where you are, but whether you will get there.