Indicatora

Indicatora is a term used in information science and governance to denote a portfolio of indicators used to monitor, assess, and compare performance across organizations, processes, or systems. The word is often employed as a generic or Latinized label for indicator sets rather than a single standard method.

In practice, indicatora comprise individual indicators, each defined by a name, purpose, measurement method, data source, measurement frequency, and a target value. They can be qualitative or quantitative and are commonly organized into categories such as input, output, outcome, and impact indicators, or by domain such as finance, operations, or sustainability. The design of indicatora aims to enable timely insights and comparability across units, programs, or time periods.

Quality of indicatora depends on clear definitions, data quality, and alignment with decision goals. Metrics should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Data governance and documentation are essential to ensure consistency and comparability over time or across units, including methods for data collection, validation, and handling of missing values.

Applications include project management, performance reporting, policy evaluation, and benchmarking. Examples of indicatora might include uptime percentage, mean time to repair, customer satisfaction scores, revenue growth, emission levels, or literacy rates, depending on the domain. Limitations include potential misinterpretation if indicators are taken out of context, the risk of incentivizing gaming or focusing on easily measured metrics at the expense of qualitative outcomes, and data collection costs.

See also indicator, KPI, metric, benchmarking, data quality.