On this page you can download two free, fully editable templates: a KPI Report & Dashboard in Excel with automatic calculations, traffic-light status and a chart, and a KPI Performance Report in Word for presenting results, explaining gaps and agreeing actions with management. They work for small businesses, departments, project teams, sales and marketing teams, HR, operations, schools and non-profit organisations.

What Is a KPI Report?

A KPI report is a document that measures performance against a small set of key performance indicators (KPIs) over a specific period, such as a week, month or quarter. Each KPI has a target, an actual result and usually a comparison with the previous period. The report shows whether each indicator is On Track, At Risk or Off Track, explains the reasons behind the numbers and lists the actions needed to improve.

KPIs turn strategy into numbers you can track. For example, a goal to “grow the business” becomes measurable KPIs such as monthly revenue, new customers and gross profit margin. A KPI report brings these numbers together so managers can make decisions quickly, and it often sits alongside your business reports and monthly reports.

Why Use a KPI Report Template?

Using a consistent KPI reporting template saves time and makes performance easy to compare from one period to the next. A good template helps you to:

• Focus on what matters by tracking a short list of the most important indicators instead of dozens of metrics.
• See performance at a glance with colour-coded status and a simple chart.
• Calculate results automatically – variance, % achieved and overall score are worked out for you.
• Handle “lower is better” KPIs correctly, such as costs, response time or employee turnover.
• Explain the story behind the numbers with highlights, root causes and corrective actions.
• Hold people accountable by assigning an owner and due date to every action.
• Present professional reports to managers, boards, investors and clients.

Free KPI Report Templates (Editable)

1. KPI Report & Dashboard Template (Excel)

This KPI dashboard template in Excel is built for monthly or weekly performance tracking. Enter the company or department, reporting period and preparer, then list your KPIs with their category, unit, direction (Higher or Lower is better, selected from a drop-down list), target and actual result. The sheet automatically calculates the variance, the percentage achieved and a status of On Track, At Risk or Off Track with green, amber and red colour coding.

Below the table, the KPI summary counts the total KPIs tracked and how many are on track, at risk and off track, and calculates an overall performance score. A bar chart compares the % achieved for each KPI, and there is space for key highlights and actions. Eight sample KPIs (revenue, gross profit margin, new customers, CSAT, response time, on-time delivery, operating expenses and employee turnover) show how it works, and blank formula rows are ready for your own indicators.

Best for: managers, business owners, analysts and team leaders who need a quick monthly KPI scorecard with automatic calculations.

2. KPI Performance Report Template (Word)

This KPI performance report template in Word is designed for formal monthly or quarterly reviews. It begins with report details (organisation, period, prepared by, prepared for, report date and version) and an executive summary that explains overall performance in a few sentences.

The KPI scorecard lists each KPI with its owner, target, actual, previous period, trend arrow and status. The report continues with highlights and achievements, a table for underperforming KPIs with the gap, root cause, corrective action, owner and due date, targets for the next period and a three-way approval section for the people who prepared, reviewed and approved the report.

Best for: monthly management meetings, quarterly business reviews, board reports and department performance reviews.

What to Include in a KPI Report

Whichever format you choose, a complete KPI report should contain these elements:

How to Create a KPI Report (Step by Step)

1. Start with your objectives. List the business, department or project goals the report should support.
2. Choose 5–10 KPIs. Pick indicators that directly measure those goals. Too many KPIs make the report hard to read.
3. Define each KPI clearly. Write the formula, data source, unit, owner and whether higher or lower is better.
4. Set SMART targets. Targets should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
5. Collect the actual results. Pull data from accounting, CRM, sales, HR and operations systems at the end of each period.
6. Calculate variance and status. The Excel template does this automatically once you enter the target and actual figures.
7. Analyse the results. Explain the main reasons for good and poor performance, and compare with the previous period.
8. Agree actions. For every Off Track KPI, record the root cause, corrective action, owner and due date.
9. Share and review. Present the report at your management meeting and follow up on actions in the next report.

KPI Formulas Used in the Templates

If you want to customise the spreadsheet, these are the formulas behind it:

• Variance = Actual − Target
• % Achieved (higher is better) = Actual ÷ Target. For example, revenue of $268,400 against a $250,000 target = 107%.
• % Achieved (lower is better) = Target ÷ Actual. For example, operating expenses of $98,000 against an $85,000 budget = 87%.
• Status = On Track if % achieved is 100% or more, At Risk if 90–99%, Off Track if below 90%.
• Overall KPI score = Average of % achieved for all KPIs.
• Growth vs previous period = (Current − Previous) ÷ Previous × 100.

You can change the 90% “At Risk” threshold to suit your organisation, for example 95% for tightly controlled financial KPIs.

KPI Report Examples by Department

Here are common KPIs you can add to your template, grouped by area:

Detailed figures behind these KPIs often come from your financial reports, sales reports and project status reports, while the KPI report summarises the headline results.

Tips for an Effective KPI Report

• Keep it short – one page or one screen for the scorecard, with detail in appendices.
• Use the same KPIs, definitions and layout every period so trends are easy to spot.
• Show the previous period and a trend arrow, not just this month’s number.
• Separate leading indicators (such as pipeline value) from lagging indicators (such as revenue).
• Give every KPI a named owner who is responsible for the result and the action plan.
• Add commentary only where it explains a variance or a decision – avoid long narratives.
• Review your KPIs once or twice a year and retire indicators that no longer drive decisions.

KPI Report vs. KPI Dashboard vs. Status Report

A KPI dashboard is a visual, often one-page view of indicators with charts and colour codes, designed for quick monitoring. A KPI report includes the dashboard numbers but adds analysis, root causes, actions and approval, so it is better for formal reviews. A status report focuses on the progress of a project or task – schedule, budget, risks and next steps – rather than on ongoing business performance. The Excel template on this page works as a dashboard, while the Word template is a complete performance report.

Related Report Templates

• Business Report Templates – present business performance and recommendations.
• Business Analysis Report Templates – analyse problems, options and solutions.
• Monthly Report Templates – summarise monthly activity and results.
• Weekly Report Templates – share weekly updates with your team or manager.
• Annual Report Templates – review a full year of performance.
• Progress Report Templates – report progress against plans and milestones.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a KPI report template?

A KPI report template is a pre-designed Excel or Word document for recording key performance indicators, their targets, actual results, variance and status. It lets you produce a consistent, professional performance report every period without building the layout from scratch.

How do I create a KPI report in Excel?

List your KPIs in rows with columns for target, actual, variance, % achieved and status. Use Actual ÷ Target for KPIs where higher is better and Target ÷ Actual where lower is better, then apply conditional formatting for On Track, At Risk and Off Track. The free Excel template on this page already includes these formulas, a summary and a chart.

How many KPIs should a KPI report include?

Most teams track between 5 and 10 KPIs per report. This is enough to cover finance, customers, operations and people without overwhelming readers. Department or project reports can have fewer, while company-wide dashboards may group more KPIs by category.

How often should KPI reports be prepared?

Monthly reporting is the most common. Fast-moving teams such as sales and customer service often review KPIs weekly, while boards and investors usually receive quarterly KPI reports. Use the same reporting period each time so results can be compared.

What is the difference between a KPI and a metric?

Every KPI is a metric, but not every metric is a KPI. A metric is any measurable number, such as website visits. A KPI is a metric directly linked to a key business objective and target, such as monthly revenue or customer retention rate.

What does On Track, At Risk and Off Track mean?

In these templates a KPI is On Track when it achieves 100% or more of its target, At Risk when it achieves 90–99%, and Off Track when it is below 90%. You can adjust the thresholds in the Excel formulas to match your organisation’s standards.

Are these KPI report templates free and editable?

Yes. Both templates are free to download and fully editable. You can add your logo, change KPIs and thresholds, and open them in Microsoft Excel and Word, LibreOffice, Google Sheets or Google Docs.