KPIs and settlement state

A KPI (Key Performance Indicator) in QAudit is a computed metric derived from a set of audit events over a defined period. KPIs are the main way the platform turns raw event data into the summarised, comparable numbers that appear in dashboards, reports, and evidence packs.

How a KPI is computed

Each KPI definition specifies:

• the event types and payload fields to aggregate;
• the evaluation period (monthly, daily, quarterly, or a custom duration);
• the formula — a sum, count, ratio, average, or similar aggregation over the events in the period.

For example, a "dematerialisation rate" KPI might count the events of type pa.invoice.received.v1 that carry a specific flag and divide by the total count of events in the period. A "processing time" KPI might average a duration field across all completed-flow events in the day.

KPI definitions are configured at the organisation level. The dashboard displays only the KPIs configured for the organisation.

Evaluation periods

Every KPI value is computed for a specific period, such as "May 2025" or "2025-Q1". KPI values are always period-scoped — there is no "all-time" value in the dashboard.

Periods are calendar-aligned. Monthly periods follow ISO calendar months; quarterly periods follow ISO calendar quarters. Custom periods are aligned to boundaries negotiated at onboarding.

Running and final state

The most important property of a KPI value is its settlement state: whether the evaluation period is still open or has closed.

State	Meaning
Running	The evaluation period has not yet ended. Events are still arriving; the value will change.
Final	The evaluation period is closed. The value is locked — no future events can change it.

A "final" KPI value is the one that matters for compliance, contractual verification, and evidence packs. Running values provide a real-time view of where the period is heading, but they are not legally conclusive.

The settlement-state badge

QAudit makes the settlement state visible everywhere a KPI value appears. A settlement-state badge labelled "Running" or "Final" is displayed:

• on every dashboard tile showing a KPI value;
• on every row in a KPI history table;
• inside every evidence pack summary;
• in every report or export.

This badge is never omitted, even when only one state exists or when displaying a single value in isolation. The reason is legal: a running value presented without the qualifier could mislead a reader into treating it as final. The badge removes that ambiguity.

What happens when a period closes

When the calendar rolls past the end of an evaluation period, QAudit:

1. Computes the final KPI value from the events received up to the period boundary.
2. Locks the value — it is now immutable. Subsequent events with a date in the closed period do not change it.
3. Marks the period as Final on all surfaces.
4. Triggers the automatic production of the evidence pack for that (tenant, KPI, period) combination (see Evidence packs).

Late-arriving events (events with a date in a closed period that arrive after the close) are still accepted and stored by the Gateway — open ingest does not refuse them. But they do not feed the final KPI value. They are recorded on the chain and remain visible in the event explorer with a note indicating their late-arrival status.

Contractual period extensions

For tenants where the KPI feeds a contractual SLA, a contractual grace period extension can be configured at onboarding. During the extension window, the period remains Running for KPI computation purposes even though the calendar end date has passed. At the end of the extension the period closes and finalises normally.

This feature is configured per-KPI per-tenant and is not visible in the standard dashboard.