Indicator Tracking Table (ITT) Builder
EvalCommunity Academy · Tool tutorial
How to Track Your Indicators with the Indicator Tracking Table (ITT) Builder
A step-by-step guide to setting up your indicators, entering results each reporting period, and producing a donor-ready ITT in Excel or PDF. Free to use, no account needed.
In this tutorial
What an ITT is and why it matters
An Indicator Tracking Table (ITT) is the core monitoring tool of most development and humanitarian projects. It lists every indicator from your logframe or results framework and shows, period by period, how far the project has moved from its baseline toward its target.
Donors use the ITT to judge progress at a glance, and project teams use it to decide where to act. A well-kept ITT tells you three things quickly: what has been achieved, what is on track, and what needs attention before the next review meeting.
Each row of an ITT is one indicator. The columns answer the same questions for every indicator:
| Column | What it answers |
|---|---|
| Indicator and definition | What exactly are we measuring, and who or what is counted? |
| Baseline | What was the situation before the project started? |
| Target | What does the project aim to reach by the end of the period? |
| Actual achievement | What has actually been realized so far? |
| % achieved and status | How close are we to the target, and is that on track? |
| Data source, frequency, responsible person | Where does the figure come from, how often is it collected, and who is accountable? |
| Remarks | Why is there a gap, what are the challenges, and what happens next? |
What you need before you start
The tool does the calculations, but the quality of your ITT depends on the information you bring to it. Have these ready:
- Your logframe or results framework, with the exact wording of each indicator.
- An indicator definition for each one, ideally from your Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (PIRS) or MEL plan.
- Baselines and targets, using the same unit of measurement for both.
- Your reporting periods, such as quarters, months or years.
- The actual values for each period, taken from your registers, surveys or monitoring records.
Using the tool, step by step
The ITT Builder is organized into four tabs: Setup, Indicators, ITT table and Dashboard. The first time you open it, it shows a worked example so you can see a completed ITT. Use Export & data › Start a new ITT when you are ready to enter your own project.
1
Set up your project
On the Setup tab, enter the project name, implementing organization, project goal and the date your data covers (for example, Q3 2026). These appear in the header of your ITT.
Name your four reporting periods, such as Q1 2026 to Q4 2026, or months, semesters or years.
Then check the two progress thresholds. By default, 90% and above is on track, 60% to under 90% is moderate progress, and under 60% needs attention. Change them if your organization or donor uses different ones.
2
Add your indicators
On the Indicators tab, select Add indicator for each indicator in your logframe. For each one, enter:
- The indicator and its definition, worded as in your logframe.
- The indicator type: a number or count, a percentage, or a Yes/No milestone such as “Sustainability plan developed”.
- The baseline and the target.
- How periods combine and the % achieved formula. Both are explained in the calculations section below.
- Tracking details: reporting period, data source, frequency, responsible person and remarks.
You can move, duplicate and delete indicators at any time. Each indicator card shows its progress bar and status as you type.
3
Enter your actuals each period
At the end of each reporting period, open each indicator and type the actual value in the box for that period. Leave future periods blank; blank periods are simply not counted.
For a Yes/No milestone, choose whether it is achieved and, if you wish, enter the progress made toward it as a percentage. The tool updates the actual achievement, % achieved and status straight away, and the summary bar at the top of the tool updates too.
4
Review the ITT table
The ITT table tab shows your complete, formatted ITT, with the % achieved column coloured green, amber or red, a key and notes. Tick Show actuals for each period to add a column for every period. This is the version to share with your team or donor.
5
Read the dashboard before your review meeting
The Dashboard tab shows your average achievement, how many indicators fall into each status, and a bar for every indicator with your two thresholds marked. The Priority follow-up list puts the indicators that need attention first, with the responsible person and remarks, so you can use it to set the agenda of your next project meeting.
6
Export, share and back up
Open the Export & data menu to choose what you need:
- Download Excel file: your completed ITT with real numbers, percentages and status colours, ready to attach to a donor report.
- Print or save as PDF: prints only the ITT table on a landscape page. Choose “Save as PDF” in your print window.
- Download CSV: for Google Sheets, statistical software or other systems.
- Download backup: saves your whole ITT as a small file. Use Restore from backup to continue on another computer or share a draft with a colleague.
- Download blank Excel template: for colleagues who prefer to work in Excel (see below).
How the calculations work
Two choices for each indicator decide how the tool calculates progress. Getting them right is the most important part of a reliable ITT.
1. How periods combine into the actual achievement
| Option | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cumulative (sum) | New people or outputs counted each period | 10 youth trained in Q1 and 8 in Q2 = 18 |
| Latest value | Status indicators and percentages that describe the situation now | 30% of youth in business in Q2, 45% in Q3 = 45% |
| Highest value | The best result reached in any period | Attendance of 70, 85 and 80 = 85 |
Watch out: never add up percentages or status indicators. If 45% of youth run a business in Q3, adding Q2’s 30% would give a meaningless 75%. Use Latest value instead. The tool selects it automatically when you choose the Percentage type.
2. The % achieved formula
Actual ÷ Target
% achieved = Actual ÷ Target × 100
The standard ITT formula. Use it when the baseline is zero. Example: 18 youth trained against a target of 20 = 90%.
Progress from baseline
(Actual − Baseline) ÷ (Target − Baseline) × 100
Use it when the baseline is not zero, or when the indicator should go down. Example: school dropout falls from 30% to 20% against a target of 10% = 50% of the way there.
Why it matters: with Actual ÷ Target, the dropout example would show 200%, because 20% is twice the 10% target. That would wrongly flag a project that is only halfway as overachieving. Progress from baseline measures the distance actually travelled.
A worked example
The tool opens with this example: a youth skills project supporting 20 young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) through vocational skilling and entrepreneurship, reported as of Q3 2026.
| Indicator | Target | Actual | % achieved | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth trained in vocational skills | 20 | 18 | 90% | On track |
| Trained youth starting a business | 60% | 45% | 75% | Moderate |
| Youth producing and selling liquid soap | 12 | 9 | 75% | Moderate |
| Youth engaged in tailoring or knitting | 12 | 8 | 67% | Moderate |
| Youth earning regular income | 12 | 7 | 58% | Needs attention |
| Youth with access to project markets | 10 | 6 | 60% | Moderate |
| Sustainability plan developed and implemented | Yes | Yes (90%) | 90% | On track |
Reading it: training is on track, but income is lagging behind. The remarks explain why (income levels are still low), and the Priority follow-up list on the dashboard would put that indicator first for the next review: more business support is needed before the final quarter.
Prefer Excel? Use the blank template
Some teams keep their ITT in Excel. On the Setup tab, select Download blank Excel template to get an empty ITT with the same calculations built in as Excel formulas:
- Yellow cells for project details and your two thresholds.
- Thirty indicator rows, with drop-down lists for indicator type, how periods combine, the % formula and frequency.
- Grey columns that calculate automatically: actual achievement, % achieved and status, with status colours.
- A “How to use” sheet that explains each step.
How your data is protected
Your data never leaves your browser
- Stays on your device. Your entries are saved only in your browser. They are not sent to EvalCommunity or to any other server, so no one else can see, access or recover them.
- No AI involved. The tool does not use AI. Your entries are never sent to an AI service or used to train models.
- You stay in control. Download a backup to keep a copy, or use Clear my data from this browser when you finish. On a shared computer, always clear your data.
- Protect the people in your data. Enter aggregated figures only. Do not enter names, phone numbers or other details that could identify participants.
Common mistakes to avoid
Adding up percentages
Use Latest value for percentages and status indicators, never Cumulative.
Counting people twice
With Cumulative, enter only new people each period, not the running total.
Ignoring the baseline
If the baseline is not zero, or the indicator should fall, use Progress from baseline.
Mixing units
Baseline, target and actuals must use the same unit, all counts or all percentages.
Empty remarks
Every indicator below target needs a remark explaining the gap and the next step.
No backup
Your ITT lives in one browser. Download a backup after each reporting period.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account or to pay?
No. The ITT Builder is free and works directly in your browser without an account.
Will my work be there when I come back?
Yes, on the same computer and browser. It is saved automatically as you type. To work on another computer, download a backup and restore it there.
Can I track more than four periods?
The tool tracks four periods per ITT, which covers a year of quarterly reporting. For a multi-year project, start a new ITT each year and keep the previous one as a backup file or Excel export.
My donor uses different thresholds. Can I change them?
Yes. Set your own values for “On track from” and “Moderate from” on the Setup tab. The colours and statuses update across the whole ITT.
Can I enter decimals with a comma?
Yes. The tool accepts both 12.5 and 12,5, and reads 1,500 or 1 500 as one thousand five hundred.
Related resources
Check the quality of your ITT and go further with these free EvalCommunity resources. Each link opens in a new tab.
