Garrett Scoring: A Comprehensive Framework for Standardized Score Aggregation

In an era where data-driven decision-making reigns supreme, organizations often struggle with aggregating disparate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) into meaningful, actionable insights. Garrett Scoring emerges as a sophisticated methodology designed to address these challenges by standardizing scores across multiple lenses and KPIs. This blog explores the nuances of Garrett Scoring, delving into its methodology, advantages, and potential applications.

Figure: Data streams going to Garrat module for score calculation

Understanding Garrett Scoring

Garrett Scoring provides a rank-based technique for aggregating KPIs, enabling a robust analysis that mitigates the impact of outliers, skewed distributions, and varying scales. The methodology’s core principle lies in transforming ranks into standardized scores, thus enabling a meaningful comparison of KPIs across different dimensions.

The Rank-Based Approach

Raw KPI values are often difficult to compare due to variations in units, scales, or distributions. Garrett’s methodology overcomes these limitations by ranking KPIs based on their relative performance. By focusing on ranks rather than raw values, this approach:

  1. Neutralizes Scale Variations: Prevents domination by KPIs with larger numerical values.
  2. Minimizes Outlier Impact: Reduces skewing caused by extreme values.
  3. Enhances Comparative Analysis: Highlights relative strengths and weaknesses.

However, ranks alone may not always provide intuitive insights. For instance, two KPIs with a rank of 5 could have entirely different implications if one is heavily influenced by null values. To address this, Garrett Scoring introduces a linear scale conversion.

Converting Ranks to Linear Scores

Ranks are ideal for comparing items without worrying about scale differences or outliers. However, ranks:
– Do not indicate the magnitude of differences between items.
– Can be misinterpreted, especially when distributions of underlying values differ.

Linear scores, on the other hand, provide a proportional representation of rank positions on a standardized scale, making them more intuitive and actionable.


The conversion process assumes that the underlying distribution of the ability being ranked follows a normal (Gaussian) distribution. Using this assumption, ranks are mapped onto a linear scale, such as a 10-point scale, using the following steps:

Figure: Gaussian distribution of the kpi rank

1. Rank Positioning and Normal Distribution
Ranks are interpreted as percentiles within the distribution. For example:
The top rank corresponds to the highest percentile (near 100%).
The lowest rank corresponds to the lowest percentile (near 0%).
The Empirical Rule for Gaussian Distributions is applied to divide the data into intervals based on standard deviations (σ). For example:

±1σ covers 68.2% of the data.
±2σ covers 95.4% of the data.
±2.5σ includes 98.8% of the data, encompassing nearly all ranks.


2. Mapping Percentiles to Scores
The range of ranks is divided into intervals, each mapped to a specific score. On a 10-point scale:

Scores 9–10: Top 1.7% of ranks (above +2.5σ).
Scores 8–9: Next 4.4% of ranks (between +2σ and +2.5σ).
Scores 7–8: Next 9.3% (between +1σ and +2σ).
And so forth, as per the Gaussian intervals.
This mapping ensures a smooth transition from ranks to scores, reflecting their relative positions and the distribution’s nature.

3. Continuity Correction
A continuity correction factor of 0.5 adjusts for the discrete nature of ranks. This factor:

1. Mitigates biases arising from treating ranks as continuous variables.
2. Ensures smoother transitions between ranks during score calculation.

The corrected rank is calculated as:

Corrected Rank=Rank+0.5

4. Score Calculation Formula

The formula for calculating the percent position or linear score is:

Linear Score=100* (Corrected Rank−1)/( Total Ranks−1)

This value represents the percentage distance of a rank from the highest or lowest extreme.

Challenges and Considerations
Complexity: The methodology requires careful implementation, especially in large datasets with multiple KPIs.
Misinterpretation Risk: Ranks and scores need contextual explanation to avoid misunderstandings, particularly when datasets contain missing or skewed values.

Applications of Garrett’s Methodology
Performance Analysis Across Departments:


Organizations can evaluate departmental performance by aggregating KPI scores across lenses such as efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and customer satisfaction. Garrett’s Methodology ensures fair comparison despite differences in KPI scales.

Product Evaluation:
When assessing a portfolio of products, ranks can be assigned to features like sales volume, profit margin, and customer ratings. The methodology enables product managers to derive a single aggregated score, streamlining decision-making.

Employee Assessment:
In human resources, employee performance metrics like task completion rate, peer reviews, and innovation scores can be ranked, converted, and aggregated to identify top performers reliably.

Market Analysis:
In competitive industries, companies can rank and evaluate market segments or competitors based on factors like market share, growth rate, and customer loyalty. Garrett’s scores ensure precise rankings and actionable insights.

Figure: Dashboard view with multi lens scoring methodology

Risk Assessment:
Financial institutions can use this methodology to rank and score investment opportunities or risk factors, balancing multiple KPIs like ROI, volatility, and liquidity.

Conclusion
Garrett’s Methodology revolutionizes KPI aggregation by blending statistical rigor with intuitive analysis. Its ability to handle diverse scales, outliers, and distributions makes it a valuable tool across industries. By enabling robust comparisons and revealing hidden patterns, this methodology empowers organizations to make informed, data-driven decisions.

Whether evaluating products, employees, or market dynamics, Garrett’s Methodology is a cornerstone technique for aggregating insights with precision and reliability.

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