Getting Started – Performance Values, Target Templates & Targets

Once you have set up your core data and permissions, the second step is to build the functional basis of variable compensation: performance values, the target templates built on top of them, and finally the concrete targets per employee. This guide walks you through them in the order of the menu items.

Performance values

A performance value describes what is measured, for example revenue or the number of new customers. It is the basis on which targets are later defined.

Create a new performance value using the plus symbol. In the form you enter a name and set the number of decimals and a unit symbol, for example €. Under required parameter you decide whether the values relate to an employee, a group or nothing. With accumulate, the values add up across the report period.

The report period sets the measurement cadence via unit (year, month, week or day), count and reference. Under value availability you state whether a value is already known at the start of the report period, becomes available with a delay (in which case you set the unit and count of the delay), or whether a correction value exists. For the data source, automatic import is available. Add a description if needed.

Example

Revenue: unit €, two decimals, parameter employee, report period month, accumulated.

New customers: no decimals, no unit symbol, parameter employee.

Target templates

A target template bundles the settings from which targets are later created. Create a new template using the plus symbol and first select a base template. The editor is organised into four tabs: general, values, time and split.

On the general tab you enter the name and set the compensation type (variable salary portion, relative bonus, absolute bonus or commission), the payout mode, the payout delay and the underlying performance value. Notes and an employee note on the target are also available.

On the values tab you set the target weight (as a percentage), the target value (the unit adopts the symbol of the performance value) and the bonus curve template. When you select a bonus curve, the curve parameters appear: the lower and upper performance points and the bonus rate at the lower and at the upper performance point.

On the time tab you set the target period via from and to. Use the quick select to adopt the current or next fiscal year. On the split tab you set the split mode (relative or absolute), independent sub-targets and a preliminary achievement level.

The key element is the switch per field: when it is on, the value is fixed in the template and locked in the target. When it is off, the field stays open and is filled in the target.

Consistent values with an active bonus curve

When a bonus curve is active, the values have to be consistent with each other. An incomplete or contradictory combination causes an input error on saving. In that case, check the target weight, the performance points and the bonus rates.

Nesting target templates (recommended)

Target templates can be organised as a hierarchy. When you create one, the base template field lets you pick either an empty template or an existing template as its parent. We recommend nesting, because it keeps recurring settings in one place and makes them cleanly reusable across the years.

A three-level structure works well:

At the top level you create one template per role (for example ADM or KAM) and fix what applies to the whole role, such as the compensation type. Below it you add one template per performance value and fix the value-related settings there, such as the target weight and the bonus curve with its curve parameters. At the bottom level you add a template that also has the target period filled in, usually one fiscal year. This lets you maintain a seasonal curve via sub-targets in exactly one place and reuse the structure next year without rebuilding it.

Anything fixed in a parent template appears greyed out with a downward arrow in the child template and is locked there. Open fields keep their switch and are filled at the relevant level or in the target itself. Inheritance therefore follows the same principle as the per-field switch, just across several levels.

Example hierarchy

Role: KAM (Key Account Manager) — compensation type fixed

KAM – Revenue — performance value, target weight and bonus curve fixed

KAM – Revenue 2026 — target period fixed, target value stays open

The hierarchy is shown indented in the list and in the base template selector.

Steering values through the inheritance structure

Within limits you can also steer targets afterwards through the template. If you change a value in a parent template, such as the target value or the curve parameters, that change can be pushed to every template and target built on it.

As soon as a template is in use, maXzie protects it: a note reads that other targets or templates already build on it, and a list link shows which ones. The template is locked at first so that only the name can be changed. Choose the allow-overwrite option to release the values; maXzie asks for confirmation first. Your changes then apply to the whole dependent structure.

Who? / Has permission? / For what?

A centrally maintained value saves effort but changes many targets at once. Before overwriting, use the list to check which targets are affected.

Archiving old target templates

Target templates you no longer need can be archived instead of deleted. On the edit page, tick the archived option at the bottom. Archived templates disappear from the default list; use the three-dot menu to show them again.

Targets linked to an archived template are kept. You can archive a role or yearly structure at the end of the year without losing existing evaluations.

Targets

A target is created from a target template and assigned to an employee or a group. Create a new target using the plus symbol. In the wizard you select a target template and the employee or group, then confirm with next.

The editor that follows matches the template editor with the same four tabs. Fields that the template fixes are greyed out and marked with a downward arrow. Open fields are editable and marked with a pencil icon; required fields also carry an asterisk. This way you only fill in what is individual per employee, typically the target value.

Related topics

For details on the related core data, see employees, groups and permissions. To see how targets appear in the evaluation, read the overview.

Best practices

Build the hierarchy from general to specific: role, then performance value, then fiscal year. Fix each value as high up as possible and leave open only what differs per person, typically the target value. Create a separate bottom-level template per fiscal year and archive the previous year’s once it is closed. Always check the list of dependent targets before overwriting.