> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.talentmap.com/knowledge-base/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.talentmap.com/knowledge-base/step-5-analyze-interpret-and-report/compass-reports/how-to-read-your-survey-results.md). # How to Read Your Survey Results Your survey results show how your team feels about work, topic by topic, and where to focus next. This page explains what the numbers mean, why some results are hidden, and how to choose 1 or 2 priorities. {% hint style="info" %} **You always have Snapshot and Heatmap.** Other reports, such as Comments, appear only if your organization has given you access. {% endhint %} *** ## What your scores mean Each survey statement uses a 5-point agreement scale. Compass groups the answers into three categories: * **Favourable**: Strongly Agree and Agree. * **Neutral**: the middle option on the scale. * **Unfavourable**: Disagree and Strongly Disagree. The main number on your reports is **percent favourable**: the share of participants who answered Agree or Strongly Agree. * **Item**: a single survey statement. * **Dimension**: a group of related items measured together, such as Engagement or Senior Leadership. {% hint style="info" %} **Look at the whole mix, not only the headline.** If people move from Neutral to Unfavourable while Favourable stays the same, percent favourable can stay roughly flat even though the mix has shifted. {% endhint %} ### Why the numbers do not always add up Compass stores every score at full precision but displays whole-number percentages. Because of this: * Favourable, Neutral, and Unfavourable can add up to 99 or 101 instead of 100. * A very small change can show as 0. * A tiny real change (for example, 71.4 to 71.5) can display as a 1-point change (71 to 72). *** ## How to read comparisons A score means more when you see it next to something. Your reports can compare your results to: * **Previous period**: your own earlier survey, so you can see change over time. * **Benchmark**: other organizations, selected by size, sector, or industry. * **Organization Overall**: the score for your whole organization. Each comparison shows the difference in percent favourable. A plus (+) means your score is higher than the comparison. A minus (-) means it is lower. Benchmark and previous period appear only when that data has been set up for your survey. {% hint style="warning" %} **A 1-point difference can come from almost nothing.** Rounding hides differences smaller than 1%, so a change from 71.4 to 71.5 can display as 71 to 72. {% endhint %} ### Reading the Heatmap The Heatmap compares groups side by side in one grid. * Rows are dimensions. Columns are demographic groups. * By default, each cell shows the **delta**: the difference between that group's score and the comparison selected in **Compare To**. * Click the percentage icon to see each group's percent favourable instead. To compare your groups with your last survey: 1. Navigate to **Reports** > **Heatmap**. 2. Select your survey from the **Survey** dropdown, then select a demographic from the **Demographics** dropdown. 3. Select **Previous Period** in the **Compare To** dropdown. *** ## Why some results are hidden Compass protects every participant's confidentiality, so you may see blank cells or a blocked report. * **Fewer than 5 responses**: no group can be reported on with fewer than 5 responses. Its cells stay empty. * **Not in the previous survey**: in a previous period comparison, a cell is empty when that group was not mapped to the earlier survey. * **Too similar to a recent report**: Compass keeps track of the last 5 Snapshot reports you ran. A new filter must differ by at least 5 participants from one of those reports, or Compass blocks it. * **Key drivers need 30 responses**: key driver analysis on a filtered group needs at least 30 respondents. * **Comments need access**: comments are visible only to users given comment access. Full comments and AI comment summaries are separate permissions. {% hint style="info" %} **A blank cell is protection, not an error.** It keeps any one person's answers from being identified. {% endhint %} *** ## Where to focus You do not need to fix every low score. Choose 1 or 2 focus areas and do them well. 1. **Start with key drivers.** A key driver is an item with a strong statistical link to your engagement score. Key drivers have the biggest impact on how your team feels about the organization. 2. **Check the direction.** For each key driver, see whether it improved or declined since the last survey, and whether your team is more or less favourable than the organization overall. 3. **Make a shortlist.** The strongest candidates are key drivers that are declining, low compared to the benchmark, or low compared to the rest of the organization. 4. **Keep your strengths in view.** Note your highest scores too. Building on strengths keeps the conversation from becoming only about problems. 5. **Talk with your team.** Your results are a snapshot in time, not a report card. Share your shortlist and ask your team what they think belongs on it. {% hint style="info" %} **Low scores are not automatically priorities.** Focus first on what drives engagement for your team. {% endhint %} *** ## Frequently asked questions ### Why do my percentages add up to 99 or 101? Compass rounds each displayed figure to a whole number. The underlying scores are stored at full precision. ### My score did not change. Did nothing move? Not necessarily. A change smaller than 1 point can display as 0, and a shift from Neutral to Unfavourable can leave percent favourable flat. Look at the full favourable, neutral, and unfavourable mix. ### Why is a cell in my heatmap empty? The group has fewer than 5 responses, or, in a previous period comparison, the group was not mapped to the earlier survey. ### Why can't I see comments? Comments are visible only to users your organization has given comment access. Full comments and AI comment summaries are separate permissions, so you may have one without the other. Ask your Site Admin. ### Why don't I see key drivers for my group? Key driver analysis needs at least 30 respondents for a filtered group. ### Why don't I see a benchmark or previous period column? These columns appear only when benchmark or previous period data has been set up for your survey. They can also be hidden under **Comparisons** in Snapshot. ### Should we focus on our lowest scores? Not necessarily. Focus first on key drivers, the items with the strongest link to engagement. ### Why was my Snapshot report blocked? Your filter was too similar to a report you ran recently, so Compass blocked it to protect individual responses. Change the filter so the group differs from your recent reports by at least 5 participants. *** ## Related Articles * [How Compass scores are calculated and rounded](/knowledge-base/step-5-analyze-interpret-and-report/compass-reports/reporting-faq/how-compass-scores-are-calculated-and-rounded.md) * [Heatmap Overview](/knowledge-base/step-5-analyze-interpret-and-report/compass-reports/heatmap/heatmap-overview.md) * [What is key driver analysis?](/knowledge-base/step-5-analyze-interpret-and-report/compass-reports/reporting-faq/what-is-key-driver-analysis.md) * [Develop an Action Plan](/knowledge-base/step-7-communicate-and-take-action/action-planning/develop-an-action-plan.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. 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