At the core of the SPARA Performance Operating Model is a structured, repeatable method: the Performance Intelligence Cycle (PIC). This cycle provides a consistent, scalable way to manage performance across any team, service, or portfolio. It gives rhythm to decision-making and a framework for turning data into impact.

Where the SPARA Levers offer insight into what to improve, the PIC defines how to operate performance as a living system.

2.0 What is the Performance Intelligence Cycle?

The PIC is a five-phase, practice-driven process that turns fragmented data into strategic clarity and organisational momentum. It moves through:

Frame the Performance Question
Identify what you need to know, why it matters, and how it aligns with business outcomes.
Identify the Right Metrics
Select meaningful, actionable measures that provide insight, not just reporting.
Capture & Validate Data
Secure the right data, ensure quality, and deal with the complexities of fragmented systems.
Report and Communicate Insight
Tailor reports for audiences, bring context to metrics, and guide interpretation.
Drive Action and Adjust
Link insights to governance and change, and adapt metrics over time as the organisation evolves.

Each phase is supported by tools, templates, and flexible deployment models to support organisations of all sizes and maturities.

3.0 Why the PIC Matters

Performance doesn’t fail because organisations don’t measure. It fails because:

They measure the wrong things
They don’t use the data to make decisions
Metrics become disconnected from day-to-day reality

The PIC addresses this by:

Starting with strategic questions
Driving metric selection through context
Connecting insight directly to decision-making and ownership

It is the glue that turns performance insight into repeatable operational behaviour.

4.0 Designed to Scale and Flex

The PIC is:

Role-neutral by default: a single person or a team can run the cycle
Scalable by design: use it for a single product, a department, or an entire enterprise
Framework-agnostic: integrates with ITIL, Agile, Lean, DevOps, or custom models

It operates as a performance overlay. You don’t need to restructure your organisation to benefit from it.

5.0 Using the Levers Within the PIC

The SPARA Levers are used as contextual enablers at each phase of the PIC:

Governance & Alignment ensures questions and decisions are owned
Design & Flow improves how insight is generated and shared
People & Empowerment ensures insight is interpreted and acted on
Delivery & Assurance focuses on consistency and accountability
Experience & Outcomes ensures the right outcomes are measured and felt

The PIC isn’t linear. It loops and adapts. It can be run continuously or in cycles aligned to planning, sprints, or review cadences.

6.0 What Follows

The next five chapters will explore each PIC phase in depth. For each phase, we will define:

Purpose and expected outcomes
Inputs and outputs
Tools and templates
Role examples across different org sizes
Practical tips for deployment

The PIC turns performance management from a dashboard into a discipline. It builds the habits and structures that drive lasting change.