Collect values for ESG Program metrics

From an ESG Program, you add metrics to help track and manage data collection for an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting. For each metric, you can collect one value per time period, or multiple values based on dimensions such as location or demographic.

To provide metrics' values, you can:

• Enter them directly in the metric, when the ESG Program is the source of truth.
• Pull them from connected source spreadsheets or documents, such as a data collection spreadsheet or policy manual.
• Request assigned workspace members to collect and approve them through Workiva Tasks

Tip: Before you set up a metric for data collection, select the type of values it collects from the Configure metric panel.

Assign values for collection or approval

To ease data collection, you can assign workspace members to prepare or approve a metric's values.

• From a metric, you can assign members to collect or approve a metric's only value — or by default, for a metric with dimension values — in Metric assignment.
  
• When you edit a dimension's value, you can assign members to collect or approve that specific value — if different from the metric's default assignment — in Metric assignment.
  

Note: If you edit the metric's default assignment, the new assignment also applies to any dimensions' values — even those with custom assignments set up.

To assign a metric's value or its dimension's value to workspace members:

1. In Assignee and Task due, select the member to collect the value and their due date.

   Tip: When you add a metric, the ESG Program automatically assigns you as its values' assignee. 

2. Assign the value's approval to one or multiple members.
   • One approver
   • Multiple approvers

   To assign only one member as an approver:

   1. In Approver, select the member to verify the value.
   2. In Approval due, select the approver's due date

   You can assign multiple members to approve a value, such as to:

   • Require approval from one of multiple members by a specific due date
   • Set up a series of approval steps, each with its own approvers and due date

   To assign a value's approval to multiple members:

   1. In Approver, select Multiple approvers.
      
   2. In Step 1, select the members to perform the value's initial approval — or its only approval, if no other steps are required — and their due date.
      

      Tip: When you assign multiple members to an approval step, approval by any of them will complete their step. To require approval by multiple members, add a separate step for each approval.

   3. To have additional members verify the approval, click Add approval step, and set up the new step's approvers and due date.

      Note: Each approval step must be due after its preceding due date.

   4. After you set up all approval steps, click Save.

      Tip: To delete an approval step, select Remove step from its menu.

3. In Instructions, enter any guidance to help collaborators complete their tasks, such as:
   • Details about the value or data to collect
   • Any related framework-specific guidance
   • The context of the value's narrative in the reporting output

   Tip: You can enter up to 2,000 characters for instructions. For longer instructions, upload them as reference attachments.

Set up values for metrics without dimensions

For a metric with no dimensions, set up each time period's value for data collection, including the workspace members assigned to collect and approve values.

1. In Metric assignment, select the workspace members to collect and approve the value.
   

   Tip: To enter the value directly in the metric, keep yourself as its assignee, and select when you enter the value as its due date.

2. In Metric value, enter, connect, or request the value.
   
   

   Note: To have collaborators collect data through a connected source file or Workiva Tasks, connect or request the value, respectively.

   • Enter value
   • Connect value
   • Request value

   Tip: To enter a value for a metric already connected to a source, first disconnect the source.

   To enter the value directly in the metric:

   1. In Value, enter the metric's value
   2. Metric notes, enter any general information about the value, such as additional context for the report's narrative or to appear as a footnote.
   3. In Supporting attachments, upload any files about the specific value, such as evidence or calculations.
   4. Complete the task:
      • If there's no approver assigned, click Complete value.
        
      • If there's an approver assigned, select Send task from the value's menu, and then send the value for approval from Workiva Tasks.
        

   Tip: You can track the data collection from the metric or its ESG Program or topic.

   Tip: If the metric already has a value entered, first clear the Value field.

   To pull the value from a source file:

   1. In Value, click Connect to source file.
   2. In Source file, search for the file with the value to connect by name, or select it from recent files.
      
      

      Tip: To connect a different source file, click Remove source, and then search for or select the new source file.

   3. In Source section, select which sheet or section of the source file contains the value.
   4. In Value, click Open source , and connect the value's cell or content to the metric.
   5. In Metric notes, enter any information about the value, such as additional context for the report's narrative or to appear as a footnote.
   6. In Supporting attachments, upload any files about the specific value, such as evidence or calculations.
   7. Click Send task.

   When you send a value's task, its assignee receives a notification in Home and their email inbox. After they enter the value in the connected source file, they can complete their task from the ESG metrics panel.

   

   When the assignee completes their task, the approver then receives their task to verify the value entered.

   Tip: You can track the data collection from the metric or its ESG Program or topic.

   Note: To collect the value through Workiva Tasks, leave Value empty, and don't connect a source file. If metric already has a connected source, first click Remove source.

   From Workiva Tasks, workspace members can collect and approve values for ESG reporting through a streamlined view of the metric's details, including any description and related ESG content.

   To have the assignee and approver complete their tasks from Workiva Tasks:

   1. In Metric value, enter additional details or supplemental context to help the assignee or approver complete their tasks:
      • In Metric notes, enter any information about the value, such as additional context for the report's narrative or to appear as a footnote.
      • In Supporting attachments, upload any files about the value, such as evidence or calculations.

      Note: The assignee or approver can also provide or edit these details from Workiva Tasks.

   2. Click Send task. The assignee will receive a notification — in Home and their email inbox — to collect the value from Workiva Tasks.
      

      Tip: When the assignee completes their task, the approver receives their task to verify the value from Workiva Tasks. You can track the data collection from the metric or its ESG Program or topic.

Set up collection for metrics with dimensions

For a metric with dimensions, you can collect multiple values for each time period.

Step 1. Set the metric's default assignee and approver

In Metric assignment, assign workspace members to collect and approve the metric's values by default.

Step 2. Set up the values' data collection

In Metric value, you can collect each dimension's value.

To set up data collection for a dimension, click Edit, and then enter, connect, or request its value.

Note: To have collaborators collect data through a connected source file or Workiva Tasks, connect or request the value, respectively.

Step 3. Send the values' tasks

After you set up the dimensions' values for the time period, click Send tasks.

• For values with a connected source, assignees and approvers can enter or verify the value in the source file, and complete their task from the file's ESG metrics panel.
• For values without a connected source, assignees and approvers complete their tasks from Workiva Tasks.

Note: If you enter values directly in the metric, click Complete metric values to update the ESG Program's data collection status.

You can track the data collection from the metric or its ESG Program or topic.

Note: Assignees and approvers can access their tasks from Home or notifications in their email inbox .