Understanding what's "normal" for your team is the foundation of effective workforce analytics. When you establish a baseline of typical work patterns, you can quickly spot unusual activity, identify security risks and make data-driven decisions about productivity.
This guide walks you through using the Productivity Trends dashboard to build that baseline and recognize patterns in your organization's workday.
Contents
- Why baselines matter
- Getting started with Productivity Trends
- Reading the data
- Recognizing individual work styles
- What to look for
- Taking action
- Beyond Productivity Trends
- Best Practices
- Next steps
Why baselines matter
Every organization has its own rhythm. Some teams start work early, others ramp up later in the day. Some roles require deep focus blocks, while others involve frequent collaboration. Without understanding these patterns, you might mistake normal behavior for a problem—or miss actual issues hiding in plain sight.
A solid baseline helps you:
- Identify unusual activity that could indicate security risks
- Understand team work patterns and preferences
- Make informed decisions about workload distribution
- Set realistic productivity goals
- Recognize when someone needs support
Getting started with Productivity Trends
The Productivity Trends dashboard (Workforce Management > Productivity Trends) gives you the clearest view of how your team works throughout the day. This is where you'll build your understanding of normal patterns.
Customize your view
Start by adjusting the filters in the upper left corner:
- Time frame: Choose the period you want to analyze (last week, last month, etc.)
- Users or groups: Select specific team members or entire departments
- Computers: Filter by device if needed
Choose your chart style
The dashboard offers two visualization options:
- Bar charts: Show productivity levels in blocks, making it easy to compare different time periods
- Area charts: Display trends over time with a flowing visual that highlights patterns
Switch between these views to see what works best for your analysis.
Reading the data
Daily patterns
Start with the single-day view to see how a typical workday unfolds. You'll notice patterns like:
- When people start logging on
- Peak productivity hours
- Common break times
- When the workday winds down
This hour-by-hour breakdown shows not just when people are active, but what kinds of activities they're engaged in throughout the day.
Adjusting time intervals
Use the interval controls to change how data is grouped:
- Hourly views for detailed analysis
- Longer intervals for high-level trends
You can also adjust the beginning and end of day settings to match your organization's schedule.
Recognizing individual work styles
Once you understand the overall patterns, start looking at individual baselines. Everyone has their own work style, and that's perfectly normal.
For example, you might notice:
- Mark consistently works late into the evening
- Nina arrives earlier than most team members
- The development team has different patterns compared to the sales team
These aren't problems to fix—they're insights into how your team naturally operates. Document these patterns so you can distinguish between someone's typical schedule and actual unusual activity.
What to look for
As you review the data, pay attention to:
Consistent patterns
- Regular start and end times
- Typical daily productivity levels
- Common application usage
- Standard meeting schedules
Changes from baseline
Once you know what's normal, deviations become obvious:
- Someone who usually works 9-5 suddenly logs on at 3 a.m.
- A typically productive employee showing extended inactive periods
- Unusual application usage outside someone's normal role
- Activity patterns that don't match approved schedules
Team-wide trends
Look beyond individuals to spot broader patterns:
- Department-specific work rhythms
- Collaboration patterns between teams
- Peak productivity times across the organization
- Common break periods or downtime
Taking action
Building a baseline isn't a one-time task. Review your Productivity Trends dashboard regularly to:
- Validate your baseline: Confirm that patterns remain consistent over time
- Update for changes: Adjust expectations when team members change roles or schedules
- Spot anomalies quickly: The better you know what's normal, the faster you'll catch what isn't
- Make informed decisions: Use baseline data to set realistic goals and expectations
Beyond Productivity Trends
While Productivity Trends is your primary tool for establishing baselines, you can gather additional insights from:
- Application Usage: See which tools your team uses most
- Category Usage: Understand how time breaks down across activity types
- Daily Work Metrics: Track when people are actively working
These dashboards complement your baseline understanding and provide different angles on work patterns.
Best practices
Start broad, then narrow: Begin by looking at team or department-wide patterns before drilling down to individuals.
Give it time: A single day doesn't make a baseline. Look at data over several weeks to account for day-to-day variation.
Document what you learn: Keep notes about normal patterns for each team or role. This makes it easier to train others and maintain consistency.
Respect privacy: Use baseline data to understand work patterns, not to micromanage. The goal is security and support, not surveillance.
Communicate with your team: Be transparent about what you're tracking and why. When people understand the purpose, they're more likely to support it.
Next steps
Now that you understand how to establish a baseline, you're ready to:
- Set up alerts for activity outside normal patterns
- Create productivity goals based on realistic expectations
- Identify opportunities for process improvements
- Support team members who might be struggling
Understanding what's normal in your organization is the foundation for everything else ActivTrak helps you do. Take the time to build that baseline, and you'll make better decisions at every level.