Before you start designing your survey, it’s important to know whether a focal point exists.
A focal point is the headline outcome you want to measure and improve — such as employee engagement, customer satisfaction, or product quality.
The focal point forms the basis of Key Driver Analysis in your Results Dashboard. This analysis helps you understand which factors most influence your outcome and where to focus your action plans.
What is a focal point?
A focal point is a single, measurable concept that represents the overall goal of your survey. It answers the question:
“What are we ultimately trying to improve?”
In an employee engagement survey, your focal point is the overall engagement score, typically calculated from questions about commitment, motivation, and loyalty.
Once you’ve defined it, the Key Driver Analysis will show which areas (e.g. leadership, recognition, communication, workload) have the strongest impact on that outcome — helping you prioritise your next steps.
How to identify your focal point
Ask yourself these two questions:
What is the main goal or purpose of my survey?
Is there a single outcome or metric that reflects this goal?
If you can clearly answer both, your survey has a focal point. If not, you may need to:
Refine your objectives - focus on what matters most, or
Consider running a survey that explores multiple themes without driver analysis (for example, a pulse or diagnostic survey).
Why it matters
Surveys with a clear focal point make analysis faster, easier, and more actionable.
They enable you to:
Identify what drives the most important outcomes.
Target actions that will have the biggest impact.
Track improvement over time against a defined measure.
Need help defining your focal point?
Our People Insight consultants can help you shape your survey goals, clarify your focal point, and configure your dashboard for meaningful analysis. Contact us if you’d like expert guidance.