What are the 7 essential KPIs to steer a Belgian SME every week ?

The 7 recommended weekly KPIs for a Belgian SME are: weighted sales forecast (quarterly revenue outlook), available cash and runway (months of operations remaining), DSO (average client payment delay), gross margin ratio, productivity in billable versus worked hours, client NPS, and for AML-obliged entities the client file compliance rate. These 7 indicators fit on a single screen and enable a decision in 6 minutes.

How do I calculate a Belgian SME's DSO and what is the legal threshold ?

DSO (Days Sales Outstanding) is calculated by dividing the accounts receivable balance by revenue net of VAT and multiplying by 365. In Belgium, the Act of 14 August 2021 caps B2B payment terms at 60 calendar days. A DSO above 45 days triggers a red alert in Company Belgium's invoicing module. On a revenue of one million euros, each additional DSO day represents approximately 2,740 euros of locked cash.

What is the runway and how do I calculate it for a Belgian SME ?

The runway expresses in months how long an SME can operate without additional revenue. You calculate it by adding the bank balance and 30-day receivables, then subtracting 30-day payables and monthly fixed costs. A runway below 3 months is a red alert requiring immediate action. Between 3 and 6 months, vigilance is warranted. Above 6 months, the position is comfortable.

How do I build a weekly KPI dashboard for a Belgian SME with Company Belgium ?

Company Belgium's Reporting module ships a pre-configured weekly dashboard with the 7 KPIs on a single 1080p screen. Each indicator shows the current value, the change versus last week with an arrow and a percentage, a green/amber/red reference band based on configurable thresholds, and a one-click drill-down link. You can add or remove indicators based on your activity.

7 Weekly KPIs to Steer a Belgian SME — Forecast, Cash, DSO, Margin

In brief

A Belgian SME leader only needs 7 key indicators every Monday morning: weighted sales forecast, available cash and runway, DSO, gross margin ratio, productivity (billable vs worked hours), client NPS and AML compliance indicator. These 7 KPIs are enough to steer the business without drowning in detail.

Why 7 — and not 12 or 40

An SME leader spends on average 6 minutes on a dashboard on Monday morning before the first meeting. Past 7 indicators, the eye disengages and reading becomes routine without driving any decision. This selection is deliberately tight: each KPI answers a question a leader should ask every week.

1. Weighted quarter forecast

Definition. Sum of open deal amounts, weighted by the stage's signature probability:

Code

Forecast = Σ (deal_amount × stage_probability)

With: qualified = 20%, proposal = 40%, negotiation = 70%, won = 100%.

Why track it. It's the leading indicator of revenue for the next 60-90 days. A sharp drop is never caught up in a quarter — act when it appears.

Source. CRM → Pipeline module. The dashboard pulls this number automatically, comparing to last week. To build a reliable pipeline with automatic BCE enrichment, see our article on the sales pipeline for Belgian SMEs.

2. Available cash and runway

Definition. Bank balance + 30-day receivables - 30-day payables - monthly fixed costs. "Runway" expresses this balance in months of operations.

Why track it. An SME rarely dies from losses — it dies from cash shortage. Runway < 3 months is a red alert; between 3 and 6, vigilance; > 6, comfortable.

Source. Accounting → Bank + Invoicing → Clients/Suppliers modules.

3. DSO (Days Sales Outstanding)

Definition. Average client payment delay (receivables × 365 / revenue net of VAT).

Why track it. In Belgium, the Act of 14 August 2021 caps B2B at 60 days. If your DSO is 70 days, you're lending 10 days of revenue to your clients. On a €1M revenue, that's €27,000 of locked cash that could fund a role or a project. Electronic invoicing via Peppol in Belgium can materially shorten payment delays in 2026.

Source. Invoicing module. The dashboard flags red as soon as DSO exceeds 45 days for 3 consecutive months.

4. Gross margin ratio

Definition. (Revenue - cost of sales) / Revenue × 100. Computed per segment or business line.

Why track it. Revenue often hides a declining margin: products/services sold cheaper, rising input cost, unfavorable mix. Weekly tracking catches the drift before the quarterly close.

Source. Invoicing (sales) + Accounting (allocated purchases). The Reporting module computes margin over the trailing 4 rolling weeks.

5. Productivity — billable hours vs worked hours

For whom. Services SMEs (consulting, IT, agencies, engineering, accounting firms).

Definition. Effectively billable hours sold / total hours worked by the productive team (excl. admin, sales).

Target. 70-80% for a mature SME, 60-70% for early stage. < 50% = pipeline or internal organization issue.

Source. HR module (badge/timesheet) crossed with Invoicing (charged hours).

6. Net Promoter Score (NPS) or client feedback

Definition. On the last invoice sent or service delivered, share of 9-10 (promoters) - share of 0-6 (detractors).

Why track it. NPS comes before churn. A B2B SME watching its NPS drop knows it will lose 1-2 clients in the quarter.

Source. CRM → Satisfaction module (auto-send 7 days after delivery, aggregated scoring).

7. Critical compliance indicator

For whom. Fiduciaries, domiciliation centers, accountants — any AML-obliged entity. Our guide on the AML module compliant with the Act of 18 September 2017 covers the exact obligations.

Definition. Number of customer files with:

Up-to-date UBO identification (< 12 months for standard risk, < 6 months for high risk)

Non-expired ID documents

Risk assessment performed

Target. 100% at all times. Any lower point is documented with a remediation plan.

Source. AML / KYC → Compliance dashboard module.

Weekly dashboard — how to organize it

A good layout fits on one 1080p screen with no scrolling:

Row 1 — Quarter forecast + Cash & runway + DSO (the immediate steering numbers)

Row 2 — Gross margin + Productivity + NPS (the health numbers)

Row 3 — Compliance (if applicable) + an "alerts" zone for crossed thresholds

Each KPI:

A current value

Change vs last week (arrow + %)

A reference band (green/amber/red)

A drill-down link (1 click)

Company Belgium's Reporting module ships this dashboard pre-configured. You can add or remove indicators based on your activity. For sector benchmarks to calibrate your green/amber/red thresholds, see our article on Belgian company statistics in 2026.

The worst trap: too much granularity

The temptation is strong to add "KPI per product", "per rep", "per month". At that point the dashboard becomes an analysis tool, no longer a steering tool. Reserve granularity for the monthly operations review. Monday morning is the 30,000-foot view — not the microscope.