Glossary
What are Harvey balls?
Harvey balls: Harvey balls are round pictograms that show, in five steps from empty to full, how far a criterion is met or a task is done. They let a table compare options at a glance without numbers.
Harvey balls are round pictograms that show how far a criterion is met or a task is done. A ball has five states: empty (○), a quarter filled (◔), half filled (◑), three quarters filled (◕) and full (●). They are named after Harvey Poppel, a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, who is credited with introducing them in the 1970s.
Their strength is the comparison table. Instead of numbers or words, every cell holds a ball, and the eye sees at once which option fills the most circles.
The five levels
| Ball | Fill | Typical reading |
|---|---|---|
| ○ | Empty | Not met, not started |
| ◔ | One quarter | Barely met, just started |
| ◑ | Half | Partly met, half done |
| ◕ | Three quarters | Largely met, nearly done |
| ● | Full | Fully met, complete |
The reading is a convention. Define it on the slide for the criterion you are rating.
Where they show up
Harvey balls fit anywhere several options meet several criteria: vendor comparisons, feature coverage against competitors, maturity assessments, progress per workstream in a status report, and the appraisal of options in a decision paper.
How to use them well
- Define the scale once. Say in a legend or footnote what “half” means for this criterion. A Harvey ball ranks, it does not measure 50%.
- Rate every option against the same rubric. Write down the evidence behind each level, so two people would choose the same ball.
- Let full always mean better. If a criterion is “risk” or “cost”, rename it “low risk” or “low cost”, so a full ball is always the good end.
- Keep the table small. Five to eight criteria and three to five options read at a glance. More turns into a field of dots.
- State the conclusion in the title. “Option B fully meets four of five criteria” gives the result, and the balls give the proof. Frame the chosen option's column to lead the eye there.
- Make them readable without color. Fill, not color, carries the meaning, so the balls survive a grayscale printout. Add alt text if the file is shared digitally.
Typical mistakes
- No legend. The audience guesses what a half ball means, and every guess differs.
- Measured values shown as balls. If you have real numbers, show the numbers or a bar chart. Harvey balls hide precision.
- Changing direction. A full ball is good in one row and bad in the next.
- Unexplained ratings. The balls look objective even when they are one person's opinion, so say who rated and on what basis.
- Too many levels. Eight shades of fill are not Harvey balls, and nobody can tell them apart.
Related terms
Harvey balls show degree, while RAG status shows condition through color. To place options on two criteria instead of many, use a two-by-two matrix. The guide to choosing the right chart covers when a table with balls beats a chart, and an action title states the result.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Who invented Harvey balls?
They are named after Harvey Poppel, a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, who is credited with introducing them in the 1970s.
What do the Harvey ball symbols mean?
Each ball shows how far a criterion is met or a task is done: empty means not at all, a quarter filled means a little, half means partly, three quarters means largely and full means completely.
How do I make Harvey balls in PowerPoint?
Draw a circle with a white fill and a dark outline, lay a partial circle shape (a pie) of the same size over it and set its angle for the fill level. Copy the five versions and reuse them. The text characters ○ ◔ ◑ ◕ ● also exist, but not every font draws them alike.
What is the difference between Harvey balls and RAG status?
Harvey balls show degree, how much of a criterion is met, through the fill of a circle. RAG status shows condition, whether something is on track, through the colors red, amber and green.
Keep reading
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Where to go next
- TemplateProject status report
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