Topic Monitoring lets you compare two versions or snapshots of a Double Materiality Assessment (DMA) to see how topic scores have moved between them. Instead of waiting for the next DMA cycle to find out what's changed, you can check in at any time and see which topics are gaining or losing relevance, and what's driving the shift.
It's built for continuous visibility between cycles: pick two points in time, and Topic Monitoring reads the difference in each topic's score and sorts every topic into a grouping that tells you where to look.
Why this matters
- See what's moving between DMA cycles, instead of waiting for the annual exercise to find out what changed
- Get a data-driven starting point for review, so you're not re-debating materiality from a blank page
- Back every flagged movement with evidence you can click straight into
- Run a defensible quarterly update without rebuilding your DMA or exporting to a spreadsheet
Where to find Topic Monitoring
- In the left menu, select Issue Analysis to open the dropdown.
- Click Topic Monitoring.
How to compare snapshots
- Select the Double Materiality analysis you want to review from the Double Materiality Analysis drop-down.
- Select your baseline version from the Older snapshot drop-down. This defaults to the oldest version, but you can choose a different one.
- Select the version you want to compare it against from the Newer snapshot drop-down. The comparison loads automatically once both are selected.
Note: You can compare any two existing DMA versions, or a snapshot created directly in Monitoring (see Creating a new snapshot below).
Creating a new snapshot
- Click Create new snapshot in the top right of the page.
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Give it a name that includes the date or a short description, so you can find it when comparing against a later snapshot.
What happens after saving
The snapshot is saved within Topic Monitoring only. It isn't written back to the Double Materiality module, so creating snapshots for ongoing monitoring won't add extra versions to your DMA.
Understanding the Topic Screening interval
The Topic Screening in your double materiality analysis sets the relevance threshold a topic needs to meet to be carried forward in the analysis. You set this topic screening interval in the Double Materiality module. The Topic Monitoring page refers to it as the screening cap.
It doesn't determine materiality. Materiality decisions are made separately, at IRO level, within the DMA. Topic Monitoring uses the screening interval only as the reference line for reading movement: between the two snapshots, a topic's score either crosses the interval upward, drops below it, or holds its position. A topic whose score only gets closer to the interval, without crossing it, is holding its position.
A comparison always involves two snapshots, so Datamaran needs a single interval to measure both against. It takes the interval from the newer snapshot first. If the newer snapshot does not have one set, it uses the older snapshot's interval. If neither has one set, it defaults to 0.8.
Scores used in the comparison
Topic Monitoring compares the core operations score of each topic, one axis at a time (financial and impact). The Topic Screening in the DMA uses the score for the whole analysis, which includes all sub-streams in every value chain position. This means a topic's score in Topic Monitoring can differ from its score in the Topic Screening, and a topic can be above the interval in the Topic Screening but below it in Topic Monitoring.
Note: Topic Screening and materiality decision are separate concepts. The interval sets a relevance threshold; materiality is decided at IRO level. Refer to Using the Topic Screening to Identify Relevant Topics for more details.
The three groupings
Every topic in the comparison is sorted into one of three groupings. Each grouping is also a filter you can select to narrow the list.
For each axis, Topic Monitoring compares the score movement with the materiality of the topic's IROs on that axis. When the two don't match, the topic goes to Topics to review. When they already agree, it goes to Topics to maintain. A topic concluded as Material (top down) counts as having material IROs on the axis.
Topics to review
Changes in the external landscape justify a review. A topic goes here when:
- it appears in only one of the two snapshots, so there is nothing to compare
- its score crosses the interval upward and the axis has no material IROs yet. This also applies to topics excluded from the analysis, which may need to be brought back in.
- its score drops below the interval and the axis already has at least one material IRO, so the material conclusion may need re-checking
For each topic, Datamaran flags what is driving the change, any linked IROs (material IROs linked, non-material IROs linked, or No IROs linked), and which axis the evidence is moving on (financial, impact, or both).
Topics to maintain
The movement doesn't call for action. A topic goes here when:
- it is included in the analysis and its score holds its position, above or below the interval
- its score crosses the interval upward, but the axis already has at least one material IRO, so the movement is already reflected. This also applies to topics excluded from the analysis.
- its score drops below the interval, but the axis has no material IROs, so there is no material conclusion to re-check
You can still open the topic to see how it moved.
Topics to watch
The topic is parked. A topic goes here when:
- it is excluded from the analysis and its score stays below the interval
- you manually excluded it and its score in the older snapshot was above the interval. These topics stay here regardless of their score in the newer snapshot.
