Define what counts as a promotion at your company
Include only role changes with increased title, scope, pay, or level
Exclude lateral moves unless they are formally classified as promotions
Count each employee promotion event once
Count multiple promotions for the same employee separately if they occurred at different times
Use HR records, payroll records, or promotion approval records as the source of truth
Filter records by the time period you want to measure
Count internal promotions only if that is your intended scope
Separate promotions by department, location, or level if needed
Exclude temporary assignments unless they became permanent promotions
Verify that demotions, transfers, and reclassifications are not included
Use a spreadsheet pivot table or database query to total the promotion events
Reconcile the final count against HR reports for accuracy