DOT PLOT

two dots per category (two measures) on one scale. Needs: categories with two comparable measures (planned vs actual, min vs max).

comparisondistribution

DL-01 AGRAW

Use when

two measures per category on one scale: planned vs actual, this vs that
Cleveland dot plot use cases

Do not use when

before/after change (CH-DEV-02 reads direction)
one measure (CH-RNK-05)

See instead

the two values are before/after: CH-DEV-02

Alternatives

CH-DEV-02 (change over time reading)

Rules

series identified by direct labels on the first row, never a legend
dot_a muted, dot_b primary, connector hairline
one highlight maximum

Never do this

legends
different scales per row
more than two dots per row

QA before delivering

series labeled on first row
highlight <= 1
unit once
source present

Data shape

title	action title with a number
source	bottom-left always
unit	on first label
series_labels	[name_a, name_b] labeled on the first row
categories	array of {label, values: [a, b], highlight?}

Sample data (golden)

{
  "title": "MST overruns its planned test duration by 3 days",
  "eyebrow": "TEST DAYS . PLANNED VS ACTUAL",
  "source": "Source: sample dataset v1, 2026-07-12",
  "unit": "days",
  "series_labels": [
    "Planned",
    "Actual"
  ],
  "categories": [
    {
      "label": "PS1",
      "values": [
        5,
        6
      ]
    },
    {
      "label": "PS4",
      "values": [
        4,
        5
      ]
    },
    {
      "label": "MST",
      "values": [
        6,
        9
      ],
      "highlight": true
    },
    {
      "label": "PS5",
      "values": [
        5,
        6
      ]
    }
  ]
}