A method for comparing one or more dairy cows expected and actual milk production so as to direct dairy transition management practices toward optimizing the one or more dairy cows future milk production and thereby the health and productivity of the one or more dairy cows, the method comprising: a) accessibly storing an animal data set comprising, for each of said one or more dairy cows, an amount of milk produced in the individual's previous lactation in a given period, a current number of days in milk at a test day in a current lactation, and an actual amount of milk produced by the individual in the current lactation at the test day; b) accessibly storing a parameters data set comprising a regression coefficient intercept, a regression coefficient associated with the amount of milk produced in the given period in the previous lactation and a regression coefficient associated with the current number of days in milk in the current lactation; c) for each of said one or more individual dairy cows, calculating an expected amount of milk produced by the individual in the current lactation for the given time period by summing the regression coefficient intercept, the regression coefficient associated with the amount of milk produced in the previous lactation in the given time period multiplied by the amount of milk produced in the previous lactation in the given time period and the regression coefficient associated with the current number of days in milk in the current lactation multiplied by the current number of days in milk in the current lactation; d) for each of said one or more individual dairy cows, calculating a transition monitor value for the given time period by subtracting the individual's expected amount of milk produced in the current lactation for the given time period from her actual amount of milk produced in the current lactation at the test day; e) accessibly storing the transition monitor value for the given time period for each of said one or more dairy cows; and, f) outputting said transition monitor values for the given time period for use in directing dairy practices so as to optimize future transition monitor values and thereby the health and productivity of the one or more dairy cows. a) accessibly storing an animal data set comprising, for each of said one or more dairy cows, an amount of milk produced in the individual's previous lactation in a given period, a current number of days in milk at a test day in a current lactation, and an actual amount of milk produced by the individual in the current lactation at the test day; b) accessibly storing a parameters data set comprising a regression coefficient intercept, a regression coefficient associated with the amount of milk produced in the given period in the previous lactation and a regression coefficient associated with the current number of days in milk in the current lactation; c) for each of said one or more individual dairy cows, calculating an expected amount of milk produced by the individual in the current lactation for the given time period by summing the regression coefficient intercept, the regression coefficient associated with the amount of milk produced in the previous lactation in the given time period multiplied by the amount of milk produced in the previous lactation in the given time period and the regression coefficient associated with the current number of days in milk in the current lactation multiplied by the current number of days in milk in the current lactation; d) for each of said one or more individual dairy cows, calculating a transition monitor value for the given time period by subtracting the individual's expected amount of milk produced in the current lactation for the given time period from her actual amount of milk produced in the current lactation at the test day; e) accessibly storing the transition monitor value for the given time period for each of said one or more dairy cows; and, f) outputting said transition monitor values for the given time period for use in directing dairy practices so as to optimize future transition monitor values and thereby the health and productivity of the one or more dairy cows.