Content area
Full Text
A dashboard is a vital tool for monitoring the daily health of your organization. From a single interface, decision-makers have access to key performance indicators (KPIs) - actionable information that can be used to actively guide business performance. A dashboard is like an executive intranet, a site where everything of interest to you is displayed in logical groupings. At a high level, it may seem relatively easy to build one. Companies that have a good handle on what performance indicators are of strategic importance to the organization may feel that collecting and summarizing supporting data and putting it in one place shouldn't be that difficult. However, such oversimplification can lead to a failed project before it ever gets off the ground. The successful implementation of a dashboard is complex and requires a methodology that considers all aspects of the project life cycle. When comparing proposals from multiple vendors (or the cost of a "do-it-yourself" project), it's important to ensure that all of the steps described in this article are included. Correctly designed and implemented, a dashboard has the potential to bring immediate ROI to your organization.
Dashboard Implementation Methodology
Plan: The planning phase is where it all begins. Make sure to allocate enough time in your project schedule to ensure this critical step is not rushed. First, the project team members must be identified and their roles clearly defined. Who will be the executive sponsor? What are the overall project objectives? It is not uncommon for the primary users - executives or line-of-business managers - to play a limited role in the dashboard development. Therefore, the team members must have access to and gain insight into the needs and wants of this group. In the planning phase, team members determine the scope of the project. What KPIs are important to the primary users? What data is needed to support the KPIs and where is that data located? A dashboard is most useful if the metrics will be measured against predefined conditions and thresholds. What are these conditions and thresholds?...