Your dashboard doesn't have to live within a BI tool's limits.

The uncomfortable part

An unused dashboard is usually blamed on bad design. Most of the time the problem is what the dashboard was built around.

• The dashboard shows what the tool can do, not what you need.

  When the view you need doesn't exist in the tool, the team either gives up on it or exports the data to Excel and calculates there. The dashboard looks used, but the real work is still done by hand.

• One dashboard for everyone is the right one for no one.

  When the general manager, the sales manager and the planning team look at the same screen, each searches for their own answer in the crowd. Each role makes different decisions and needs a different dashboard.

• There is a dashboard, but not at the moment of decision.

  A dashboard that loads slowly, works only on desktop or asks for a login every time gets opened after the meeting, not in it. Where and when it will be used has to be designed from the start.

I will tell you early which of these applies. If I see your current tool already meets your needs, I will tell you that too.

▶ When you should not hire me for this

If any of these is true for you, let's not start this engagement:

• Your current BI tool already meets your needs.

  There is no point replacing a setup that works. If the tool isn't the problem, a new dashboard won't fix it.

• Your team wants to keep changing the dashboard itself.

  If a team that doesn't code wants to add new charts every week, a BI tool's self-service features may fit better.

• There is no reliable data underneath.

  Even the best dashboard makes a wrong number look good. The data infrastructure has to be sorted out first.

• You need a one-off analysis.

  For a question you'll look at once, an analysis report is enough, not a dashboard.

▶ Questions and answers