It's common: dashboards that have been frozen for years and that no one consults anymore. And in meetings, you discuss many subjects, essential subjects, sometimes urgent ones, but the information on the dashboards is useless.
9 reasons why your dashboards are useless
The information is already known
Tracking staffing levels on a dashboard doesn't make sense: there's no hiring without your approval, is there?
Data is not important
Well, they are, but less than what you are concerned about today.
There is too much information
And you say to yourself that you will look at them later, because for the moment there are more urgent things.
The data is purely financial
Financial indicators are only results. They do not provide concrete information. To understand, investigations are necessary.
You use a standard document
It was set up by your predecessor, or by a professional, but it does not meet your needs.
The indicators do not indicate how to solve the problem
Well, yes, the indicators should indicate the source of the problem.
Your dashboard does not take into account rapid changes
Your environment is turbulent and you have been using the same document for years.
They are difficult to read
A mass of numbers in columns and rows. It takes time to select the information that needs your attention.
Duplication of information
Over time, documents were added and nobody paid attention to the fact that the information already existed.
Your indicators should be evolutionary, action-oriented and geared towards continuous improvement. They should be few in number. You will save time and money.
Add action indicators and it changes everything
In reality, you implement an action plan that produces results. If you have decided to increase your turnover, you may have decided to hire salespeople and you know how many visits they have to make to make a sale. Measure the number of visits your salespeople make and the number of sales. For any measurement, there should be an action indicator and a result indicator.
Decide on your goals
You define your objectives at least once a year, at budget time, but that is not enough. You have also defined an action plan and your managers know what they have to do. But who says you can't change your objectives? Review your objectives whenever necessary. The world is changing, and the reason some companies are moving away from annual budgets to shorter-term rolling forecasts is to adapt to economic fluctuations.
Solving problems
To solve problems, use simple tools with your team, such as the 5 Whys or the Ishikawa diagram. Once you have found the main sources of the problem, implement an action plan and measure the actions and results.
The presentation of dashboards
They should be simple and quick to understand. Avoid overly complicated Excel charts: curves and bars often speak louder than area charts or radar charts.
Ruthlessly remove what is useless
This is probably the most difficult because we are afraid of missing important information. Other management tools should alert you. Reserve dashboards for essential objectives that require quick reactions.
Decompartmentalise and communicate
All managers should be involved in the objectives you have set. It is important to avoid having only one person in charge of a department working on an issue. If your customers are delivered late, it is difficult for the logistics manager to solve supplier payment problems.
No dashboard is standard
This is what makes it so difficult, and so rich. Your company is unique, your dashboard must be unique.